# Please Help with New Fish!



## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Well, I’m back and this time with a new fish with new problems. I went to petsmart Saturday and saw this female betta with a sore on her side. I went back today and she was still there and feeling sorry, I got her and brought her home. On the way home, I did notice she was swimming a bit oddy. Sometimes she swims like she is curved or with her tail upwards. I wouldn’t say her spine if bent since she seems to be able to straighten it out when she wants.
I only have one other females so I’m no expert, but I’ve noticed when she gets eggy she kind of floats, so could this be the cause of the new girl’s odd swimming?
Anyway, I soon remembered reading about fish tuberculosis and now I’m worried she might have since she swimming oddly and she has the sore on her side. She’s not really lethargic, not underweight, I can’t see any raised scales or fin rot like the other symptoms says. But here’s a photo of her side.








Here's her info although I really can't fill out much.
Housing 
What size is your tank? 1 gal for now
What temperature is your tank? 78F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?No
Is your tank heated?Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Hasn’t ate, but I use Omega Betta Buffet
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Changed water today after getting her.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?N/A
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?N/A

Water Parameters:N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? As stated above, she’s has a sore on her side and is swimming oddly
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? She’s a new fish so I’m sure of her behavior yet.
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Started using some fungus guard medicine
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

I suggest aquarium salt... It will help heal the sore. One teaspoon for every five gallons.
And as for her swimming... It might be swim bladder, I don't know for sure. I don't think it is though.. Try fasting her for a day and then feeding her a pea a day.

Wait to see if she improves.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks for responding!
I thought aquarium salt might burn the opening so I went ahead and used the fungus medicine. It said on the box it helps open sores so I figured it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. But if you think aquarium salt will work better, I'll switch to that.
And okay, I'll fast her. I'm really not sure how much the petstore had given her to eat, but the water in her cup was quite dirty. 
I was actually wondering if I should try to use epsom salt, but once again, I was afraid the salt might hurt the opening more than helping anything.:-?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

It looks like a pretty clean wound - is that correct, or is it gross?
I would actually avoid the salt unless the wound becomes infected. For now, clean clean clean water and API stresscoat are really the best for her.
I imagine she's swimming weird because it hurts like a *****!!!!
She does look pretty skinny to me, might be the curve of the glass in that picture... Can you get us a top down picture?


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Salt will not do any more damage, unless you add too much. Don't keep her on salt for more than ten days, though. I would give aquarium salt a try. You can also continue with the fungus medicine. Just fast her for a day, then give her one pea a day for about three or four days. Make sure she is warm and has clean water. You should freeze the pea, thaw it, and take the skin off before feeding it to her. 
I am thinking she may have been abused before you got her, and maybe her spine or swim bladder was damaged, and she got the sore. When you buy a betta, you never know what it's story was, or what it went through before coming to the pet store.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

The salt WILL sting and irritate the wound. It helps skin/fin issues by irritating the slime coat a betta naturally produces, effectively sloughing off any issues, and just making the body more aware of it. It can also draw bacteria out of a wound. 
Why put her in more pain if there is no reason to?

A injured betta needs food more than anything to heal. If she is not bloated, do not fast her. 

There is a lot of controversy about the pea method. Bettas are insectivores. Their intestines are not designed to digest that sort of material - what feeding a pea does is push out any blockage, but it can also PERMANENTLY DAMAGE their intestines. 

If she IS bloated, daphnia (water flea) is a NATURAL betta food, and also a laxative, and will help her pass waste.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Okay, so no salt then? Should I take the fungus medicine out or would another water change stress her too much?
@haveyouhadyourteayet: The wound does look fairly clean. It's a bit deep in the top area, but it doesn't look gross.
I took two photos of her, but I'm finding it a bit difficult to get a straight on-top photo of her since she is curving her body a bit and flees when someone comes too close to the tank.
The first is a photo to show how she is kind of floating with her tail in the air.








The second is my attempt at getting a photo of her from above. Not sure if you can tell much from it. If not I can try to get a better one.








I was wondering if I should fast her because she is sort of floating upwards.
Also sorry about the bubbles in the photos...


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

The Fungus treatment that is already being used is likely best and if it contains methylene Blue that will help anyway I am guessing the sore may well have been caused from Ammonia burn from sitting in the store cup.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

So keep the fungus treatment in for now? 
It's Tetra Fungus Guard. It says the ingredients are Nitrofurazone, Furazolidone, and Potassium Dichromate. 
Should I use a different medicine with methylene blue in it or will this be okay?

