Sick Betta, cant figure out whats wrong! Pics

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Tekhna

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Aug 17, 2004
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I really need help here, I finally got my water to specs, everything waterwise seems healthy except for a pH of about 7.6

It doesn't seem like anything other than Gill disease, but even that doesn't fit. He hasn't eaten in about 3 days, so I am worried I am going to lose him.

Here is the best pic I could get of him...


http://www.earlham.edu/~friblbe/sickbetta.JPG

Can't lose my buddy here! You know how bettas develop a personality, and this one was great!
 

PumaWard

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What size is the tank? How often and what do you do for maintenence? Temperature? Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels?
 

OrionGirl

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Other than not eating, any symptoms? The pH really is not high enough to be causing a problem, especially if it's stable.

How old is he? By 'to specs', what do you mean? Was the tank cycling recently with the betta in there?
 

Tekhna

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OrionGirl said:
Other than not eating, any symptoms? The pH really is not high enough to be causing a problem, especially if it's stable.

How old is he? By 'to specs', what do you mean? Was the tank cycling recently with the betta in there?


He is in a 10g, the pH has been stable all along. I have only had him since June. The tank finished cycling with him in it, so now nitrite, nitrate, amonia are all at or close to zero. He is the the only fish in there. I added some plants recently, but this was after he started showing symptons. You cant really see see it well in the picture but the scales around his gills and head are a silvery whitish. It sure doesnt look like Ich. I started dosing the tank with tetracycline yesterday, but no luck so far. He just sits at the bottom of the tank, very lethargic. Doesn't swim to the top to get air, just sits at the bottom breathing. I will try to take some better pictures for you guys. Thanks for all the help.
 

OrionGirl

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Bettas can change color--though the lethargy is a bit of a concern. What's the temp?
 

Tekhna

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OrionGirl said:
Bettas can change color--though the lethargy is a bit of a concern. What's the temp?

The temp is pretty stable between 79-80. 79 at the moment. I was gone for the weekend, and he was in the care of a friend. When I got back the heater had somehow brought the temp up close to 88, so I immediately rectified the situation. I don't know how long it was that warm, but I would think he would have recovered by now from that. Maybe not?
 

OrionGirl

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Depends on how quickly the temp changed. Higher temps mean fish burn calories faster and need more O2, though--imagine how you feel after a strenous, long workout. I'd give him a few days to recover--and monitor the tank for ammonia/nitrites, especially since you added an antibiotic. If this is just a stress reaction from the temps, a sudden spike could result in further problems.
 

Tekhna

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OrionGirl said:
Depends on how quickly the temp changed. Higher temps mean fish burn calories faster and need more O2, though--imagine how you feel after a strenous, long workout. I'd give him a few days to recover--and monitor the tank for ammonia/nitrites, especially since you added an antibiotic. If this is just a stress reaction from the temps, a sudden spike could result in further problems.

Would you reccomend continuing the antibiotics?
Or should I just give him time to recover?
There has been no spike as of now, but I will keep this thread updated.
Is there a way I can add oxygen to the tank? I don't have access to an airpump or anything at the moment.
 

OrionGirl

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No, I wouldn't use the antibiotics. Without knowing if there's a bacteria that's causing a problem, they are sort of a shotgun approach and can cause problems. What kind of filtration is on this tank? If you have a power filter, dropping the water level a bit will increase the splash and increase the gas exchange. BUT--bettas get much of their oxygen from the surface, so aren't as impacted by low oxygen. The higher temps just make the fish burn through it's reserves faster than normal.
 

Tekhna

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OrionGirl said:
No, I wouldn't use the antibiotics. Without knowing if there's a bacteria that's causing a problem, they are sort of a shotgun approach and can cause problems. What kind of filtration is on this tank? If you have a power filter, dropping the water level a bit will increase the splash and increase the gas exchange. BUT--bettas get much of their oxygen from the surface, so aren't as impacted by low oxygen. The higher temps just make the fish burn through it's reserves faster than normal.

I am using a cascade (I think) filter. It is a relativly cheap one, but it does the job. My UGF filter is not operational at the moment, but do you think it would help t all? As far as I can tell he is not going to the top to get oxygen, but he may be when I am not noticing. I would just feel better if I saw him eat.
 
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