Old Betta

[Katty]

I have a male betta who's going on 2 years old now. I've ton lots of moving tanks and inhabitants around, but now he resides in a 5.5 gallon heated, filtered tank. Perfect water params and everything. But over the past week he's been getting slower and slower, and resting more and more. Last night I accidentally left the light off, and when I turned the light back on to feed him he began to swim around but he looked like he was too heavy and was struggling to swim up at the surface. He also was not interested in the food, but I don't know if thats because I woke him up. The most distressing part is how he breathes. He will gulp air from the surface every 10-20 seconds when the light is on and he's trying to swim around, then he will jerk his head up in a motion reminiscent of coughing or choking. With any other fish I would think low oxygen in the water, but since he has a labarynth and the water has movement from the filter that shouldn't be the problem. If he's not swimming he will be resting on top of the heater, thermometer, or feeding ring but he doesn't do the gulping when he is resting. A couple times he did lay on his side on the bottom. He was able to swim back up though.

We ended up calling one of the better LFS in the area and asking them what they thought about all of the above, and they said he was probably dying of old age and that a water change and some salt could help a little. I did do the water change and added aquarium salt, he is just sitting on top of the heater now.

So, is just getting too old to live? I didn't expect it to hit him so fast though... I didn't post this in emergencies because I feel like more people with experience with older bettas would see this.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

What was he in before? When did you move him? Some betta's just dont like change.

Was the tank cycled when you added him?

Try bribing him with some blood worms

 

[Katty]

He was in a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon for about two weeks, now the 5.5 gallon. He was in the 10g since we got him 2 years ago until 3 or so weeks ago when I upgraded to a 20 gallon. He was in the 20g for about two weeks, and he's been in the 5.5 gallon for a week. He's been a little listless (sitting on the bottom, not swimming too much) since putting him in the 5.5 gallon, until it escalated into this full-blown problem 2 or 3 days ago. All of those tanks were and have been cycled.

Also when he gulps air big bubbles shoot out of his gill slits... That didn't normally happen. He's still clinging on to the top of the heater.

I'll have to try the blood worms and see if he goes for those, he used to love them.

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

He was in a 10 gallon, then a 20 gallon for about two weeks, now the 5.5 gallon. He was in the 10g since we got him 2 years ago until 3 or so weeks ago when I upgraded to a 20 gallon. He was in the 20g for about two weeks, and he's been in the 5.5 gallon for a week. He's been a little listless (sitting on the bottom, not swimming too much) since putting him in the 5.5 gallon, until it escalated into this full-blown problem 2 or 3 days ago. All of those tanks were and have been cycled.

Also when he gulps air big bubbles shoot out of his gill slits... That didn't normally happen. He's still clinging on to the top of the heater.

I'll have to try the blood worms and see if he goes for those, he used to love them.

Was he ok when he was in the 20 gallon? Just wondering if he just doesn't like the change? My fish (healthy) has bubbles shoot out of his gills when he gulps the water; my goldfish swim though the bubble bar and shoot little bubbles out of their gills lol.

Is he in the 5 gallon by himself? If he is struggling to reach the surface; lower the water level for him .

 

[Athena]

Also, make sure that there isn't too much water turbulance in this smaller tank - if you are able to turn your filter flow down, that would be good, or make sure the flow emits below water level to avoid too much noise/turbulance.

Bettas prefer quieter tanks, gentle filters, airstones that produce just a slow, quiet flow of bubbles. A peaceful tank, in other words

If, in this case, it's not a problem due to noise/excessive water turbulance, then he's probably stressed out from being moved to yet another tank. Leave the lights off for him for a day as that help calm a fish down. Whenever you move a fish to another tank, or add new fish, it's always best to leave the tank lights off for that day.

Also, if you're adding food that he's not eating, remember to remove it after a short while in case it starts to rot.

Reducing all aspects of stress from his tank will help him to settle in and he should start to perk up in a few days, hopefully.

