Monday, April 13, 2009

URGENT HELP!! IS MY BETTA DYING? Running out of options and time...?

Got my betta July last year as a gift w/ a peace lily. I moved him to a bigger 1 gallon glass vase with a big opening to allow air %26amp; did full water changes every 7 days. He was always a good eater and made his %26#039;happy%26#039; bubbles... everything was good. Abt 3 weeks ago, I noticed a change. He stopped swimming around excitedly as his usual %26amp; stayed mostly on the surface under the roots of the plant. Another week passed %26amp; I noticed that he stopped eating which was unusual. I tried the pellets to maybe give him a change. He never touched it. I even tried thawed bloodworms... yuck! I read up on the web and decided to try treatment based on some of the specs using a flashlight %26amp; tried to see fish%26#039;s face - looked like it %26#039;may%26#039; have some gray spots so I tried BettaFix to treat him for fungus and added aquarium salt... but no change. I took out the plant, cleaned the bowl b4 the treatment. No change. As of yesterday, he%26#039;s lost color %26amp; stays below the bowl as if he sank head first. HELP Please..

URGENT HELP!! IS MY BETTA DYING? Running out of options and time...?
If he has a diagnosable and treatable disease like fungus or ich, you will be able to see it without a flashlight.





Do you know how old your betta was when you get him? Bettas in captivity, even when properly cared for, only live for 3-4 years. And your betta did not receive adequate care. A vase is just not a healthy environment with a betta. Breeders can get away with it because they keep the water warm and they do daily water changes. But if you%26#039;re keeping your betta in a vase, at room temperature (much too cold) and only doing weekly water changes, then you%26#039;re getting an awful lot of ammonia building up in the water, and your betta, having a decreased immune system, will succomb more easily to illness.


The best chance you could give him at life would be to get him a real tank, 5 gallons would be fine, with a small filter and heater. With a heater, you can do weekly water changes and it%26#039;ll be perfect for him.





Good luck with the little guy!
Reply:I%26#039;m really sorry, but there probably isn%26#039;t anything you can do. I had a Betta as well. The same thing happened. It died. We tried everything. Sorry
Reply:FIrst, when you change water, put him in water at room temperature, preferably water that has set out for at least a day to let the chlorine gas escape (we used to keep a jug of water around, and fill the new tankful with that, then refill the jug).





Second, put him in a very small bowl. Unlike regular fish, Bettas need to get to the surface for air (that%26#039;s how they blow their bubbles, which is actually their nest). If he%26#039;s not feeling well, he%26#039;ll have a hard time swimming up. Giving him a shallow bowl will make that easier for him.





Unfortunately, he doesn%26#039;t sound like he%26#039;s doing too well. You might still be able to rescue him; hope for the best but prepare for the worst.





Good luck!
Reply:it has died i think you need it in a tank
Reply:Of course he is dieing!!!!! everytime you do a %26quot;complete change%26quot; of his water you wash away all the benificial bacteria that helps him do every thing nessicary to live like digest or fight off bad bacteria. And the worse he got the more you changed it.... one more thing... I sincerely hope you didnt use tapp water, the chlorine is sure to cause damage especially with out the benificial bacteria... I%26#039;m afraid that there isnt much hope for your little guy.... if you ever decide to get a new one I would suggest you put out the 9 dollars that it costs for a book on bettas and read up on how to care for them properly. It may save you the heartache of realizing that you are killing your own fish.








Stop dumping all of the water out of your container!!!! leave atleast 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water in the bottom of the bowl/vase. and you only need to clean it when it starts getting murky, and it wont get as murky if you only put in 3 to 4 food pellets every 3 hours or as directed on the food wrapper. You dont have to heat the water unless you dont live in home with a heater... they are a ROOM TEMP fish. they live in what are called %26quot;Rice patties%26quot; in Siam and Japan. these are no more than puddles that are not much bigger than the little dishes you see them being sold in. this is why they are so territorial. Please just go get a book!
Reply:This could be a number things. The floating, and sinking sound like swim bladder disorder, or just plain stress. Bacteria infection, velvet, and a host of other candidates come to mind. (Look at the fungus, velvet, and bacteria infection sections of the link.)





Recommended treatment-





0)Keep the betta warm, and his water clean. Be sure not to subject him to rapid temp changes when you clean his tank.





1)Read betta talk.





2)Continue bettafix treatment, and add either Jungle Fungus Eliminator (if he%26#039;s got any fuzy/cottony growth), or a broad spectrum antibiotic like trisulfa (broad spectrum antibiotics will claim to fight gram positive, and negative bacteria infections.)








PS- Blood worms come freeze dried which carries less risk of disease, isn%26#039;t gross, and keeps well.
Reply:Try using stress coat. You might also want to remove any plants, gravel or other objects from the tank, just for now. Make sure you are cleaning the fish every three days and feed him small amounts every other day to every day. As for food try the little brown spheres. There is also an effervescent fungi medication that turns the water blue, that always cured my beta of any sickness. Each tablet resembles a little hockey puck (like alka-seltzer) Remember this though, only use about a tenth of it. I wish you and your beta the best of luck.
Reply:When by betta was dying, I tried giving him different make of the food that you usually give it. Try that. If it doesn%26#039;t work, clean its bowl and put in some water treatment made for bettas. It prevents sickness.
Reply:I am very sad to say your beta is probably going to die. Don%26#039;t take it to hard fish just die sometimes......sorry....I%26#039;m sure it%26#039;s not your fault souds like you did everything you could.
Reply:If he%26#039;s having problems with sinking and/or floating, you can try adding a crushed up pea (the little green ones that parents try to make you eat) or two. It could be a build of gas inside the beta. The peas break down gas. Make sure when you change water that it%26#039;s the same (or very very close) to the same temperature. Beta%26#039;s are a warm water fish, are you using a heater? They should be kept in around 78F - 82F. Are you using water conditioner when changing the water? Tap water has nasty stuff in it and could be making him sick.



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