Betta Through A Syphon Hose

[wodesorel]

I just sucked my betta through a syphon hose.... I glanced down to make sure the end was in the bucket and saw this dark mass go through the tube and it was the betta. He's pale, not moving, and is missing scales from his back. He's breathing very heavy. There is red stool coming from him, but I fed blood worms for the past three days, so it may be normal - I'm not sure.

I'm going to dose with Melafix - I can't use salt because there are ADF in the tank and they have to stay in the heated tank because the rest of the house is already 10 degrees too cold for them.

Is there anything else I can do or is it just too late for him? I've had loaches take flying runs at the syphon and go for rides and be fine, but they're half the diameter of the tube. I can't even believe the betta fit through there. It's a half-inch diameter tube (the complete opening on the inside).

 

[WILDER]

Increase aeration in the tank he's in shock, its a shame you can't add the salt as that good for things like this. Let him settle down in peace and quite.

If you feed him bloodworm don't worry about the stool for now, same as when we panic we want to go to the toilet.

Just hope he hasn't damaged him swim bladder is he swimming ok.

 

[wodesorel]

I actually have him in a ziploc conatainer that's floating in the tank. (New containers - I use them for cupping the betta in the large tank.) Once I realized he wouldn't be able to make it to the surface, I knew I had to get him off the bottom of the tank. He's swimming in the middle of the cup and is going to the surface for air. He seems to have no problem with stabilization.

I believe the blood I saw was from a tear on his body at the begining of his bottom fin - like when he went through the hose the fin caught on the edge of it and ripped. There are a few scales out of place there. The bleeding seems to have stopped as well.

I've already added Melafix to the tank, and used the treated tank water in the cup he's in.

I'm going to assume that if he makes it through the night he should be okay. I might give him one or two brine shrimp if he'll take it before I go to bed. (About five hours from now.)

He's going back to his old manerisms (the way he turns and the way he holds himself), so I'm going to hope that's a good sign!

Thanks for answering so fast Wilder!

 

[WILDER]

Don't like the sound of him in the cup with the melafix as med take 02 out of the water, any way you can add an airstone to it so he getting enough 02 in there, add a teaspoon of salt add it to a jug of tank water to disolve first it will hep with the stress.

To be honest if you think hes calmed down and ok now , i would just let him back into the tank and keep an eye on him for a while.

 

[wodesorel]

I plan on letting water in out of the cup at least every half hour. Oxygene deprivation was one of the first things I thought of.

His face and chin are almost completly white, and he's a dark red and blue betta.

He is however trying to chase at floating bits of collard greens (for the snail) as they pass by the cup, so I'm unthawing some brine shrimp right now instead of waiting.

 

[WILDER]

The paleness is due to stress, he should regain his colour bless him, shock can kill a fish, but he sounds fine, fingers crossed he makes it good luck.

 

[starrynightxxi]

with a betta in a cup i would be less concerned about the oxygen (unless it affects the meds) because they primarily use their labyrinth organ to breathe than i would be concerned about chemical buildup. when under stress fish muck up the water a lot.

I had a female betta get swim bladder and had to lower the water level while keeping her in the main tank (no heaters for the small tanks) so i took a styrofoam cup and poked holes in it, taped it where i wanted it, and put her in there. This let me keep her in the main tank but still lower the water level for her, as well as keeping fresh water moving through where she was at.

although it will be difficult to put holes in tupperware, it's something you may want to consider. it will save you having to refresh the water constantly.


also, regardless of what you do, if he's in a cup, you might want to consider tossing something that will float on the water's surface for him to hide under as he'll probably be feeling pretty vulnerable.

 

[wodesorel]

I let him out of the cup about 45 minutes ago once I was sure he was swimming okay and his color looked better. He also had a few brine shrimp while in the cup and had absolutely no loss of appetite.

He's acting completely normal and is patroling the seven gallon like nothing is wrong....

I've had bettas in the past that seemed to recover completely from illness and injury that passed away the next morning. If he's still there when I get up, I think it'll be safe to assume that the worst is over.

However, he's still missing those scales along his back, and he has the injury to his stomach. I'm planning on using a teeny bit of salt in the water and half-dose Melafix (not sure what effect a full dose would have on the ADF or Ramshorn snail - I know half-dose is okay for snails) for seven days, along with an 80 degree temp. If an infection pops up I know I'll be back to ask for help as to what to do next, but I'd like to stop that from happening. Could I be doing more or should this be okay?

Thanks Starrynight and Wilder! You've helped to calm me down!

 

[vancouver]

Just keep the water very clean.. it shouldn't get infections if the water is kept clean.. so if you do water changes every day or 2 depending on tank size, you'll have the best luck.

 

[WILDER]

Glad he's ok bless him.

 

[wodesorel]

He made it through the night, and is acting completely normal! He does however look like he's been through a blender.... At least the cuts aren't swollen anymore. He does have a large cut on his stomach - it's a lot more clear now that the tissue isn't swollen.

I'm still a little concerned about internal damage, but he looks good. Color is completely back to normal.

His eyes don't look quite right, but I'm sure it's from the physical damage and not an infection. He did slide down four feet of hose..... He can find food okay, though.

And I suddenly remembered these guys were bred to fight, so I'm hoping that he's got those survival and healing genes!

Thanks again to everyone for the help and advice!

I do have a question - what's the best way to go about dosing with Melafix and doing water changes? I know with a regular antibiotics that at the next dosing time it's okay to change the water because the levels don't build up over time (the antibiotics become ineffective after 24 to 48 hours). Does Melafix act the same way, or are the small doses every day to slowly raise the level in the water so as not to shock the fish?

 

[WILDER]

Usually if you have to preform a water change while on meds you just add the correct dosage to the water removed.

http/www.fishjunkies.com/Medications/melafix.php

 

[PlecMama]

Gosh, poor old thing. How's he doing now?

 

[wodesorel]

Aside from the cuts and missing scales, he's back to normal. He's even terrorizing the ghost shrimp!

Again, thanks for all the help and support!

 

[xostrawberryox]

Bless him! Im never siphoning my betta tank again lol x