# My beta fish is dying....



## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

I dont want to lose my friend but I am not allowed to buy any strong off store shelves antibiotics ( father wont allow me to). He is already in bad condition from a bacterial infection and he is starting to swim sideways and backwards ( swim bladder?)... is it too far from recovery?









I want to cry.....


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

If it IS swim bladder, that is easy to cure but from what you posted it can be any number of things. Also can you get a picture? 
Will he let you buy betta revive? http://www.thatpetplace.com/betta-r...7c240589&utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cpc


*Answer as many as you can:*


Quote:
Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

fins raggedy
losing color
stripes of silver on his right side
on his bottomr fins, near his body, it is a rust red
I do not know how old the fish is because i recieved it as a birthday present last year on July 28
I am currently trying to fix my beta with bettafix by API
I feed my fish BettaMin:tropical medley by Tetra
I have not tested the water
i use drinking water and i treat it with novaaqua plus water conditioner
I usually change 25% to 50% of the water
Today i changed 50% of the water
There are not tank mates
I feed my beta every four to five days
He is currently in a bowl
he has a ten gallon tank that has a filter
there are no air stones or any aeration devices
temperature is unknown due to lack of thermometer


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## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

:[
this had to be taken upside down because the lighting is terrible


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> fins raggedy
> losing color
> stripes of silver on his right side
> on his bottomr fins, near his body, it is a rust red
> ...


I am going to guess the stripes of silver are stress stripes. The guy in my avatar gets silver/white ones too when he is stressed. 
be careful with bettafix and *do not* overdose him, alot of people have claimed it killed their bettas. The main ingredient is a tree oil and it can harm their breathing organ. However, alot of people also claim it's a miracle drug. As long as you follow the directions, he should be OK with the bettafix.

How often did you change the water? 

If you look closely at this fish - where his fins are tattered, it's red. I know its kinda hard to see but does it look the same on your fish? 









and why do you only feed him every 4 or 5 days? he should be fed a small amount every day or every other day at least.

Can you tell what color his gills are?


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## Spazzfish (Feb 12, 2012)

Yeah you should probaly feed him alot more a full betta is a healthy betta just like you need food to fight off infections he does to!
also idk if this works havn't tried it before SOMEONE CORRECT ME if I am wrong butputting oak leaves in their water is said to help keep them healthy if you have some by you it probaly would not hurt to try it. Just be sure to rinse them off realy good before putting them in the water.
good luck!


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

Yes. Bettas need food to heal. I feed both of mine 4 pellets a day (or the equivalent in FD bloodworms and flakes and things)
Also, varying the deit leads to healthier bettas. (freezed dried blood worms and brine shrimp should be given like once a week as treats)
I also give them one day a week of fasting. Just one small piece of daphnia sunday mornings.
My boys are quite happy and healthy so far. =3

Also. Would you only feed a dog or cat once every five days?
And wouldn't you give them treats too?

Oak leaves can be used, but Indian almond are preferred. It's the tannins that help.


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## Mo (Mar 15, 2012)

They are virtually the same regarding tannins, having very little differences according to OFL. Using oak leaves is completely okay.


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

Also. you need to get a thermometer and a heater to keep the temperature stable about 76-80 degrees. My boys are in an exact 80 and each have a heater and filter.
Also, by drinking water, do you mean bottled? If so, you should cut it half and half with tap. The bottled water has no buffers to prevent pH swings and that can cause problems.
Also, I'd invest in some way to test the water, to make sure ammonia and whatnot doesn't get too high. I prefer the API master test kit for freshwater, but it's probbly more than your dad will spend. ;-;


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

If your dad won't let you buy medications.. :|

Maybe the bacterial infection will respond to salt treatments? NOT table salt - aquarium salt, which can help a bit with infection if used for ten days according to the proper instructions (there's info in a sticky and all over the forum on how to do that, basically 1 teaspoon per gallon..) 

Though if his swim bladder is an issue, maybe epsom salts? This is a different salt that helps with swelling and bloating, and can't be used with aquarium salt. 

Both salt treatments are pretty inexpensive. Have you asked your dad if you can earn the money for the medications by doing extra yard work or something? 

Yes, you should be feeding him every day! If you start feeding him more (which you should!) do it slowly... he might bloat with a huge sudden increase. 

Is his tank heated? Being too cold will mean he's more prone to infections. Even if you live in a warm area, if it gets cooler at night the fluctuations might be too large... a heater with a thermostat's the only way to keep it steady - you need a heater! Unless you live in the high tropics, like Thailand or northern Australia!

I hope your fishy gets better. And if not - don't give up! You'll learn a LOT about betta care here, so stick around and read everything.


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## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

I read that one should feed them sparingly.. v - v Im sorry. How can one reduce stress? And should I feed him small bits of a thawed frozen pea? 




Tikibirds said:


> I am going to guess the stripes of silver are stress stripes. The guy in my avatar gets silver/white ones too when he is stressed.
> be careful with bettafix and *do not* overdose him, alot of people have claimed it killed their bettas. The main ingredient is a tree oil and it can harm their breathing organ. However, alot of people also claim it's a miracle drug. As long as you follow the directions, he should be OK with the bettafix.
> 
> How often did you change the water?
> ...