And that's really good to hear. I had made myself paranoid that it might be cause by tuberculosis. I usually jump to the worst conclusions, haha.:lol:


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

No just leave it for now, if it says sores, I just assumed it may have had MB considering it is used for fungus treatments, plus it is good for ammonia burn, but don't worry too much, better conditions will likely be a big help in her healing anyway.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yeah, the fungus stuff should be ok.
And I would fast her she may be constipated.. But not for more than a day.
Feed her one pea a day for four days, less if you see improvement sooner. I would wait a few days before another water change but it is important to keep her water clean.
By the way what is your bettas name? I think she looks like a Caroline.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: Okay, will do. I really hope to see her improve and get well. I keep checking on her to make sure she okay.:lol:
Should I be concern about the way her tail is floating upwards? Right now, she just kind of floating near the surface.

@Eep Crood: Should I fast her for a day or two before attempting the pea method? I'm haven't tried to feed her but I'm not sure she would eat if I offered it.
And I actually haven't thought of a permanent name for her. I like naming my bettas after mythology gods/goddesses so I was actually thinking about Juno. I'll probably end up change my mind though.:lol: Must say, Caroline is quite a cute name.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yeah, I am a firm believer that all fish need a name. Caroline.. She just looks like a Caroline. It is SO her! When I was young, my aunt had 13 fish in a pond, and 4 in a tank. Since none of them had names, I named every last one!
And yes, I suggest fasting her for one day before trying peas.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

I wouldn't worry too much about her tail at the moment, she will likely sort herself out with good diet and clean water. Some fish do just hold their tails at funny angles. It doesn't meant there is anything wrong. Although that sore might be making her a little stiff.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

She's doing about the same today too. Right now she's sitting at the bottom and not moving much. 
@beautiful Betta: Okay, that's good to know. She's still holding herself in a bit of a curve shape when she does move. So if the tail angle is probably nothing, should I go ahead and try to feed her? I'm figured constipation might be causing it so I haven't tried to give her any food yet. Although I'm also not seeing any waste on the bottom on the tank.

@Eep Crood: Haha, I can see that being a good name. I'm still thinking on my options. And that's really nice of you. How were you able to tell who was who in the pond though?
And okay, but now I'm wondering if she might not be constipated so I might hold off on the pea a bit longer.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Although a fish can go up to three weeks without eating, it is not recommended that you fast them for more than 2 days. Peas should help with both her swimming, in case she has swim bladder, and she should not be floating to the top as much, and it might help if she is constipated.
As for the fish in the pond, some of the fish there were differently colored. They were goldfish, so some were a creamy white, some were orange, and some were both! And within the oranges, some of them were brighter, darker, or had spots. Some fish were bigger or smaller than others. Some had longer fins or tails.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

I'm not sure she'll eat the pea. I tried to give her one of the smallest pellets I could find and she totally ignored it. I left for a while thinking she might be nervous with me watching her, but I came back to find it laying on the bottom of the tank. I'll try again later with a pea though.
Is there any other way to help her if its constipation and she refuses to eat?

Oh, it was a goldfish pond? I see then. Goldfish do have nice patterns. I love the look of koi/goldfish ponds. One of my relatives has a large pond with catfish so I guess that's the type of fish I was thinking of, haha.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Did you crush the pea? You need to freeze it, thaw it, peel the skin off, and crush it (in that order) before adding to the tank. Do not feed her anything else for awhile, so if she's hungry she'll have no choice but to eat the pea


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

I haven't tried the pea yet, just the small pellet and she refused to eat it.
I was actually wondering if epsom salt would be okay. I know I used it to help one of my boys to use the bathroom when he was having a parasite problem and it did the trick. But once again, I'm worried the salt might burn the wound...:-?

Also, this might be a silly question, but I noticed she was using one side of her gills much more than the gill on the side with the sore. Should I be concerned about this?
I checked again on the wound and there's no redness. It's actually kind of a pale color. Is that good?


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

If you can get some Frozen daphnia from a freezer (not freeze dried) that will act as a laxative for betta's she should take that ok.

The gill could be caused from Ammonia damage. It also sounds like that sore is affecting her movements.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Do you know if petsmart sells frozen daphnia? That's about the only petstore around here. And do you think she'll be okay until Friday? I live a decent distance from any major cities, so I won't be able to go until then.

I was a bit worried about that...do you think her gills will heal?