Regards, Athena

 

[loraxchick]

is he having trouble maintaining balance in the water? you say he has trouble swimming? is he bloated at all? have you seen him poo. he could have a swimbladder issue if his swimming is compromised. however for an old betta, lack of swimming aroun disnt necessarily illness. they get verrrrryyyy lazy as they get older. but if he is having problems either staying submerged or going to the top id think swimbladder issues. also if he has trouble staying upright. usually peas/fasting sort if out. generally caused by constipation.
could also be the tank change as mentioned. so any other symptoms would be helpful. even post a pic if you are able.
cheers

 

[Katty]

So many questions, I'll probably miss some of them but I did take a video which shows you the major symptoms. Yesterday he got to the bottom and lied down on his side with his gills going pretty fast. He was able to wriggle back up to the top of the water after a few moments though. He really looked like he was dying yesterday. I can't say he looks like he's dying today because all he does is sit. Hopefully he's better?

Video of betta You can see him do the funny "crawl" like swim that is uncharacteristic of him, breathing frequently, and finally crawling up onto his thermometer to rest. When the lights are off he only sits on the thermometer. I only turned the lights on for the video and had to nudge him out of the corner to take a video (I felt bad) but otherwise he would have just sat there.

The lights have been off for a couple days already. Dunno if he's getting better or not. The filter out-flow is also blocked so the water current is gentle. He is the only fish in the tank.

He was doing as usual in the 20 gallon. He has also taken many of my substrate changes and redecorating and planting all in stride. But if it was this change of scenery that scared him, do they really get so startled they can't swim or breathe?

I did give him a few frozen bloodworms last night and he went for those like a wolf. Still has no interest in dried food though. We have peas, should I try those?

 

[Katty]

I went to give him some boiled shelled pea and he went right for it, and even adventured around the mid level of the tank a little bit (even went into the cave thing), but ultimately went back up to the thermometer to sit. He isn't gulping air as much, but it is still more frequent that it used to be. I hope this means he's on the mend.

 

[keithp]

His fins looked clamped, does he have any sign of illness? Any gold dust or white dots? Can he descend to the bottom normally? I was going to say swim bladder possibly due to bloating, but he doesnt look that fat to me really.

It could be your water too shocked him and weekend him thus why he cant swim properly. Also what do you feed him? Freeze dried foods tend to cause constipation very easily, frozen foods are easier to digest.

2 is not old for a betta, 3 or 4 is old and bettas can live to 6 nowadays with good care. So i'm not going with old age he can have a few years left.

 

[Katty]

Nope, externally he looks fine. No spots or speckles anywhere. All of his scales have a black outline though, I don't know if they changed color due to age or stress or what or if its just the bad incandescent light on the tank.

I feed him dried betta pellets normally, then frozen thawed blood worms once a week. I bought him some frozen daphnia today though to see if those do well for him.

He is actually doing quite a bit better right now. He is breathing normally (every couple of minutes) and is able to ascend and descend fine, and can now swim without wagging his tail like a deranged dog and without hugging to the surface. He is back to his more normal swim style -- hovering around with mostly his pectoral fins for propulsion. He only moves off the thermometer and swims around if I turn on the light though, but I want to keep the light off so he can rest better, I only turn it on to take a peek.

I don't know what was specifically wrong or why it's getting better though. Perhaps a combination of things?

 

[loraxchick]

im guessing it was some sort of issue with his swimbladder. make sure he is pooing. constipation can cause funny things to happen with swimbladders. also even a waterchange where you pour the water in too fast. injury as well. he looks pretty good actually from the video. keep feeding sparingly for a week or so. hopefully he will get better all on his own once he regains equilibrium. hes handsome. red vts are my favorite
keep us updated.
cheers

 

[LilyRose Tank]

hi there, it sounds like he is n the mend, but his fins do look a little sticky. do some small water change daily too, they can do wanders for a betta's recovery

 

[Katty]

Hey guys, I'd just like to say he's all better now, swimming around normal and active. On the gravel right under his thermometer where he was sitting there seems to be a huge poop, so it looks like he was just constipated or something.

Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[zophie]

Hey guys, I'd just like to say he's all better now, swimming around normal and active. On the gravel right under his thermometer where he was sitting there seems to be a huge poop, so it looks like he was just constipated or something.

Thanks for your help everyone!

AWSOME!!!!!!!

 

[loraxchick]

probably was constipated putting pressure on his swimbladder making him unstable and losing buoyancy. SO HAPPY FOR YOU that hes better
try soaking dry foods before feeding. and cut back amount so it doesnt happen again. especially with older bettas, it can be a real problem.
again, glad hes better
cheers