Possible Health Problem With New Betta

[coffeeaddict]

I was at Walmart tonight and decided to stop in the fish section. Bad idea. Right away I found a little female that was floating at the top of her cup. I thought she was dead, so I poked the cup to be sure and she started swimming around.

When she stopped swimming she would float to the top of the cup and end up sideways. She looked so pathetic and being the sucker I am I bought her. (at a %50 discount since she looked sick)

Any thoughts on what could be causing this? Or what I can do to help her?

Her new name is Ginger since she'll be my kitchen fish. Just waiting for the water to get to room temperature before I put her in the new tank. She is currently floating sideways in the cup again.

 

[nurglespuss]

Sounds like a swim bladder problem, theres no real way of treating that I'm afraid.

It could also be a nerve problem.

If you want to give her a chance, give her a secluded tank, with cover, pop in a little melafix, and when you feed, observe if/how she eats.

Best of luck.

 

[coffeeaddict]

Is swim bladder something she can live with?

I put her in her new tank and she LOVES it. Been swimming around ever since and hasn't really stopped, so I'm not sure if she'll float sideways or not again. Hopefully I can tell once she settles down a bit.

She did eat two of her pellets, spit them back out and then ate them again.

What is Melafix?

 

[bubblesburst80]

Just wanted to say i hope ginger gets better, swim bladder can be fixed sometimes, you could try a cooked shelled pea broken in pieces, thats meant to help sometimes

xXx

 

[nurglespuss]

Melafix or stresscoat help fish by aiding their mucal coat, and can aid in general healing.

If she is swimming around happily now, perhaps she was short of oxygen/very stressed in her 'cup'.

keep it up! sounds like you are doing the right thing :>

 

[Tom4Fish]

is your fish plump?

because i heard that sometimes that can happen slightley wen you fish wants to breed but im not sertan

hope she is ok