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

I am not in the states so cant say on petsmart. She will be fine until Friday. the gill should be fine, it may not even be damaged just might be choosing not to use it due to the sore.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Oops, sorry about that. I didn't notice where you lived at. Well, I'll check there Friday and see if they sell it. If not, what might you suggest to help? Should I try the pea method?

And thanks to everyone for helping me and answering my questions. This is the first time I've dealt with this kind of thing, so I was thinking I may have gotten in over my head.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

If she is not floating and getting about ok, I would just try normal food first if you cant get frozen daphnia. try NSL betta pellets or other frozen food before trying the pea, Just don't over feed and see how she goes. The females do tend to look fatter anyway.

I would only use the pea method if you are sure she has a SBD issue, if you feel you want to do this, take a frozen pea, defrost in cup of hot water, only takes a few minutes, then peel the skin away, and feed tiny portions of the inner flesh, you would think that they wouldn't eat it, but I found they ate it fine, I had more than one betta at one time, they all ate it fine, didn't harm any of them. At the time I believed it was beneficial for them I had read somewhere that peas provide fibre for them, which they generally lacked in their diet, so I did give all my fish a bit of a pea at one point. They were all fine, just pooped green the day after.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I just found some at petsmart today.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: She's not exactly floating, it's just her tail seems to be going up in the air like her stomach is heavy or something.







That's a photo I just took of her. She's been sitting like that for a while. I haven't seen her go up for air, but she is breathing. (And sorry about the darkness of the photo. I have her in one of the darker corners of my room.)
I did try feeding her a pellet earlier today, but later on I found it had sunk to the bottom. I'm not sure she does have SBD. I look at the symptoms and she's doesn't float on her side and she can swim when she wants. Her rear end just floats.

@haveyouhadyourteayet: Thanks for telling me. I'm going to see if my mom can pick some up for me tomorrow. If not I guess I'll have to wait till Friday.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

no that's not normal or holding her tail funny, I thought she was more upright than that, and it was just her tail that was being held at a angle. when she swims does she swim with difficulty and when she stops does she just sink rapidly back to the bottom. Swim bladder don't always float, sinking like a brink is the other way they are affected.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

I have seen her holding herself straighter than that a couple times today, but a majority of the time she holds herself like in the photo.
And her swimming is a bit hard to describe, but it's like she curves her body a bit while swimming. Her tail does still float sometimes while she swims, but she's able to get around. Usually the time when I see her swim is when I come near the tank, she'll get frightened and dart away. Usually she'll go down and hide behind the plant or cave I have in there with her.
Do you think the sore is causing something else to be wrong with her?


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

It wouldn't cause anything else to be wrong, might add extra stress at the moment for her, which can contribute to SBD She has some buoyance so the SBD is functioning some what. If you want you could try the pea, it might help I don't think it will do any harm. But it is up to you, she may sort herself out anyway, now her water conditions have been improved.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

The headstand, and shoving her head in rocks, is an water quality thing. She's probably still messed up in her time in the cup. Sorry if it's been answered, but how much are you changing how much water? She may be purging larger than usual amounts of ammonia, and her water may be getting gross more quickly than usual. 

Does it seem like she's sinking/floating, or just not wanting to swim? I don't see any bloating. I would feed her if she will eat. 

I think she's doing the fishy equivalent of being in a hospital bed...


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Yeah, I went to check on her a moment ago and she darted away. I noticed she is floating upwards quite a bit. I might go ahead and try the pea. I feel really bad for her to have to wait until I'm able to get daphnia.

Excuse me if this is an really silly question, but does it have to be any specific type of pea? We have frozen garden peas. I think they're called purple hull peas.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

If its a pea it will be fine, is it green and look like a pea? I don't think it will make any difference I didn't know you could get different types of peas, lol.

I guess it would be like apples lots of different types but still an apple. lol


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Sorry about the double post. @haveyouhadyourteayet: I didn't see your reply before I posted.
I got her yesterday and put her in the tank so I guess that counts as a full water change. Today I haven't change it, but she seemed so nervous I was afraid another full change would upset her more. If you think I should, I will go change it now. Should I continue the fungus medicine for the sore?
She really not wanting to swim unless she forced to. And by that, I mean she'll swim away when she sees me or someone else coming near the tank. Otherwise she's sitting at the bottom or top of the tank.

