# My betta seems to have hurt himself.....



## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

My betta has a 2 gallon tank and the other night I noticed that he had managed to get himself wedged between his heater and the tank wall by the suction cups holding the heater to the tank wall. I immediately pulled the heater off the tank wall and watched my betta for about an hour and he seemed normal. The next morning I noticed that he was having trouble swimming. That evening all he would do was lay on his side near the surface on a leaf of his silk plant. All of the water parameters in his 2 gallon tank were normal the day he got himself trapped (I tested them that evening). I have moved him to his betta cup with a small amount of water and have it floating in the tank to keep that water warm enough (79F). I am doing water changes once or twice a day depending on my work schedule to keep the water clean, it has been 3 days since he had himself trapped and he still spends most of his time laying on his side on the bottom of the cup. The only time he moves is to get air, he doesn't seem interested in food either. Is there anything else I can do for him? The only thing I am adding to the water for his cup at the moment is conditioner when I change the water. Thanks for any ideas/suggestions ahead of time.


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Oh the last water change before this happened was 3 days before and he was acting perfectly fine before he got himself stuck.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm sorry your betta hurt himself. They can squeeze into the darndest places! I think you're doing everything you can for him. I think keeping his water clean and keeping him warm is the best thing for him right now. I hope he'll be all right.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Poor fella.....I agree with DQ-what you are doing should help him recover, however, if he doesn't improve in a couple of days and since you have him QT already and floating in a heated tank to maintain water temp-you can try a 10 day Epsom salt 1tsp/gal (Not aquarium salt) treatment- along with your daily 100% water changes and if you have either IAL(Indian almond leaf) or naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaf-I would add these too for the tannins

I like to get a 1gal jug (clean milk jug) and pre-mix my Epsom salt 1tsp/gal, dechlorinator and crush 10-12 oak leaves and let steep for about an hour before use to use for my daily 100% water changes-this help to make correct dosage and water changes easier....the longer the jug sits with the oak leaf the more tannins that will be released and so each day they will get more tannins...just make sure the pre-mix jug of treatment water is within a couple of degree from new and old water by either using two cups and floating the second one in the tank with the next day water or using a hot tub of water for the jug and even microwave...but be sure and monitor the temp with a thermometer so not to let it get too hot causing injury to the fish.....


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, he seems a little better today - he is hanging out more upright instead of flat on his side at the bottom of the cup but still is not moving around much and still seems to have trouble swimming. I will start using Epsom salt tomorrow and will see if I can find Indian Almond leaves in the grocery store on Sunday. We have been having below zero temperatures at night here so all the oak leaves have been gone for about a month now =/ I will keep you updated.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Those are the oak leaf I like to use....the ones on the ground...lol....naturally dried and fallen from the tree.....if you live here in the US I doubt you will find IAL in your grocery store -most pet store don't even carry them...oddly enough...but there is a blackwater additive that some folks here use-not sure what it is called or who makes it......tannins are great to use but you don't have to have them...often just the clean water and a little time is all they need.....


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

I will still look for the IAL while I Christmas shop, I might get lucky. Sadly even if there was any oak leaves left on the ground they are buried until a few inches of snow. I do live in the U.S. Either way I will continue to keep his water clean and warm and start using Epsom salts, hopefully with time he will get better.


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Just thought I would give you an update, things have not really changed much =/ he still spends most of the day laying flat on his side or leaning against the side of his cup - he still seems to have trouble swimming. I do have one question though, can a betta get bed sores? He is always laying on the same side and is now starting to form a small sore on that side. I have been changing the water twice a day most days and making sure all the water parameters are safe before I change his water so I am not sure what else could be causing the sore.


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Oh and yesterday he scared me into thinking he was dead because he was upside down on the bottom of his cup and I moved his cup and he started swimming around for a minute.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Poor fella...if he is getting an open wound my first thought is Flexibacter Columnaris-google that and see if it fit what you are seeing-if so you want to get the water temp decreased to 76F, add 3tsp/gal aquarium salt and you may need to move him to something large enough so you can add an airstone....I don't use OTC meds-so I can't advise-but use of a broad spectrum antibiotic that covers both gram neg and pos bacteria may be needed-but google it first and make sure that is what he may have first
Also, no I don't think a fish can get bed sore-since they are caused by pressure...but not 100% sure either.....


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Thanks for the advice, sadly it didn't help =( I lost him yesterday. I think that he maybe hurt his back and had possible internal bleeding. Thanks for all of your advice.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Sorry for your loss...sometimes they are too far gone for anything to help and all we can do is keep them comfy.....


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Sorry for your loss. You did the best you could. Sometimes when Bettas get physical injuries that impede their swimming they typically end up drowning to death as opposed to death caused by the actual physical damage (too injured or weak to take the long swim up to the surface for air).

If you do run into another physical mishap in the future, isolate your betta in a hospital tank with lowered water levels to make it easier for him to get air during recovery mode.


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## jeanclaudeasher (May 20, 2010)

Thanks for the advice scootshoot, I did have him in the betta cup that I got him in in the petstore and only had that about halfway full, I think he was just severely injured....even after 2 weeks in the betta cup he had not made any improvements


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