Sick betta, please help

[mariposa]

Ok, I know I should have done more research before I put anything in my tank with my betta but...my kids went fishing and brought home some crawfish. They wanted to keep them and so I allowed them to put only 4 in the tank untill I could get them a tank set up. Little did I know they are horrible, vicious little creatures. They started attacking my betta. Imagine that!!! I'm from Louisiana and all my life I've been told they are just bottom feeders that eat mud. So much for what I've been told. Apparently they will also attack live fish. So neways my bettas tail was getting damaged so I took out 4 crawfish...and then a couple days lator noticed that he was worse off and found 1 extra crawfish hiding in some plants. :( So now he's got a shredded tail but not only that I have a larger concern. Ive noticed a lump on his right side just behind his fin. I was thinking consitpation at first and didnt feed him for 2 days..:( It didnt seem to be a noticable difference so I am feeding him lightly again. I'm treating his water with melafix for the fin damage but Im really concerned with the lump on his body. I'm really at a loss for what could be causing it. Any help at all I would really appreciate!

[sergo]

how's his activity level? does he eat? if constipation feed him a green pea (smushed) and don't feed anything else for a couple of days. worse case is maybe the crayfish introduced some parasites or something which may require further meds.

[roulfi004]

Being fighters by nature, Bettas usually recover easily even after having some fins damaged.

So i think the greater worry would be from the current sickness or any other possible diseases. Try to figure out what disease it has so you can treat it. Im including a few helpful links below. (you could also post a pic of ur betta in the forum. some people may have encountered a similar problem before):

http://www.klsnet.com/files/fishchart.htm
http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/symptoms.html
http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/disease/diseasehome.htm

You could put him in a new tank with fresh new and clean water. Any small container would do. Wild fish/crayfish can carry some diseases with them, and the bacteria can remain in the betta's tank after the crayfish have been removed

Good luck

[SkarloeysMom]

My betta got backed up one time and the swelling was closer to his head. I would have to agree that if the lump is farther back on the body it is not constipation.

Here's a little snippet from <http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_anatomy.htm> about betta anatomy.

"Brain, heart, stomach, guts, liver, spleen, and all the other useful gadgets seem to lodge comfortably in the “belly” area, all well packed between the head and the beginning of the anal fin."

I don't know what the lump might be. I noticed one on my Betta recently on the left side. I'll have to keep reading this thread to see if anyone has any recommendations for treatment.

[gm72]

No idea. Hopefully it is just an injury from being attacked by the crawfish. I think keep medicating with melafix, put some stress coat or other such concoction in there, too. Watch him carefully.

[mariposa]

Ok, he is still pretty active. He's acting normal. The lump is close to his head but just behind that front little fin on the side of his head....I hope that description helps out. This is one reason I wasnt sure if it could be he was just backed up. I'll have to get him a pea and try that. Continuing with the melafix as of now. I do have a bowl that I got for him when I first purchased him but if I put him in the bowl again I dont have a way to regulate the temps and the water wouldnt be cycled since the only cycled tank is the one he is currently in. Since I have 5 danios and a pleco would it be better to remove him to treat him since I dont want to have to not feed them?

[kimmers318]

The other fish will be fine for a few days without being fed, well kept fish can go up to 2 weeks without food, so that is not a concern right now. Considering the crayfish were put into the tank and there is some concern they may have introduced some kind of nasty, you will be better off leaving all fish together to be treated.
The nipped fins will heal with some TLC as you have been doing, stresscoat and melafix. Also make sure you do a nice healthy water change to reduce the amount of toxin or bacteria that may be in there. Most healthy fish can fight off a lot of stuff with simple clean water and healthy tanks.
You did not mention what size tank you have these guys in. There is also the possibility that introducing 4 crayfish into a relatively small aquarium was too much on the bio load and you may also be dealing with some small ammonia and nitrite spikes, which can lead to disease and illness. Since you have removed the crayfish the tank should settle back down fairly quickly as far as it's cycle, but having possibly been exposed to elevated am/ni levels could have contributed to some of the situation.
Good luck and keep us posted on how things go. Bettas are such lovely fish it sucks to see them with shredded fins.