Haha, I didn't see the edit button before.
@beautiful Betta: Okay, I just wanted to make sure before I fed her something I shouldn't have. I'll go and prepare the pea for her.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Sorry for posting again, but I can't edit my previous post again it seems.:-? 
Just a small update, but I attempted to feed her the pea but it sunk to the bottom and she's completely ignoring it. I left the pea pieces on the bottom in hopes she might eat them later, but I can remove them if anyone thinks it is only making the water dirtier.
On another note, I thought she was hiding behind the plant and cave but it seems she is propping herself under them to keep herself from floating up.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

You can remove it a little later, it will be ok for a little while. Just don't leave it for hours.

yea I think trying to prop herself under things are classic SBD signs. At least she is showing the willingness to do so, and not just floating to the top.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I would prioritize her maladies for now... 
A fish can live with some minor SBD. It seems like she's handling it ok. I would do what you can to not exacerbate it, but don't focus on it. 

Obviously, her most pressing concern is the wound. 
The fungus meds can't hurt, I don't think. They might help keep it clean, and should have some soothing properties. 
If you'd like, you can get some API Stresscoat, and use that as your water conditioner. It helps repair tissues. 
As I've said, to heal, a fish needs high quality food. Also if she's floatey, high grain/filler foods will only make it worse. Omega One is a great food. Offer her a few pellets, leave in for a couple hours of peace and quiet, and then remove. 

I would alternate daily 50%/100% water changes. Keep that water CLEAN. 

To help calm her, extend her 'night,' keep her warm, and leave her alone. 


Looking back on the first posts, you said 'N/A' for water additives... does that mean nothing? Or just nothing special? A fish needs water conditioner...


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: Okay, I actually went ahead and took the peas out before I went to bed and did a small water change. And yeah, that is a good sign. It does make me feel bad to see her struggling to stay down and not being able to help her. She still refuses to eat the pea. 

@haveyouhadyourteayet: I don’t really use anything as a water additive. I live in a rural area and have well water. I was once told that it was okay so I never really thought any more about it. None of my fish has really had any problems with it and besides for a recent mishap with one of my bettas having a bout of parasites (glad to say he’s making a full recovery) they all are healthy, so I’ve just kept up with my normal routine. 
I can try stresscoat if you think the water needs it. I don’t have any on hand but I can get it tomorrow.
And if you mean by extending her night,I have been keeping her tank in one of the darker corners of my room and keeping some fabric wrapped around the tank to keep it a bit darker. I use omega one betta buffet and I did attempt to offer her one early yesterday afternoon, but she wouldn’t touch it. Tried again this morning but she ignored it again.
My main worry with her floating is how she is trying to wedge herself under the plant and cave. I’m a bit afraid she going to end up scraping the wound in the process. She doesn’t look very comfortable either. Also, I did do a partial water change before I went to bed last night. It wasn’t quite 50% though because halfway through she started to panic and bumping her head into the tank wall. I did another partial change this morning and I’ll try to do a 100% later.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

The issue I've heard with well water is the hardness. I personally would still condition the water. The stresscoat also has aloe vera in it, and may help calm her down some. 

What sort of decor does she have? If it's all soft silk/real plants, and stuff like that, she shouldn't re-injure herself. 

If she freaks out during changes, you can always do a series of smaller ones back to back. It might be less stressful on her. 

For her SBD, I am going to suggest epsom salts, like you get at the grocery. 1 tsp/gal, added slowly. If you're very concerned about her floating, you can start on that, it's a very gentle treatment. 
If you have added the AQ salt, DO NOT add ES as well. They basically counteract eachother, and it puts a huge strain on the fish. Only one at a time.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Yeah, our water is definitely hard. My fish, especially the crowntail, have some problems with fin curling and I heard that water hardness could cause it. I will get the stresscoat tomorrow and add it.

I do have a plastic plant in there with her. The tank is wider than it is tall so it was the only one I had that would fit in there. I can remove it if you think I should. I thought it would be an okay thing for her to hide behind until I found a softer one, but that was before I realized she was using it to prop herself under it. The cave is fairly smooth so I don't think it will hurt her.

I haven't used aquarium salt because I thought it would burn the wound. I was wondering about epsom salt, but I was afraid it might affect the wound also. Right now, she's just in the fungus medicine.

Good news though. She does seem more active today and is swimming around more but her tail is still floating.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Continue with the peas, it helps with swim bladder. Epsom salt can help, it will not make her wound worse unless you add too much or use it for more than 19 days.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Some plastic plants are soft enough, if you can, run a pair of pantyhose over it, and see if it snags them. If so, I'd chuck it and get something silk. You can also get some anuibis, and just let that float in the tank, so she can get some shade near the surface. Don't altogether remove decor - if anything, add some. Lay plants sideways if you need to, it'll help her feel more secure. 

