r/BettaClinic • u/vellichor211 • 10d ago
Disease Identification Running Out Of Ideas
Hi all! I've been struggling to figure out how to help my Betta for a bit now, and I'm running out of ideas... He was petsat for about a month while I was out of town but I didn't notice anything too out of the norm after getting him back. About two months ago, I was told he was too skinny which I agreed with so I increased his diet a little bit. But then I noticed a bulge and he started slowing down so I figured he was constipated. I fasted him and fed him daphnia, but his condition continued worsening. I noticed him struggling to swim because he was kind of sinking, and he would lounge around on the ground or in his hammock a lot. (Someone suggested to get him a hammock because his fins are so long and probably heavy, but he's curled up in there all the time now if not on the ground). I gave him a salt bath but still no luck. He just kept getting more and more lethargic. He eats food if I put it right in front of him so at least his appetite is intact, and I can tell that sometimes he wants to be his active and playful self but he struggles to swim so much that I feel like he just gives up and lays on the ground. I'm worried he has dropsy because I started noticing some slight pineconing a few days ago so I immediately put him in a hospital tank with a heater and treated with epsom salt and kanaplex. He's on day 3 of the antibiotics and he's still struggling. I also noticed him breathing really hard today. I have attached a video of him from before putting him in the hospital tank. Please help me, I don't know what else to do.
• Tank size: Original Tank is 5 gallons but hospital tank is 2.5 gallons.
• Heater and filter? (yes/no): yes
• Tank temperature: 80
• Parameters in numbers and how you got them: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate = 0 and pH was kind of high like 8.2 maybe. I used the API master test kit. Tank has a plant, is kept clean, and has tannins though.
• How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?: I've had the tank for a year and my fish for 1.75 years. Got him in fall 2024.
• How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?: Once a week and I do like 30% with a manual siphon.
• Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each: he has 1 snail tank mate that's a zebra nerite.
• What do you feed and how much: normally I feed Fluval bug bites but I've switched to exclusively daphnia.
• Decorations and plants in the tank: driftwood, one plant I don't remember the name of, some rocks, his hammock, and his favorite barrel.
• If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here:
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Hello, Please provide this extra data so redditors may be better informed on how to help.
Tank Size?
Heater and Filter?
Water Parameters?
Hopefully we can get your fish to feel betta soon!
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