Tb Or Swimbladder?

[OohFeeshy]

My oldest female betta has been ill for quite a while, mainly I just want to establish what she's got before I euthanize her (need to find clove oil....). Symptoms- floating at surface, or jamming herself in an ornament to stay lower in the water, very, very lethargic, I've seen air coming out of her vent, clamped fins... She's still eating, although I'm not feeding her much, and I've attempted to feed peas, but that didn't help. Soo, any ideas?

 

[WILDER]

Sounds like constipation or swim bladder, does she look bloated up, try shelled peas and frozen daphnia, and a epson salt bath.

 

[OohFeeshy]

No, she's not bloated at all, which is what puzzled me, she hasn't changed in body shape at all.

 

[WILDER]

Is she listing to one side, can she maintain her balance in the water.

 

[OohFeeshy]

She seems balanced OK but is leaning against the side of the tank.

 

[WILDER]

Has her colour darkened or gone pale, she probably got abit of wind with not feeding her much,she dosn't head stand does she.

Not the writer of this information below.
fin clamping is a very aspecific behavior which indicates some form of distress and that should simply alert the aquarist to carefully observe the fish for the presence of other, more specific problems. It may be due to skin parasites, but also to internal diseases. It becomes a real concern when it is a persisting problem, especially when it occurs in conjunction with other aspecific symptoms, such as darkening of the skin. A treatment should however be initiated only after a presumptive specific cause for the fin clamping has been identified.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Not really, she has stress stripes but that's about it. I doubt it's wind, she's been like it for several weeks with no improvement whatsoever. I've tried anti-internal bacteria meds, which had no effect, and also salt and melafake.

 

[WILDER]

Only other thing is could be is parasites, have you checked the gills, any excess mucas on them, are they inflamed.
How old is the fish.

 

[pokagon55]

could you list your water states ammonia, nitrites,nitrates, ph, water routine etc. please....Hanging out at the surface, ammoina problem,oxygen problem....jamming her self against objectes could be as Wildler stated parisites

 

[OohFeeshy]

Only other thing is could be is parasites, have you checked the gills, any excess mucas on them, are they inflamed.
How old is the fish.

Nope, no excess mucus or inflamation. She must be about 2 years old now, but I don't know.

could you list your water states ammonia, nitrites,nitrates, ph, water routine etc. please....Hanging out at the surface, ammoina problem,oxygen problem....jamming her self against objectes could be as Wildler stated parisites

Ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate, probably around 40 ish (it comes out the tap like that), ph, no idea, 100% water change every week, but slightly more for her as she's ill.

 

[WILDER]

I new your water stats would be ok, all there is to look for is parasites, had her a long time, i know some betta can live up to 4 years but it quite rare i think, good luck.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Oh no, I haven't had her for 2 years, I've had her around one, but I'd guess she was about a year old when I got her. I'll check for parasites, but I'm doubtful

Dammit. I forgot to say, when resting, her back is s shaped. That's why I thought of TB

 

[WILDER]

Sadly then yes it is fish tb. sorry.

Not the writer of this information below.
Piscine Tuberculosis



Symptoms:

Because of the symptoms associated with this disease, it is often referred to as Wasting Disease. An infected fish may show a loss of appetite, emaciation (sunken belly), fading of colors, eroding fins, erratic swimming, scale loss or protrusion, "pop-eye" or eye loss, skin inflammation, ulcerous skin wounds or open lesions, gill deformities, spinal curvature, and Dropsy.

Symptoms may occur singly or in various combinations. Symptoms may also vary from species to species and from one individual fish to another. Not all symptoms need be present. Healthy fish may carry the illness for some time without being affected, and then become ill when stress or poor water conditions lower their resistance. The disease may run a lingering course, killing the fish slowly over time, or strike in epidemic proportions quickly wiping out an entire aquarium population.

Diagnoses of Piscine Tuberculosis is difficult, as all of the diseases symptoms may appear in other illnesses. Piscine TB can only be verified upon autopsy.



Cause:

Mycobacterium bacteria. Piscine Tuberculosis is highly infectious and can be easily transferred. Gravel can harbor this bacteria causing the entire aquarium to become infected. The disease may strike in epidemic proporations, killing an entire population of fish in record time with little to no symptoms. However, it can also remain latent for some time, progressing slowly, silently causing internal organ damage to the fish.

This illness is not always fatal to the fish. The bacteria may become encapsulated to form small nodules and as long as good environmental conditions are maintained there is no danger. However, if the fish is weakened by unsuitable water conditions or other diseases the nodules can burst. The infection then becomes acute and can kill the infected fish as well as infect others.



Treatment:

Infected fish must be isolated quickly because the disease is highly contagious (see below). Treat with a combination of sulphafurazone (0.2mg/g fish), doxycycline (0.005 mg/g fish) and minocycline (0.005 mg/g fish) administered intramuscularly. It is also recommended to feed any sick fish isoniazid. It may take up to 2 months for fish to completely heal. Kanacyn also claims to be helpful in treating Piscine Tuberculosis.


Caution:

Piscine Tuberculosis is caused by a species of bacteria belonging to the genus Mycobacterium, which is also the causative agent of Tuberculosis in humans. While the bacteria that causes this disease in fish prefers cooler temperatures than most bacteria that infect humans it is still possible for the illness to be passed on to humans. Such an infection in humans usually shows in the form of an infected nodule in the skin, although there is a chance of a more serious internal infection. If you suspect your fish has this disease, observe the strictest of hygiene to prevent the spread of this serious disease to humans.