It's not looking like ES stings open wounds in humans. I doubt it will hurt her. Good call on the AQ salt. 

Another thing about hard water - adding tannins (Indian almond leaves, rooibos tea, even decaf green tea) can help uncurl the fins. It might help calm her down too. Makes the water look brown, but the darkness is more natural for them


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

And if it's a pea, it's a pea. One or two a day. Freeze it, thaw it, peel the skin off, and crush it (in that order) before adding it


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@Eep Crood: I'm trying the pieces of pea, but it keeps sinking to the bottom and she is showing no interest in it. I left her alone and later came back to check on her, but the pea was still laying in the same spot as before.:-?

@haveyouhadyourteayet: I'll try the pantyhose. I do usually try to rub the plants against my hand to see if I can feel anything that might prick their fins, but of course bettas's are probably much more delicate than my skin. 
And I feel silly I didn't think of laying the plant sideways. I have some other plants that I know are softer, larger but I think they will fit in there on their side. 
I'll try to change the decor up during her water change later and I'll add in some epsom salt and see if that helps her.
I'll heard of Indian almond leaf, but I have never found any in stores. I know I can probably get decaf green tea, but what is rooibos tea? Is it better than the green tea?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

There are leaves in the hermit crab section of most major brand pet stores, something like cattapata leaves, they're IAL. 
Rooibos is naturally decaf, so there are less chemicals, and no chance of trace caffeine. 
She'll appreciate a place to hide :3


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Oh, they're in the hermit crab section? Guess that explains why I never saw any. I always assumed they would be in the fish section with the live plants. I will go check that out. I've been making a list of things I need to get tomorrow.:lol:

And yeah, I think so too. I went to take a new photo of her but she immediately hid behind the plant and stayed there until I left. She's still very wary of me. I'll try to get a photo later while she's in her cup when I'm changing the water and decor.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

That's very normal new/sick fish behavior.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

She will come around to you in time.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I've noticed females to be especially shy.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

Really, I will take your word for that, I have never owned a single female.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@haveyouhadyourteayet: I have one other female and I believe that. It seemed to take her forever to calm down compared to the boys.:lol:
But for the update, I just finished changing the water and adding in the new plant. I did 100% change this time and she did not like it at all. 
I tried to get a photo of her in her cup, but the cup made her look a bit distorted. Here it is anyway...









Also, I have a question about the epsom salt. I added back in some more of the fungus medicine. Is it safe to mix epsom salt and the medicine together? And if I am able to get the leaves tomorrow is it okay to also add that to the tank?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I believe it would be safe... you might look at some other related threads and see. 

So the pic of her in the cup, is that sway in her back because of distortion?


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes it should be safe.

Keep her on the pea for another four days. Until four days is up, don't feed her anything else. And it looks like her sore is healing


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@haveyouhadyourteayet: I actually went ahead and did look some old threads and it said it should be okay, so I went ahead and added the salt last night. I only put a 1/2 tsp in since I wasn't exactly sure how she would react.
And that is some distortion. She does curve her back upwards when she floats, but it doesn't look like that.
Here's another photo of her (sorry about the darkness)







The photo of her in the cup shows her coloring and the wound better, but in this one you can see her shape better I think. I can try to get another photo in better lighting if you need it.

@Eep Crood: Thanks! I already added the salt in. And that's great to know!
But should I use the pea if I'm doing the epsom salt also?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Ok cool. I was worried you had a seriously messed up fish for a bit. She looks fine, a little fat, but the ES should help bring that down after a day or 4. If not, frozen (or even presoaked freezedried) daphnia is a natural laxative, and also a natural betta food (unlike peas, please do a little more reading around before you feed peas) and can help clear her up. 

You can increase the dosage on the ES up to 2tsp/gal if she doesn't respond to the standard 1tsp/gal as well, I'm not sure how good it is to use in conjunction with daphnia, but I'm expecting the ES to do the trick. It's pretty great.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Haha, sorry about that. It just seemed like a decent photo of her wound on the side. The way she kept turning her head to the side along the curve of the cup made it look odd.
I'm about to leave to go to the pet store and pick up the supplies so I'll pick up some daphnia just in case. It seems like a good thing to keep on hand anyway if any of the other fish ever got constipated or such. I'll probaby add in a bit more epsom salt once I get home and see how she's doing at that point in time.
Today she's seems to be having a bit of easier time swimming, although she's still floating. Well, currently she's hiding since she just saw me look in the tank.:lol:


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

'AH BIG SCARY PINK MONSTER!!'

