sick betta

[xstitch_allykat]

my betta seems to be having alot of problems which just seem to be getting worse. it started out with him not eating the pellets and alot of floating. so we started feeding him flakes (which he doesn't seem to be fond of) and bloodworms which seems to be the only guarantee he will eat. and now his fins seem to be thinning. there is no signs of fin rot (white substance or anything like that) just thinning and almost like a string instead of the fanning fins he had when we first got him. any ideas what to do?

[sergo]

check your water conditions.

[minabird]

Need more info about your betta's tank setup before we can help.

What size tank? Heated? Temp?
By himself or in a community?
How long have you had him?
Water parameters: Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate
Planted ie real plants?
How long has he not been eating?
Water change schedule and how much?
If he's in a community, any new fish added recently? Any other fish sick?

[xstitch_allykat]

1 gallon tank with some grass for him to hide in. his water temp is 79. we actually have 2 in the same type set up and one is flourishing beautifully. he is active and his fins/tail are always fanned out. and the other is the opposite. we use the same type of spring water (not distilled) for both of them, both tanks get cleaned about twice a week (pretty much they are treated the same except for the food, 1 likes pellets one won't eat them). they sit right beside each other (with something inbetween so they can't see each other)

[minabird]

my betta seems to be having alot of problems which just seem to be getting worse. it started out with him not eating the pellets and alot of floating. and now his fins seem to be thinning. there is no signs of fin rot (white substance or anything like that) just thinning and almost like a string instead of the fanning fins he had when we first got him. any ideas what to do?

My best guess would be fin rot. Here's a description and treatment.
Fin Rot (Pseudomonas and others)
S: The edges of the fins are discolored and frayed. As the disease progresses, fin damage becomes more evident as the fins disintegrate. Often fungal infections follow fin rot, contributing to fin damage.
A: Fin rot is most commonly caused by improper water conditions including too low a temperature and the buildup of toxic compounds. This infectious disease can be treated with a bath in Trypaflavine or the addition of commercially prepared medications. Treatment of Fin rot is difficult.

If you can, please post a pic of him so we can see what his fins look like. That might help us make a better determination of what is ailing him.


so we started feeding him flakes (which he doesn't seem to be fond of) and bloodworms which seems to be the only guarantee he will eat.

Vary his diet before he gets too spoiled to the point that he only eats bloodworms. Just eating bloodworms does not provide all the nutrients he needs and may lead to other problems later. Try feeding him a shelled pea and frozen brine shrimp for roughage.

[xstitch_allykat]

Just to update you...our dear squidward passed away today...

Thanks for all of the help, however we think we have figured out what was wrong. Because our other betta didn't and still doesn't show any symptoms that squidward had (we treated them the same)...I looked online and found that all the symptoms that squidward had could have been caused by tuberculosis.

This is the info I found on it:

Tuberculosis
Swelling and scale protrusion, unexplained weight loss, skeletal deformity, skin defects, loss of scales, skin discoloration, eye protrusion, fin rot, loss of appetite, clamped fins, lethargic.

I am guessing he had this because he had at least 7 of the symptoms. We now know what to look for health-wise when we buy another betta in 2 weeks.

[cocoa_pleco]

tuberculosis usually occurs in old fish, and thats why there are so many symptoms.

sorry of your loss

[sk8rsquirrel]

My Bettas are my pets, They have lived longer than most. Floating bettas can be several reasons, but most commonly constipation. There belly gets whitish. Recently this has happened to one of mine. The squishy pea concoction wks. He has a new lease on life, fairly immediate results. Take a frozen pea, boil well, skin it. Take a teensy bit from the center, should be squishy, hand feed your betta. It tends to act like a laxative. You may have to try several times to get them to eat it. The water has to be changed between 24-48 hrs later, if they do not eat the pieces, otherwise it will turn into ammonia and will be harmful to your betta. But if they do eat the small pieces, you will see fairly good results in several hrs. No more than 2 extra teensy pieces of the pea.

[cocoa_pleco]

this thread is over 2 years old...