A Little Vent: His Old Immune System

[soritan]

I'm getting a bit frustrated, my red VT refuses to get well. He's had colmunaris now for... I'm not sure, quite a while, well over a month. He's over a year in my care, and who knows how old he was when I got him. He just seems to be slowly wasting away. He's getting thin, now. I don't actually SEE the colmunaris on his body anymore, but there's a part of his spine that's misshapen where it once was, and he's losing his fins. All he does is sit.

I'm so used to seeing him dash about when he knows I'm looking at him, and seeing him being full and happy.

At the moment, he's sharing a tank with 3 ADFs. I'm going to rehome him, I think, so that I can treat him without worrying about effecting the frogs. Do you think salting his water will help him?

I wonder if him being old is really the issue here. It's just so distressing. He's my little guy, you know? My first fish since I was but a wee thing.

I have a 25watt heater, I got at a garage sale. This is a real find, as I can't find those things anywhere in the stores. I'm thinking of putting him in a 5.7g or a 3.3g or a 2g... he's so inactive, but he can actually reach the surface to breathe... I don't know. I guess I should simply decide which is easier to medicate, and put him in that one.

lkj312490j;lkmf09asdjalkmdf!!!!@@%*(*&

Ok.

That's about all I wanted to scream.

 

[liz2]

8) ok you know you are doing all you can for him. By posting and telling us you are saying you care. Just keep trying for the little fellow.

 

[soritan]

Thanks. I posted mostly to vent, and I openly admit it.

He's such a sweet fish. It's troubling to see him become thinner, and thinner, and to see his fins slowly vanish. It's troubling to see him go from a normal betta, posessively patroling his tank, to a betta that simply sits.

I'm waffling between the 2g and the 5g for his new home away from the African Dwarf Frogs. The 5g will be easier for me to maintain water conditions in... I imagine one or two 50% water changes per week will cover it. But the 2g will be easier on him for expending energy. The 5g will be eaiser to heat, though....

Ok, now I'm just talking to myself. Pay me no mind.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Bent spine, wasting, and fin rot? That doesn't sound like columnaris to me; columnaris usually kills within days, or improves within days by treating. Something lingering for that long, causing those symptoms, almost sounds like TB. Tell me, did he have open sores? (which maybe is what made you think columnaris?)

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

Vent away! I recently struggled with a similar situation, however mine is due to old age. It's heartbreaking to see the effects of time isn't it? I wish you the best for your lil' guy and hope he pulls through. Keep us posted...

 

[soritan]

Bent spine, wasting, and fin rot? That doesn't sound like columnaris to me; columnaris usually kills within days, or improves within days by treating. Something lingering for that long, causing those symptoms, almost sounds like TB. Tell me, did he have open sores? (which maybe is what made you think columnaris?)

Yeah, he had an open sore at first, it looked exactly like columnaris, so I've been treating for it.

 

[juliehainsworth]

Hope he gets better soon! And feel free to vent away its nice to hear that you care so much for the lil guy! Keep up the good work on him

 

[TammyLiz]

Bent spine, wasting, and fin rot? That doesn't sound like columnaris to me; columnaris usually kills within days, or improves within days by treating. Something lingering for that long, causing those symptoms, almost sounds like TB. Tell me, did he have open sores? (which maybe is what made you think columnaris?)

I was thinking the same thing. I've been reading up on TB because I think I lost a gourami to it a few months ago and now have another one with it . Its a sad, sad thing.

Your description of your betta, soritan, sounds like my gourami, except that th betta is having trouble getting around, right? My gourami acts like there is nothing wrong. I think usually with TB the fish just keeps going without showing signs of feeling weak until they are about to die.

 

[soritan]

I'd read up on it a bit, before, but it didn't occur to me that it might be what he has. I had also read that it's impossible to get rid of, and that I should just toss the entire tank. There are three ADFs in there that are totally uneffected by his disease. I've been pretty good about cross contamination ever since he showed symptoms... but before that, I used the same set of equipment for both my tanks.

He even shared his 5g with my 3 albino cories and 1 oto for a brief time, while the 20g was being prepared (he had no symptoms of disease, then). The 3 cories died for no apparent reason, but the oto is fine.

I imagine TB is caused by a virus, and that's why I'd read that it's impossible to get rid of, when equpiment is concerned?

 

[GuppyDude]

From what iv heard and witnessed, TB is impossible to get rid of and will ultimately end up killing the fish. Iv heard of people treating the symptoms and prolonging the fish's life for many months; as long as he can take food and make it to the surface to breath i think he'll be fine for a while. All you can really do is continue treatment as you are and maybe get him his own tank. It sounds like you've done an awful lot for the little guy, he's very lucky to have you

 

[soritan]

He's such a cute little betta. Sure, he's just an ugly red VT, but he's so personable.

In light of his suspected TB, I think I'll rehome him to a 2g bowl, instead. I'll clip some ficus pumelia for him to sit on, so that it can be tossed out when he's had his time with me.

I only have one 2g bowl, though, so 100% water changes are going to be difficult, especially with a stressed fish. I wonder if I can pull of 50% water changes twice a week, instead.

I'm going to keep treating him, though. I'll salt his water and keep him in IAL and feed him frozen foods and flare him when possible. I don't want to have to put him down until I think he's actually suffering. He's an old geezer, frankly all he did before was sit... now he sits, and looks sick at the same time. He still jumps up when he sees me (the thing that brings food is here! the thing that brings food is here!).

Looks like I'll be reading up on possible other illnesses for a while, at least until the denial wears off.

 

[soritan]

Reading up on TB, it's amazing how paranoid those articles can make you. From my work, I often have cuts on my hands, and now I'm thinking that I need gloves.

Before the whole "omg tb" thing, I noticed that my female betta was acting weird, hiding in the cave all the time and wedging herself behind plants instead of patrolling her turf. Today, after the "omg tb" thing, I realize that one of my rasboras has died, apparently, as I have one less fish. In the back of my head, I keep thinking about how I fed them with the same chopsticks and bowl, and that there was that one waterchange where I couldn't find both siphons and had to use the same one on both.

Monsters in the closet, or something, right?

 

[soritan]

So my lovely fishie has passed on. He'd been progressively more and more still, even inside the 2g bowl... I went over to him just a moment ago and couldn't find him atop his leaf -- a leaf that he never really got off, except to eat. He was eating weakly the last time I fed him, barely noticing the food, just sitting there... and yeah. He was lying down at the bottom of his bowl.

My poor little old man. *sigh*

 

[lisie]

So sorry about your loss. You obviously really love your fishies.

RIP little guy.

 

[soritan]

I'm not actually sure how to feel about his death, isn't that strange? He was a good little betta. It's just... very strange he's not here.