It's hard to find daphnia frozen, but the 'dial a treat' betta thing has it freeze dried.

I would suggest the stresscoat while you're there, and depending on your budget something in case she gets a fungus. I've had 2 'sick' fish, both times it was fungus lol. API fungus cure is great.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Haha, I can imagine her thinking that.:lol: Probably afraid I'm one of the humans that would stick her in a dirty cup again.

And yep, I got stresscoat, catappa leaves, and a couple new plants while I was there. The epsom salt seems to be working for her so I did decide to wait on the daphnia. I checked on her once I got home and she really seems to be floating less and is much more active. About the fungus medicine, I've been treating her with Tetra Fungus Guard since I got her Tuesday. The wound is looking pretty good to me, but then again, I'm no expert at what fish wounds are supposed to look like. 

I do have a question about the catappa leaves. How should I add it to the water? Do I throw one of the leaves in the water and leave it there?


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

I don't like to go against other posters, but I personally wouldn't use freeze dried, it will add to the problem with the trapped air, even with pre soaking. I thought another poster said you could get proper frozen in petsmart anyway.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes, peas have nothing to do with Epsom salt, and I believe that they work better than daphnia. Make sure to dissolve the Epsom salt in water before adding it.
And have you thought of a name for her yet?


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: They did. I actually found the frozen kind at Petsmart today, but I did hold off on buying it since the epsom salt does seem to be helping her floating problem a bit. Should I have gotten the daphnia and try it too along with salt treatment?

@Eep Crood: All right, thanks for telling me. I might go with just the epsom salt and fungus medicine for another day and see how things are. She seems to be floating a bit less today.
And yep, I dissolve the salt before adding it.
Also, I'm thinking on sticking with Juno for her name. Caroline is adorable, but my other female is named Juliet so I rather like the "J" theme for my females. Plus, I have two males named Apollo and Cupid, so it goes with the mythology theme too.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

I would still recommend getting the daphnia as it is still a good food to feed as a variation to the pellets. I actually feed my boy pellets in the morning, and the evening meal is alternated daily between pellets and a different frozen food each time. I know the pellets are supposed to give everything but I personally like to mix it up to be sure more of variation and different nutrition's are met.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Glad she's doing so well!! Basically in the wound, look for anything you'd look for in a people wound, plus fuzz. So any redness, puss, or fuzz/fluff


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful betta: Frozen daphnia can be used as food? I thought it was just for helping relieve constipation. But that does sound like a good idea. I probably won't be going to the pet store again for a couple more days, but I'll definitely get some next time.

@haveyouhadyourteayet: Thanks! I'm really glad too!:-D She looks like she's controlling her swimming much better. Still has some moments where she floats, but she's exploring the tank a lot more.
And the wound doesn't have any of that. Just looks kind of like a pale indention in her side. No redness or fuzz.

And as for an update, I found a bit of poop at the bottom of the tank when I cleaned it partially earlier. It looked a bit stringy, but the color was normal. Also, she's not trying to prop herself underneath the decor as much anymore. She even swam around the tank while I was cleaning the water instead of trying to hide. Small progress, but it is progress regardless.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

That's so great!!


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Haha, I know. Makes me feel like a proud parent to see how she getting a bit better each day.:-D

Once again, I want to thank everyone for all your help through this. Definitely has been reassuring having other people helping me out. 

But now I'm off to bed. It's late and being sleepy, I'll probably start making typing errors soon. I will update tomorrow on how she's doing.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

That's excellent news. Fingers crossed she keeps improving each day.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Cool! And I love your avatar! And I wouldn't start the daphnia until she is done with the peas. 
And you have four bettas? Wow, That is a lot to take care of.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I'm really curious why you're thinking a pea is better for constipation/sbd than daphnia?


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Well, new girl who I have now officially decided to call Juno, is doing about the same today. Still swimming around fairly actively and she ate a pellet this morning without any problem. I’m still noticing her tail floating upwards a bit, but it’s not at the angle it was. Just curious, but how long does sbd usually last?
Another photo of her.







I tried to take it in a bit of sunlight to brighten the photo up, but I think the it’s just my camera making the photos look super grainy.

