Help Please!, Male Betta with swollen jaw

dobiekad · May 2, 2006

Hello,
1 year and 1/2 ago i bought two male bettas. This is quite stressful because one recently died of what i could only guess was a thyroid tumor. Now leonard may be sick and i feel helpless :sad:

The one i have left, Leonard, is a huge betta. He has grown over the year, but is probably quite old. He has always had a "thick" black head and body.

I suppose myself being paranoid over keeping my betta safe (since oswald died) that i am paying more attention. I discovered Leonard has a swollen "chin/jaw" tonight. Let me attempt to describe it... you know the gill covers that fan out when the male is pissed? Well they are folded back fine, but they look very swollen on the UNDERSIDE.

He is eating like a pig and acting normal. I have now added a barrier between his tank and the new betta's tank- because they fight all day. Do you think that his gill flap (if it is that) is just irritated from constantly being used to fight with another betta??

I'm going to add that aquarium sald because it says online it helps with gills. But i don't know if this is his gills or not. :huh:

I'm very sorry this post is long BUT... my other question is: how can you tell if your betta has just turned color naturally vs. something is bacterially wrong with his skin? He has NO pinecone scales, but is black face up close is a mix of colors and his body as well (no white so it's not fungus). I don't want to treat for velvet if that isn't the "other" problem.

I've been reading online a lot to diagnose him, but at the moment the salt seems like the only logical choice. Would the salt be harmful if he doesn't really have gill issues? :huh:

HELP!:help:
(i'll attempt pics tomorrow, it's 1am and i have work...i must sleep:thud: )

THANKS THANKS!!!!!!
~DobieKAD

dobiekad · May 3, 2006

pictures of jaw!!!

Here are pictures of what i'm worried about. Keep in mind the true shape of the betta's face and body.

anyone out there? :look:

graphicdesign_r · May 3, 2006

What kind of tank is he in (size). Have you changed his water lately? Is his tank filtered? Heated?

Don't add salt, please, until you figure out what is wrong with him.

Nippyfish · May 3, 2006

Swollen gills can be caused by ammonia poisoning. I wonder if he has an infection in his face or gills. I don't usually recommend salt for bettas but it will help with gill function. I have to agree witih graphicdesign_r though. Best to hang back on the salt until you know a little more.

What are the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

dobiekad · May 7, 2006

thanks for the responce. unfortunetly the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate level tests cost a lot, so i'll probably get the ammonia ones. It's been over a week and hasn't gotten better. Today he is acting paranoid and won't come up to eat food. I hope it's a fluke

Dangerdoll · May 7, 2006

what is your maintenance routine on his tank and what size is it?

dobiekad · May 7, 2006

Dangerdoll said:
what is your maintenance routine on his tank and what size is it?

His tank is a "soft" filtered 2.5 gallon. I recently changed 75% adding new gravel and plants. Usually on a regualr basis i do a partial water change every 2 weeks. Recently i've been doing it once a week since he isn't acting himself

Dangerdoll · May 7, 2006

you may want to continue that water changing once a week... 2 weeks may be stretching it too much.... how much is partial? 20-50%? and one last thing... what is "soft" filtered?

dobiekad · May 7, 2006

the "soft" filter is called what? a whisper filter? it's a slower current emitted than other filters.
I don't know how much he likes the filter, should i take it out?

The partial change is anywere from 1/3 to 1/2, and i'll start doing it weekly. the last few months (way before this problem started) his tank started to develop a green micro algea that turns his water green-litterally lime green. It's not toxic to the fish and i don't want to shock him by replacing 100% of his water. I do regular water changes to try and get rid of it- in fact that is why i did the 75% recently. It took care of it for a while but it has come back again strong.

hondaman · May 7, 2006

dobiekad said:
the "soft" filter is called what? a whisper filter? it's a slower current emitted than other filters.
I don't know how much he likes the filter, should i take it out?

The partial change is anywere from 1/3 to 1/2, and i'll start doing it weekly. the last few months (way before this problem started) his tank started to develop a green micro algea that turns his water green-litterally lime green. It's not toxic to the fish and i don't want to shock him by replacing 100% of his water. I do regular water changes to try and get rid of it- in fact that is why i did the 75% recently. It took care of it for a while but it has come back again strong.

1) Water Test Kit
First things first, you need a water test kig. If money is an issue, and you have a PetSmart around you get a 5-in-1 Strip Kit and the Ammonia Strip Test both from Jungle Labs. Ad them to your cart, print it, and take it to the store. You'll have what you need for under $20.

2) Algae Problems
You mentioned algae probs, is your tank in direct sunlight all day? how long do you keep the lights on? IME to keep algae under control, your tank should not receive more than say 10 hours of light per day. You should also keep it out of direct sunlight.

3) Salt
I do not think adding salt to the tank is a bad thing just be carefull how much you add and where you add it. You have a 2.5g make sure it does not land on your fish.

4) Water Changes
These should be done weekly. General rule of thumb is 25% at a time. If you are doing more because of algae, get a small algae brush. That will help big time.

5) Betta Fighting
I don't know if I read this right but are you letting your Betta fight?

6) In the mean time...
rrkss will like this one. After water change, salt, and what not, you can try to help the poor guy along by temporarily adding an airstone to the tank. The extra oxygen will help the poor guy "breathe" better.


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Help Please!, Male Betta with swollen jaw

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