Betta Problem

[Mongwopman]

So I have a HMPK betta that i got abour 1.5 months ago. When i got him his colours were nice and dark and rich and he ate like a pig.

Slowly over time he has just seemed to have gotten worse and worse.

His colours are faded now, and he has become very thin. Initially i thought he had some infection and treated him in a quarantine tank. Changed his water everyday using myxazin.

I also ran him on a treatment of anti internal parasite (number 9 if i recall, im not at home now)

I feed him every 5 days and faste him for 2.

He has lost his appetite, he now hardly eats and looks realy really thin. Ive checked all my water parameters and all is good except for PH which might be a little high at 8.

Im at my wits end on what to do as Ive never had a problematic fish like this and ive been keepoing bettas for close on 3 years now!!

Feeding him Attisons Betta Pro, mixing the diet up with bloodworm once a week and flake food every 2nd or 3rd day.

Anyone have any ideas what could be wrong?

 

[silverrabbit]

I've lost a fish myself recently to something I couldn't diagnose, so I feel your pain at trying to help this guy.

Is his tank heated and filtered? I'd maybe up the feeding for a bit to see if he fills out some more. pellets twice a day, and maybe BW twice a week and add in some brineshrimp and glassworms (you can get these as frozen white mozzy larvae too). Might be worth soaking his food in garlic juice too? I have frozen brineshrimp that comes in garlic.

I hope you manage to save your guy.

 

[Mongwopman]

Yeah his tank is filtered and heatead.

He managed to eat a bit of BW tonight, tried the pea method, didnt work, tried mixing with BW...didnt work!

Colour is still feint! Really stressing me out!

 

[silverrabbit]

My boys don't tend to like peas either, my girls do though.

I don't think you need to worry about peas atm though, he's on the thin side rather than bloated/constipated.

Can you get a picture of him?

 

[loraxchick]

i would treat again for internal parasites. he needs medicated food, not just a water dosage. soak his food in some tankwate and roll it in the parasite meds. look at the ingredients in the med and make sure they contain metronidazole and or praziquentil. feed more bloodworms. everyday if you can. just make sure he is still pooping. he needs highly nutritious, high protein foods(if hes really thin he will start losing muscle mass and if he is managing to eat bloodworm stick with what works for now.
have you seen him poo? what did it look like? how do his fins look (and thinning of membranes or pin-holes?).
stats are fine. dont worry about pH.
keep us updated.
cheers

 

[Mongwopman]

Difficult to try and feed him medication if he is not eating.

I went away for the weekend and treated the tank and left the lights off. Came back and he is still looking poorly. Fins clamped, a little torn now too. Light in colour and still not eating. Ive run him on a course of anti internal parasite meds but he just is not coming right. I need to do a water change tonight. He only comes to the surface to breath and then goes and sits on the bottom again and hardly ever moves. My wife keeps freeking me out and saying he is dead cause he is not moving.

He has pood over the weekend, big mass of brown turd!

I will try the bloodworm thing again cause at least he ate that on friday, but this morning wouldnt take flakes or pellets.

 

[BethK]

If you say his fins are clamped, I'd be inclined to think that your water stats maybe the issue. Have you run a test?

 

[Mongwopman]

If you say his fins are clamped, I'd be inclined to think that your water stats maybe the issue. Have you run a test?

Yup, everything is good (0) excpet for PH which i think is abit high.

 

[BethK]

Try feeding brimeshrimp in garlic, will kick his immune system into gear. Is he in a tank on his own? Is he from a breeder? If so, you you call the breeder?

Does he have his own tank or in a community? What's the Oxygen levels like in your tank? Are the plants fading, is the betta up at the top, taking in more air than normal? Is the filter aggravating the water enough to see movement? What temp is the tank water reading?

 

[Mongwopman]

Try feeding brimeshrimp in garlic, will kick his immune system into gear. Is he in a tank on his own? Is he from a breeder? If so, you you call the breeder?

Does he have his own tank or in a community? What's the Oxygen levels like in your tank? Are the plants fading, is the betta up at the top, taking in more air than normal? Is the filter aggravating the water enough to see movement? What temp is the tank water reading?

Garlic juice...where can i get this or make this?

He is in a tank on his own, he is from a breeder but came perfectly healthy and lively, was eating normally and frequently.

In a tank on his own with a sponge filter so the water is areated and does create water movement. temp is 28 degrees. There is sand substrate and a few live plants in the tank too. He seems to breath normally, comes to the surface regularly enough.

 

[BethK]

You can buy frozen live food in garlic at the majority of LFS, if you have a maidenhead near you, they have it.

Would you be able to post a pic of him?

As he is on his own, give him a salt bath, it is good for assisting in the healing process of injuries or fin damage, also improves gill function, aids recovery when stressed and helps build slim coat. I think it's 1 teaspoon of salt per Gal but maybe start off with 1 teaspoon and see how it goes.

I can't remember the name of the salt needed, there must be something in the emergency section but aquarium salt, if you use crystals, dissolve them before adding to a tank. Some people say rock salt is good but I am not sure. Be vigilant though, some fish may not fully tolerate it.

 

[Mongwopman]

Ive already done the salts bath thing. I usually always use a bit of salts in my tanks.

I will try get a pic of him tonight to load here. He generally looks so unhappy. I dont think there is a maiden head near me either unfortunently.

I could'nt perhaps crush a garlic and try rub some of his food in the juices from that? I assume garlic juice is just that....garlic juice.

 

[BethK]

I think you can, as long as garlic chunks don't go in there

 

[Mongwopman]

I think you can, as long as garlic chunks don't go in there

Awesome, well i will try this tonight too.

 

[loraxchick]

if he pooped brown it is likely not internal parasites. probably bacterial to be honest.
food in garlic is a good idea if he will eat it. and yes, you can just chops some up and roll some food around in it to pick up some garlic juice. no need to go buy prepared garlic-y food.
aquarium salt is the salt needed. and the dose is 1 tablespoon/5 gal. dissolve in a cup of tankwater before adding to the tank.
other than clamped fins and lethargy, does he show any other symptoms?
any scratching or rubbing? pinholes in the fins? is he "yawning" at all? does his anus look inflamed or enlarged? any bloating? are there any new decor or plants in the tank? any chance of chemicals in the tank(air fresheners,aerosols etc?)?
for now just keep his water clean and at a moderate temp.
all the best
cheers