Oh, and I found another surprise before I went to bed last night. It seems my betta, Apollo, somehow managed to scrape off a few scales while I was gone yesterday afternoon. Probably not the reason but with the timing it rather seems like he’s trying to get my attention away the new girl.:lol:

@Eep Crood: Thanks! It's a drawing I did of my betta Comet. And I actually have five, including Juno. Other the Juliet, Apollo, and Cupid, I have a orange veiltail I named Pumpkin.:lol: I was actually planning to give away Juno after she got better, but now I'm finding myself quite attached to her. A lot of water changes, but totally worth it.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Wow her colors are beautiful!! That wound looks great! Looks like the ES is doing the trick :3

He's definitely jelly XD Did he bump his head on something?


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks! I love her top fin with the red tipping but clear at the bottom. I really wish I could clearer photo of her.

Haha, it really does seem that way. And he actually bump them off the side of his body. The only thing I see in his tank that might could have done it is a plant I had to clipped some sharp edges off it. It left some hard stubs at the base of the plant. I usually cover the base with gravel but it seems he somehow moved the gravel.:-?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

What a butt! He's not flashing, correct? Just being a jerk?


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Nope, no flashing and everything about him looks fine. Just has about three spots where his blue scales are missing. Other than that, he's just swimming around lazily like always.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Alright XD good. I'm really glad Juno is on the mend. TBH with a wound that big, it may have gotten down deep enough to actually damage her swim bladder...


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

I'm not meaning to get off topic since this is Juno's thread, but here's a photo of Apollo's missing scales just for a second opinion.








Now back onto Juno's problems. So do you think there might be some permanent damage? Asides from the floating would it cause other problems?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Yeah those look like they're missing!! 

Fish with chronic SBD can live very happy little lives. You just have to make accommodations for them. Little fishy handicapped ramps and stuff.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

He did succeed in getting my attention, so if that was his intention, mission accomplished.:lol: 

Haha, what would a fishy handicapped ramp be? More things to for her to lay on or something?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

A joke, is what it would be XD
For floatey fish, put lots of soft things near the top and bottom for them to wedge themselves under, for sinkers, put lots and lots of rests and hides near the top, and possibly lower the water level a ton, depending how bad they are.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Yes, she looks better! But do not use pellets just continue with peas until Monday. And I don't think daphnia is neccesary because if you saw her poop she must not be constipated. Peas also help cure SBD. SBD is usually cured in a week or less. Continue with the Epsom salt and fungus treatment.
And I think you should keep Juno, you spent lots of time taking care of her and she probably wants you to keep her in case she gets sick again.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Ok seriously, how is a pea supposed to magically cure SBD? Explain this to me.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@haveyouhadyourteayet: Haha, I didn't know if meant something else.:lol: A little ramp for handicapped fish would be pretty cute though.
And thanks for the tips. For now she seems to be swimming pretty much normally, but if she starts acting floaty again at least I'll know how to help her out.

@Eep Crood: Thanks! But I am a bit confused about the pea. I thought the pea method was to help ease constipation by pushing the waste out. She is pooping, so would there still be a need a pea?
But yeah, I'm probably going to keep her. She has grown on me. I have a 5 gallon tank I'm hoping to try to cycle sooner or later. I'll probably put one of the bettas in there when it's finished so that should hopefully make water changes easier.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

(Don't use a pea it's dangerous and doesn't help anything) 

Some fish are just floaty - She may have some damage, like someone with a bum knee it might flare up sometimes. Most things bettas like, a sink-ey betta will use. You shouldn't have to do too much decoration changing if it does turn chronic.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

As far as I understood the pea thing they are really good for fibre and will go through the system well. However if she is pooping now I don't think you need to keep feeding the pea's and try and get her eating more nutritious foods, just feed her smaller meals more often. 

Some members here have what they call floating logs, which are a hollowed out floating trunk decoration's and it floats, if your girl is going to have chronic SBD it might be something she could get herself into and rest near the surface should she want to.

Your boy with the missing scales will heal up no problem just clean warm water is all he will need.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Not sure, but it know people that have had success that way


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Just an update on Juno. She's no longer floating with her tail upwards and is swimming normally. I still have her on epsom salt for now, but hopefully when I take her off of it she won't start back floating. Also, the wound on her side is looking better and she has colored up a bit more since last time.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

Well done, she looks so much better, fingers crossed that she keeps on improving.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

ES is something that can be used pretty regularly. Don't use it CONSTANTLY it can dehydrate (weird I know) a fish. But if she gets floatey without it, I think one week on one week off could work. I think she'll be ok, she got all the gunk out of her system probably! 
That wound looks great!! Might have some scale issues/scarring with something that big. Beautiful girl nonetheless


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

If it's been ten days on it, I'd take her off it to see how she does. If she starts floating, you can always put her back on.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

10 days is the max for AQ salt, I've heard closer to 2 weeks on ES. I would just stop using ES treated salt in the water changes, to slowly taper her off.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: Thanks! So far she's looking good.