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## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

and my betta fish isnt eating...


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## doglover777888 (May 16, 2012)

*he's suffering isnt he..*

My betta fish is suffering.. I dont want to lose him.. but.. should he be put down by clove oil and alcohol? ...... It's the last resort but i dont want him to keep suffering..... I dont want to kill..


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## Alcemistnv (Jan 29, 2012)

I'm no fish expert, but his fins look really tattered. 

Also, as they said, you should probably be feeding him a bit more. 

As for him not eating now, is it because you fed him a lot earlier? Or is it because he doesn't like the food? I know Buddha didn't eat because he DESPISED the pellets I tried to give him, so he was in Bloodworm diet for about 3 months before I switched over. 

Sorry, I'm just wondering


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

Yeah, try different food. (Raph won't eat tetra pellets or flakes, but loves marley pellets and omega one flakes o,0)

Do not feed a pea. That is a goldfish method.
Some on here have had luck, but there's always the risk.
Get a bit of daphnia. Will help him pass any feces he has and they love it. Rev and Raph DEVOUR it and brine shrimp. XD


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## Spazzfish (Feb 12, 2012)

Try tapping the food causing ripples that some times sttimulates them to eat.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Do you have aquarium salt around?

If you can't buy anything and he isn't well, make sure his smaller bowl is warm, maybe float it in a larger tank that is set to the right temp. You should keep him warm and in a dark place, or cover the tank with a cloth. Make sure his water is clean.. SUPER CLEAN! Totally change the water every day. Watch for poop, it'll be on the bottom of his little bowl. If he's not pooped at all in 24 hours he's backed up and needs daphnia to clear him up. Seeing as you can't buy any, I would say go with the pea, but make sure it is cooked, cooled, removed from it's shell, mushed and only give him a tiny bit. So if it doesn't work, at least it won't hurt him.

He should be fed more often, 1 or 2 times a day. I feed all of mine twice a day, 2 pellets in the morning and 2 in the afternoon (3 for the larger fish). But if he's not eating, he won't starve right away. He might just be backed up, so don't worry too much. If he won't eat the food you have for him, you might want to soak it in water first, or if you have any garlic you can mince a little and roll the pellet around in the juices. The smell will entice him to want to eat it.

And a little personal advice.. stay calm. Fish get sick, it happens, but you need a level head to deal with it. Not every sickness is going to kill your fish. If you're too young to deal with the financial responsibility yourself, you need to show your parents that you are responsible enough to care for the fish properly, they are much more likely to buy medications if they believe you are being responsible. Do research on the symptoms your fish has through Google and read these forums for information on proper ways to care for a betta, then show your parents how much you have researched to keep your fish healthy, and explain that the only thing left is for them to help you a little, because you are too young to do it on your own, but you are trying your hardest.

I really hope he pulls through!


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> I read that one should feed them sparingly.. v - v Im sorry


Yes and No. You want to feed them every day but you don't want to feed them too much. It can cause bloating. Pellets are best because they are easier to feed, flakes are messy and you usually end up feeding too much. Feed 2-4 pellets a day. I feed mine at night, some people feed 2 in the morning, 2 at night. I skip a day of feeding every week, just to keep their digestive tracks from getting blocked up. 

To reduce stress, keep him in a dark spot someplace and keeping him warm is also good. 

It's normal for sick fish to stop eating. They can go for a few weeks without food. Frozen bloodworms may help, if your parents let you buy them. 

you can try the pea but if you only feed him once a week, I do not see how he can be constipated. 

I am thinking maybe he has an internal bacterial infection


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

It's also possible that when she realized she was feeding him too litte, she gave him too much, thereby causing bloating..
But she hasn't answered that question so... we can only guess..


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

I feed my babies twice a day. TDP gets three pellets while Romeo and Taz get two


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

both my boys get four total pellets.
Or a teeny pinch of crushed flakes twice.
or 1 FD shrimp twice.
Or a peice of daphnia once (sundays)
or a couple frozen shrimp twice (Wednesdays)
^.^
I've got like.. 2 pellet types, 2 flake type, FD & froze brine shrimp, FD mysis, daphnia, and bloodworms. Lol. My boys have more types of food than days in the week. XD


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## ANHEL123 (Jul 21, 2010)

I agree with everyone but just want to add something.

Like someone already wrote watch for his poop. If he don't poop than he is constipated. And if you can give him frozen daphnia. I did read good and bad about pea method. But he don't eat anyway.

If he bloated for more than 2 days already and don't eat you would need Epsom salt. You can buy it in any pharmacy. It also would take care of his fins . Epsom salt also has antibacterial effect.

Also if you see his poo make sure it not white or clear stringy poo.

If he is not bloated and poo normal than you will need aquarium salt.

So if you have a chance buy aquarium salt at the pet store $4 and Epsom salt at the pharmacy. 

Give us update.


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## SamJustice (May 5, 2012)

straight epsom salt.
Don't get any of the ones with like wintergreen scent or whatnot. o.0


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