[mariposa]

oK, I have a 10 gal. I did a huge water change and a good vaccum and so far I've got nice clear clean water checking out all balanced again. I did put Pedro, the betta, in a bowl in my bathroom (to assure he stayed warm) and offered him peas instead of food. Hes been in there for about a week now. There as been either a reduction in the lump or the other side has now swollen to match. I'm not quite sure. He would eat bites of the peas but wasnt too happy with it. I got some epsom salts today and decided to do a dip in that but I cant seem to find the site again that told me exactly how much to use. I saw it mentioned on one site as a treatment for constipation and now I cant find it... :( . I'm going to keep looking, but in the mean time if anyone knows please post it. I think after I do this I'm going to maybe leave him another day and then let him back into the main tank. I dont know if that would be a good idea or what I should do at this point. I cant just keep him in the bowl. We are leaving for vacation Sunday coming up so this week is kind of going to be our defining moment. I'm not sure anymore if he is still constipated or if hes just chubby.... ***shrugs***

Have you guys had a chubby betta before??

[mariposa]

Ok so after reading and reading, I decided to put Pedro back into the main tank. After nearly an entire week (week tomorrow) there doesnt seem to be any thing besides a big belly wrong with him. I'm not sure if hes just not chubby. I'm going to start feeding only 1x a day instead of the 1 in the morning and snack at night...I know that I probably shouldnt have been giving him food 2x but he seemed to know there was going to be food and will swim to the top for his dinner before I turn off their light...I hate to disappoint him. :( But, being a good Mommy means telling my little son "No" on occasion. :( I'm really hoping he's going to be ok. I have had him for coming up on a year this month and so far everything has been peachy up untill now. I really love my little Pedro and I'd like to have him for another year+.

[gm72]

Please do keep us posted. Should be interesting.

[Tails]

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm This site seemed to have a nice section on diseases as well as the salt ratio (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 gallon of water)

Hope your betta gets better!

Another site that mentions constipation and treatment:
http://majesticbettas.com/diseases.htm

Hope this helps!

[mariposa]

Ok here's an update. I got back from my vacation and the swelling seemed a bit worse. Now starting yesterday the scales have started standing out. It seems that my worse fears are here. He is exhibiting the signs of dropsy. Ive read that its so hard to cure. My husband is currently going to the petstore to buy the only medication they have for it. I think he must have gotten a bacterial infection from the stupid crawfish. So for the time being I just gave him a epsom salt bath. Soaked for 10 mins, then I put him back in his bowl with some fresh water. I did add a tiny bit of salt to his bowl but just to keep down on any further infections. :( I'll keep ya'll posted on how it goes.

One major lesson!!!!!!!! Quarentine! I should never have let my kids put those crawfish in my tank. I'm now paying the price...possibly with my beloved betta's life. :( :( :(

[SkarloeysMom]

Ok here's an update. I got back from my vacation and the swelling seemed a bit worse. Now starting yesterday the scales have started standing out. It seems that my worse fears are here. He is exhibiting the signs of dropsy. Ive read that its so hard to cure. My husband is currently going to the petstore to buy the only medication they have for it. I think he must have gotten a bacterial infection from the stupid crawfish. So for the time being I just gave him a epsom salt bath. Soaked for 10 mins, then I put him back in his bowl with some fresh water. I did add a tiny bit of salt to his bowl but just to keep down on any further infections. :( I'll keep ya'll posted on how it goes.

One major lesson!!!!!!!! Quarentine! I should never have let my kids put those crawfish in my tank. I'm now paying the price...possibly with my beloved betta's life. :( :( :(

I'm so sorry to hear that your betta is sick. The symptoms sound almost exactly like what I saw went Skarloey got sick but he had fin rot as well. Don't lose faith! I used Meracyn-2 and Epson salt baths and my betta got well. Check out this URL <http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/killer.htm> and scroll down to Experimental Dropsy Treatment. I followed that pretty much and Skarloey made it. I wish you the same luck!

[Tails]

I'm so sorry! My betta's fins are shredded and I'm sick with worry so I know just how you feel!!! *hugs* I will say a prayer for your little betta!