@haveyouhadyourteayet: I really don't mind even if it does leave some kind of scarring. As long as she's healthy, it's fine by me. And okay, I'll start lowering the dose. I've only been adding about 1/2 tsp.

@Eep Crood: I believe I started using the epsom salt last Thursday, so it's only been about five days. I will start trying to get her off of it completely though and see how she reacts.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

You can also do 'spa days' for them. I have a boy who likes to bloat up, never had any SBD issues, but I'll dose his tank the morning of water change day, and then obv change it out later that day, so he's in for a few hours just to get everything moving. I'm not sure if it's effective but it makes me feel better, and seems to help him pass food.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

There may be a new problem with Juno...







Her belly seems to be turning like a splotchy red color.:-? I put a circle around the area, but the photo isn't that great since she likes to move while I'm getting the camera focused. 
Does it look like something to be concern about?


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Does it looks like her veins are red? If so, yes, be very concerned, sounds like septicemia, which is no bueno. 
If she's just a little bloated, you may just be seeing her stomach or something.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

It doesn't really look like veins, more like some kind of rash. I don't really want to think it's septicemia since she's showing no other symptoms. She's swimming, eating, coming up to greet me, and just in general acting okay.:-? 

She does look a bloated, but I found poop in the tank when I went to clean it so I can't say she's constipated. She's not floating either.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

Weird. Is there anything she may have scraped her tum on?


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Nothing I can think of. I never had a betta her color so I'm wasn't sure if it was her changing color or what. 

I read about bettas being eggy, do you think that could be the problem? My other female does get bloated sometimes, but she's a dark color so I wouldn't be able to see if her stomach got red during that time.


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## haveyouhadyourteayet (Jan 14, 2014)

I really don't know, sadly. You may want to make a different thread about it.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

Thanks, I will do that.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

It may just be her tummy stretching as she is getting into a normal healthy eating routine, plus she may be expanding a little with the production of eggs. If she is eating and acting fine I would try not to be too concerned and end up treating for a condition she may not even have. I would keep an eye on her and monitor her general appearance, behaviour.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: Thanks, I still am adding a small amount of epsom salt since she does look bloated. I made another thread and was told the red coloring could be normal if she was eggy so I'm going to hope it's that. I haven't seen any poop today, but she's still acting fine.


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

I hope she is fine, but from that picture I wouldn't say she looks bloated, I have seen females look a lot bigger than yours and the females do tend to look really round anyway, that is why I personally prefer the more streamline shape of the males.

Good luck with her, you have done a great job in healing her.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

Bettas don't poop every day. I would fast her for a day or two.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@beautiful Betta: I think she may just be a bit on the chubby side.:lol: Just found poop so it isn't constipation afterall. But yeah, I noticed that. I actually prefer the males' body shape too, but I couldn't pass up getting this girl after seeing her sitting at the back of the shelf four days later. 
And thanks a lot!

@Eep Crood: Yep, I spoke too soon. I found some poop in her tank today. I think she may have her me talking about her.:lol:


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## KatNDog292 (Apr 10, 2014)

You might want to quarantine her and use Bettafix. My fish currently has some missing scales and a combo of Bettafix and aquarium salt seems to be working. Good luck!


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

11 pages... This thread is so long!

Yeah you should fast her for one day, she may just be bloated. I do that when one of my bettas is bloated.


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## LuckyComet (Feb 20, 2013)

@KatNDog292: Thanks, but I don't think she really needs Bettafix. Clean water seems to be healing it up quite nicely. There's still an indention in her side where the wound is so I'm not expecting any scales to grow in anytime soon. Thanks for the advice though.

@Eep Crood: I know. I expected to end it, but then Juno had the redness on her stomach so it just kind of started up again. I think I'll officially call this thread to an end though. Juno has been doing well and if something goes wrong I'll create a new one.
And thanks, I think she's fine now but I will try that if she gets bloated again.


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## Eep Crood (Jan 23, 2014)

How is Juno doing now?


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