help sick betta!

A

aimsz88

AC Members
Nov 7, 2004
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hello,

my betta has been sick recently...i think some bad anti algae treatment started it off a month ago...he's been much less energetic. so i gradually have been cleaning up his water and conditions and now everything is much better, including the algae problem.

i've noticed that for a few weeks now he's been having problems swimming...it looks like his lower half is weighing him down...he uses his fins to propel himself everywhere but he looks like he's always struggling and not balanced properly. i suspected he might be eating too much at first so i've been lowering his intake a little...but the problem still remains. now he likes to prop himself up in spots where he doesn't have to stay afloat...he likes shoving himself into little corners of his 1.5 g now. i'm out of ideas....anybody know what is my poor betta's problem? :(
 
one of my bettas is having similar problems. he had ick so i treated him for it for about a week. the ick is gone now but i think he had a reaction to the meds because he still has major stress lines and is also propping himself up on the thermometer and lying next to the filter at the top of the tank. sigh. but the water params are fine -- tested last night -- and the temp is about 80.

someone on another forum told me to wait it out that he might just be getting the meds out of his system.
 
i've noticed that for a few weeks now he's been having problems swimming...it looks like his lower half is weighing him down...he uses his fins to propel himself everywhere but he looks like he's always struggling and not balanced properly
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I think your betta may have Dropsy which is not a good thing, im sorry to say he may die...:(
 
Well, lets figure the possible easier problem first. It could just be that he is constipated. Try not feeding him for a few days, then offer him some cooked frozen pea...skin removed...and cooled down of course. Go a week of just offering the pea and see how he does. Make sure you remove what he doesn't eat though and keep his water good and clean. It may take awhile for him to recover if this is all it is.

The most important thing when treating a sick betta, or any fish for that matter, is clean clean water. That does alot to helping them recover. Meds are harsh on fish and I always make sure I really need to treat them before I do. I try the clean warmer water and extra salt approach first unless it's something like Ich or other parasites.

If my sick betta is in a larger tank, I put them in a smaller bowl to do the clean water treatment....because it's alot easier to change all the water in a small bowl than a larger tank. The smaller quarters won't hurt the fish as much as the ultra clean water will help him.

I change the water EVERY day and usually float the bowl in a larger tank so that the temps will be stable..another important issue in healing sick fish.. I have two bowls the same size floating in the tank, one bowl with fresh clean water and the other bowl with the betta in it. Every day I carefully "flip" the betta into the clean bowl, then change the water in the dirty bowl and set it up with clean fresh water for the next day...and float it in the tank so the temps are equal. This is a very easy way to treat a betta who is under the weather for whatever reason.

Hope this helps some .....and do hope all works out well for your betta !
 
thanks, and one more thing...

thanks so much everybody for the wonderful responses...

i am definitely doing the warmer water more salt thing...and i wanted to mention that he is as excited about eating as he ever was...just seriously unable to keep his balance to get at the food like he used to. occasionally he misses when he pounces to get at his food. =(....

does anybody know if this changes anything?
 
Don't feed him for awhile....a betta will eat themselves to death if you let them....lol.....don't give in to his begging. Over feeding can lead to swim bladder issues. Fast him to give his system a chance to clear, then offer the pea to be sure he's all cleaned out. If he is constipated you should watch for a large....uh...turd....for lack of a better word...lol...when he passes that it should be ok to start feeding regular betta food the next day. Be careful about giving him too much or the same thing will happen again.

Good luck ! ;)
 
augh!

hiya,

thanks again for everybody's help...i thought two of my bettas had swim bladder disease...i suspect one did but he cleared up quickly with the pea treatment so he's great....however, the other one seemingly did better with the pea...but he's not doing so hot today.

he's still swimming as if he's got lead weights on his lower half and now is pretty listless and weak at the bottom of his 1.5 g. *sniff*...i'm so scared for him. anybody have more suggestions as to what it is?
 
I think it's just a general sign of a sick betta. He probably didn't take well to the anti-algae treatment you mentioned in the first thread. Meds and stuff like that can really hit a betta hard if they're not up to good condition when you treat them, or they are subject to things like that.

When they do weaken like that it generally takes them a long time to get over it...if they do. Try feeding him some live foods....black worms, flightless fruitflies, bloodworms...even some chopped up earthworms from your garden if you have one...cleaned very well of course.. Just a bit, one feeding a day or every other day. Give him the regular betta food for the other feeding, if you feed twice a day....be sparing with it though, not too much for each feeding.

Keep his water super clean.....these things may help him to strengthen up and come out of it. Hope so...good luck !
 
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