Please Help My Very Sick (maybe Dying) Betta!

[wendyngd]

Please help--My Betta seems to be going down hill!! I love him. I'm heartbroken!

Request Help I think my beautiful purple Betta's dying!

Tank size:10 gallon
pH:All of these were stable last night when my husband tested the water....
ammonia:
nitrite:
nitrate:
kH:
gH:
tank temp: 80 degrees f.



Fish Symptoms (include full description including lesion, color, location, fish behavior):

listless, not eating, coat appears faded, rear fins look clumped. He's hanging out vertically in each corner of the tank at the top--responds to outside stimulation and every 15 minutes swims a lap or two around the tank and then comes back to float vertically again with his nose pressed into the corner of glass! Think there might be a small brown spot on his back--but hard to tell--might be his coloring.

OTHER FISH--3 adult mollies-have a little popeye!

--

Volume and Frequency of water changes:
He's been like this since last Thurs.. My husband and I immediately did a thorough cleaning of tank--vacuuming and a 75% water change--We do at least a 25% water change every week or so...


Chemical Additives or Media in your tank: My husband handles this--but I know he has used things like "PH up" or "Ph down" when needed, stresscoat, acquasol, maracyn 2 antibiotic

Tank inhabitants: Male Betta, 1 female balloon mollie, 1 female dalmatian mollie, 1 male dalmation mollie, 1 catfish, and about 12 month old mollie fry!

Recent additions to your tank (living or decoration): We recently let more and more (maybe 4 or 5) of the fry into to community tank from their "nursery pen." Then we removed it. We just added a little stone pillar thing- but that was days after Betta got sick!

Dried brine shrimp. Two months ago, Betta got sick when we starting feeding them bloodworms--think it was bacterial. We changed water (75%) then, treated tank with antibiotic (marasyn 2) and within a day, Betta was his old fluffy, friendly, playful self again.


Exposure to chemicals: ?


So we've tried one antibiotic, Maracyn 2 for the last several days---curing some of the mollies' popeye but not doing much of anything for Betta. Can anyone suggest another antibiiotic we could try? Was thinking of COPPERSAFE in case he has any parasites???

A colleague who is a major fishkeeper suggested that I "put him out of his misery" by putting him in a styrofoam cup of water into the freezer to help him slowly "go to sleep." MY HUSBAND AND I ARE NOT THERE YET!!WE'RE STILL WILLING TO TRY TO SAVE HIM.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP! (I'll try to figure out how to download a picture of "Mr. droopy" from my digital camera to post here)

Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Sounds bacterial to me, has he bloated up, and can the fish maintain its balance in the water, the spot on the back is it fluffy and how big is it.
Tetracycline is a good antibiotic but it will wipe the bacteria colony out in the filter, you could add maracyn one and two that not meant to wipe the fitler out.

 

[wendyngd]

Sounds bacterial to me, has he bloated up, and can the fish maintain its balance in the water, the spot on the back is it fluffy and how big is it.
Tetracycline is a good antibiotic but it will wipe the bacteria colony out in the filter, you could add maracyn one and two that not meant to wipe the fitler out.

Thank you so much for responding! He's not bloated--maintains his balance in the water--though he seems to lean towards the corner glass with his nose pressed against it after he does a lap or two in the tank...The spot on him is sort of brownish and flat (no white--no fluff).

Should I add Maracyn 1 in addition to maracyn 2?

P.S. Been trying to upload a picture of him hanging around kind of droopy in the corner --having trouble downloading it. It's pretty much a sillhouette--couldn't get a good shot of his coat--he seemed bothered by the flash (of course).

Thanks.

Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Go in with maracyn one and two if you have it, he dosn't sound right, will get you a link to look at.

http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...swimbladder.htm

Does the brown patch look like a dusting, any signs of laboured breathing or flicking and rubbing on objects.

 

[wendyngd]

Go in with maracyn one and two if you have it, he dosn't sound right, will get you a link to look at.

http/www.fishtanksandponds.info/care-mai...swimbladder.htm

Does the brown patch look like a dusting, any signs of laboured breathing or flicking and rubbing on objects.

Hi-

The brown patch might bbe a little dusty gold ish (velvet?)-but no labored breathing or rubbing on objects. I have to go to store to p/u maracyn one and will ddo.. But I've been doing a lot of reading and have read thaht these both are milder to treat funguses and that I would need an antib. like ampicilyhn (sp?) or tetracycline to ttreat it. What was your objection to tetracyclin?

THanks for being there.
-Wendy

 

[WILDER]

It sounding like velvet them if it a golden coloured patch like dusting, but velvet can cause bacterial infection on top, don't add the bacterial meds, sorry for not getting back to fast, but you will need a parasite med, plus i have a link to see if you can add the bacterial med on top.

http/www.nunnie.com/ick.html

 

[wendyngd]

It sounding like velvet them if it a golden coloured patch like dusting, but velvet can cause bacterial infection on top, don't add the bacterial meds, sorry for not getting back to fast, but you will need a parasite med, plus i have a link to see if you can add the bacterial med on top.

http/www.nunnie.com/ick.html

Thanks so much for some great suggestions and the emotional support. Last nt, I went out and bought a 2 gallon unfiltred bowl as it was suggested to me that there may have been too much and too many fish (4 adults and 12 active 1 month old mollie fry) in that 10 gal. tank and that it may have been stressing him out.

So that seemed to help some, he was swimming around a lot more last nt. but STILL NOT EATING! Per your suggestions, I added the "copper" stuff for parasites, and maracyn and maracyn 2. And we're just praying. He scares me when he lies so still amid the foliage--but he's still going! I have no idea what to expect--timewise with potential recovery...

That link you gave me about Ich,e tc. was just wonderful--so informative and helpful.

Again thanks. -Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Good luck bless him, but once they get secondary infections the chances are slimmer, so fingers crossed and i hope he recovers fast.

 

[wendyngd]

Good luck bless him, but once they get secondary infections the chances are slimmer, so fingers crossed and i hope he recovers fast.

Thanks. He's still not eating!! tHAT MAKES ME FEARFUL! BTW, which is the primary infection and which is the secondary....popeye? maybe velvet or some other bacterial thing.

Appreciate the love and support.

Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Hows the fish doing.

 

[wendyngd]

Hi- Thanks for asking...Actually, he seems to be doing much better--swimming around the tank, fluttering his pectoral fins like he does when he's happy, but still has no interest in food!! We're giving him Maracyn and Maracyn 2, and put this Copper stuff (forgot name) in to kill parasites--once a month dose which all seems to be helping. And the serenity of this hospital tank probably doesn't hurt! And we're keeping a close watch on water conditions and temps. And we're just praying for the best...He actually swam over to me tonight--full of more energy--like he always did when he was healthy.... Any suggestions for tempting him to eat (I sound like the Jewish mother that I am---chicken soup anyone)? We've tried dried brine shrimp which the other fish go nuts over! --I do know that he can go for a little bit without eating....But I'm still hoping. Hope you are well and not having as hot a summer in England as we have had here. Where in England are you? I spent the summer of 1975 (when I was 20) living and working in London--a very hot summer....Take care and Thanks again.--Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Most fish love frozen bloodworms, fingers crossed glad there abit of improvement, hope he carries on getting well.

 

[wendyngd]

Hi--So sad to report that when we came home tonight, Betta had died...I know we did everything we could, but we had him less than a year..I do want to get another...Wow, what a rollercoaster ride. Thank you so much for holding my hand. Much appreciated.

Hope you and yours are well,
Wendy

 

[WILDER]

Bless him R.I.P. That what i was scared of they do some to make improvement then go down hill again, bless him.