NorthernEnd
New Member
Hey folks,
I'm writing here because I'm completely out of ideas at this point, and need some help.
I've had a betta for 3 months now, and he's been the happiest little fish. He's on his own in a 5-gallon tank (Fluval Spec-V), has gravel, 2 cave-riddled decorations for him to hide in, and a fake plant.
Unfortunately, ever since I bought him, he's had issues with bloating and constipation. He would become bloated frequently (once every few days) and now he has a serious issue with constipation. He's been constipated for about a couple of weeks, maybe a little more, and it's so bad that it's been affecting his swim bladder. He's become lethargic, still occasionally swims just to get to his caves or up to the filter grate, and he still watches us with his eyes.
Up until this bout of constipation, he's had a regular diet of high-quality pellets (soaked before feeding so they don't expand inside him), frozen bloodworms, the occasional daphnia, and all of this in very small quantities. He's been fed 6 days out of 7 with 1 day of fasting. He would eat small quantities (IE: one pellet or one-and-a-half bloodworms) once or twice a day. I alternate his food and give him a tiny piece of blanched pea when he gets a little bloated.
I'll post all of the details below.
-----------------
What have I tried so far?
- I fasted him for 3 days, fed him a tiny bit of a blanched pea, and then repeated the process. Tried giving him daphnia as well.
- Attempted to flare him, with no success (which is abnormal for him. He usually does it quite normally)
- I've done a 25% water change.
- Raised the temperature in his tank. He has a new, larger heater that has brought his tank temperature up from 78 to 80, where it stays.
- I used the epsom salt technique 2 days ago, soaking him for 14 minutes in an epsom salt bath and then re-acclimating him to his own tank.
- He is currently half-way through a round of API General Cure to treat any potential bacterial and/or parasitic causes.
Tank size: 5 Gal.
pH: 7.9 (seems high, but he's been otherwise happy as a clam in this since I got him)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH: (very high. It's difficult to adjust the PH in his tank)
gH: ?
Tank temp: 80 Degrees Fahrenheit
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
- Bloated belly for the last 14 (ish) days
- No pooping (that I've seen)
- About 5 days ago he started having difficulty with his weight distribution. Whenever he would stop swimming, his body would begin to tilt until he was facing upward
- He's begun swimming and moving strangely. He parked himself vertically against the side of his tank, he lays on his side, and he can't seem to stay upright unless he's swimming or propped against something
- Over the last four days or so he's become lethargic, had a lack of energy, tends to stay still and lay at the bottom of his tank unless moving to another location in his caves
- He can no longer be flared, and just ignores his mirror when it's used
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
- 25% water change each week
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
- Seachem prime (used in water changes)
- Aquarium salt (tiny amount used - about 1/2 a teaspoon)
- A very small amount of PH-down (that basically did nothing)
Tank inhabitants:
- 1 Crowntail Betta
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
- He recently (about 30 days ago) had two new (fake) plants put into his tank. He didn't like them, so I removed them about two days later.
Exposure to chemicals:
- See "Chemical Additives" section and the treatments I've tried, above.
I'm writing here because I'm completely out of ideas at this point, and need some help.
I've had a betta for 3 months now, and he's been the happiest little fish. He's on his own in a 5-gallon tank (Fluval Spec-V), has gravel, 2 cave-riddled decorations for him to hide in, and a fake plant.
Unfortunately, ever since I bought him, he's had issues with bloating and constipation. He would become bloated frequently (once every few days) and now he has a serious issue with constipation. He's been constipated for about a couple of weeks, maybe a little more, and it's so bad that it's been affecting his swim bladder. He's become lethargic, still occasionally swims just to get to his caves or up to the filter grate, and he still watches us with his eyes.
Up until this bout of constipation, he's had a regular diet of high-quality pellets (soaked before feeding so they don't expand inside him), frozen bloodworms, the occasional daphnia, and all of this in very small quantities. He's been fed 6 days out of 7 with 1 day of fasting. He would eat small quantities (IE: one pellet or one-and-a-half bloodworms) once or twice a day. I alternate his food and give him a tiny piece of blanched pea when he gets a little bloated.
I'll post all of the details below.
-----------------
What have I tried so far?
- I fasted him for 3 days, fed him a tiny bit of a blanched pea, and then repeated the process. Tried giving him daphnia as well.
- Attempted to flare him, with no success (which is abnormal for him. He usually does it quite normally)
- I've done a 25% water change.
- Raised the temperature in his tank. He has a new, larger heater that has brought his tank temperature up from 78 to 80, where it stays.
- I used the epsom salt technique 2 days ago, soaking him for 14 minutes in an epsom salt bath and then re-acclimating him to his own tank.
- He is currently half-way through a round of API General Cure to treat any potential bacterial and/or parasitic causes.
Tank size: 5 Gal.
pH: 7.9 (seems high, but he's been otherwise happy as a clam in this since I got him)
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
kH: (very high. It's difficult to adjust the PH in his tank)
gH: ?
Tank temp: 80 Degrees Fahrenheit
Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):
- Bloated belly for the last 14 (ish) days
- No pooping (that I've seen)
- About 5 days ago he started having difficulty with his weight distribution. Whenever he would stop swimming, his body would begin to tilt until he was facing upward
- He's begun swimming and moving strangely. He parked himself vertically against the side of his tank, he lays on his side, and he can't seem to stay upright unless he's swimming or propped against something
- Over the last four days or so he's become lethargic, had a lack of energy, tends to stay still and lay at the bottom of his tank unless moving to another location in his caves
- He can no longer be flared, and just ignores his mirror when it's used
Volume and Frequency of water changes:
- 25% water change each week
Chemical Additives or Media in your tank:
- Seachem prime (used in water changes)
- Aquarium salt (tiny amount used - about 1/2 a teaspoon)
- A very small amount of PH-down (that basically did nothing)
Tank inhabitants:
- 1 Crowntail Betta
Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration):
- He recently (about 30 days ago) had two new (fake) plants put into his tank. He didn't like them, so I removed them about two days later.
Exposure to chemicals:
- See "Chemical Additives" section and the treatments I've tried, above.
