Help With Loki

[tibby25731]

OK, firstly - I can now confirm Loki is female, as there are little white eggs speckled all around the tank! Argh!

secondly, I have been thinking one of her gills looked weird for a while, but every time I looked up close it just looked like she was flaring a little. But today, i looked at her from above whilst feeding and it is obvious that it is sticking out weirdly. I got a lamp and shone it at her to get a better look and the area behind the flap of gill is very red. The flap itself is sticking out but I don't think it is swollen, and i don't think there is any growth behind it. She lives in a betta friendly tank and I can think of nothing she could have torn it on. What could this be?? I've tried to get a pic but it is no use at the moment, she is zooming round trying to pick up her eggs and is very skittish.

Any ideas what might be wrong? I'll try again for a pic tomorrow. In the meantime, shuld i vac up the eggs, or should I leave her with them? I don't want her tiring herself out.

 

[MaddieJ]

I may have completely read this wrong (also note I haven't slept much recently lol) but is it possible Loki is actually male, collecting the eggs from a female he has just bred with? I've not heard of females picking up their eggs unless they are in a tank with a male and his bubble nest, so it is odd behaviour for sure.

 

[Netty]

Maddie......Females will pick up eggs and eat them or try to put them in the nest during breeding so that's probably what she's doing. Anything for a free meal lol

With her gills.....it sounds like she may have a parasite or bacterial infection. Have you got any meds Tibby. One of our girls had this once but you could visibly see the fungus in there and you say you can't see anything. Is she trying to rub herself against anything?

 

[MaddieJ]

Ahh, our females just used to ignore any eggs, didn't know they'd go about collecting them without a male and his nest around. Mind you it makes sense, like you say, anything for a meal lol.

 

[tibby25731]

OK, well Loki was meant to be a boy, and has been separated from other bettas. I haven't bred any of my bettas. She was trying to pick up millions of eggs at once and failing miserably, lol.

Well i posted over in emergencies and Wilder says it may be bacterial gillrot, so I've moved Loki over to the q tank and dosed up with interpet no 9. hopefully this will improve things for her. I haven't seen her flicking or rubbing, and I watch her every night whilst I go to sleep so I would notice any strange behaviour. She has benn behaving normally, eating normally, teasing poor Spolodge on the other side of the divider....lol.

I have vacced up the eggs from the tank now she isn't there to eat them.

 

[Netty]

A couple of our girls released eggs without a male and if we hadn't seen them falling down we wouldn't of know cos they ate every last one

Tibby.....I would just leave the eggs for now unless you think she might be doing herself more harm. If she's just leaving them then syphon them up before they start to go bad.

 

[tibby25731]

she's in the q tank now so she can't eat the eggs, that is why I have removed them. I wondered what the hell they were for a second! Well, at least that solves the whole male/female question

 

[Netty]

Awww bless her......I hope SHE is going to be ok At least the name suits a girl too

 

[tibby25731]

Yeah, lucky she got named when i was still thinking up slightly gay names Don't think she would have been too impressed to be called Darth!

 

[Netty]

 

[tibby25731]

Update - she is definitely not getting any worse. I think the gill is lying a little flatter against the body but i may be imagining things. But Loki is still active, though not eating quite so much as usual - though she may be sulking at being in the q tank, she keeps swimming over to shoot me filthy looks!

 

[Netty]

Glad she seems to be ok so far Bless her....I bet she's having a right paddy at being put in solitary confinement

 

[tibby25731]

Hmmm.... she is certainly not amused! And I think Splodge will be missing her... he can see her shadow through the partition usually!