Betta Sick But Can't Figure Out What's Wrong

[hikarikun]

Hi. I'm new here. I've been desperately looking for people who know their betta fish who can help me with my little betta because I think he may die if I don't get help soon. It started about 2 weeks ago when he started breathing rapidly which gradually got worse. But he was still hovering at the top of the tank and swimming around like usual. But this last Saturday he started sinking to the bottom of the tank, and seems to have a lot of trouble swimming to the surface. When he gets to the top, his bottom drags him down, and he then sinks back to the bottom of the tank. He seems to have swim bladder symptoms, but the breathing rapidly is the thing I'm most worried about. I bought a ammonia test kit today which I will use tomorrow morning, but I'm not sure how accurate the results will be since I use Prime water conditioner that often messes with the results.

I've checked him thoroughly for external parasites and sores, but I don't see anything unusual on his body, gills, or fins. I've shone a flashlight on him, and even looked at him through a magnifying glass. It would be hard to spot anything on him since he's a golden colored fish with a pink face. I haven't seen any feces since I cleaned the tank yesterday, but from what I saw last week everything looks normal there too. I want to start treatment on him, but I don't know which antibiotic to use. I have Maracyn 1 and 2, an external parasite medication, and jungle fungus clear. I also have aquarium salt but not sure if I should use it or not. Should I start treating him? I'm afraid if I don't do something, he'll die, and I just can't stand not doing anything. But which medication to use? Please help.

Just some history, he's around 3 years old, his tank is 5 gallons heated but not filtered. He has an air stone controlled with a gang valve so there's no current from it. I keep his tank very clean with regular water changes (100% and two 25% weekly). I feed him Hikari bio gold pellets and freeze dried blood worms. I've been fasting him for a day and a half, but gave him 1 pellet this evening and he still has an appetite and acts very hungry. But once he got his food, he again sank to the bottom of the tank. He used to always hover at the surface of the water and swim around, and it's so depressing to see him like this. I need to cure him but I don't know how.

Here are two pictures I took of him today:

 

[sausagewinkle]

Hi
Your little man doesnt look too well and his tail looks very clamped up.
What temperature do you keep him at? (I know you have a heater)
Test your water asap for ammonia and nitrite, some people say bettas are 'hardy fish' but from my experience of keeping lots of bettas this isnt true.
Id recommend doing large daily water changes to keep the water 100% pristine and clean. This in my opinion is one of the best treatments for bettas, especially if you dont know what your are treating for.

Also, have you tried feeding him a pea to help with his SB issue?

 

[hikarikun]

Hi. Thanks for the reply. Actually the reason his tail looks like that is because of a mild case of fin rot he had a while back that ate the end of his tail away. The fin rot is gone now, but it's taking forever for the fin to grow back.

His water is at 78 degrees now, but I plan to up it to 80 or more today, (my heater is adjustable). I have never used those test kits before, and there isn't much choice where I live, but I managed to find one that measures ammonia levels. I will test his water today before I change it. I plan to do a full change and add a little aquarium salt since I read that it'll help him breathe a little better.

I have tried feeding him a pea but was unsuccessful. I will try again today. His SB symptoms started only last weekend, but he's been breathing heavy for 2 weeks, so whatever the cause of his breathing problem is what's likely causing the SB problem. Right now he struggles so hard to reach the surface, and right away he gets dragged back down. It's so heartbreaking to watch. I wish I knew what was going on so I would know what medication to give him. I wonder if he has velvet and I'm just not seeing it because of his golden color. I've never seen him scratch against the decor, but apparently other symptoms of velvet are labored breathing and lethargy.