my betta fish is almost a year old. A few days ago I noticed that it started to swell. This morning I noticed it was very swollen. Tonight I noticed that the fins are starting to rot. I feed my fish twice a day and have read that I have been over feeding him. I have also ready that this could be dropsy or TB. Oh my gosh I have been changing this fish every week or two weeks religiously. He has been healthy up to this point. Please tell me what to do so that I can save Stanley. He is not swimming very much and pretty much stays at the top. He is mostly swelled in the front part by the gills. His scales have started to stick out. Please help me help Stanley.
2006-09-11 16:22:18 · 18 answers · asked by pcchicktoo 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's probably dropsy and fin/tail rot. It's caused by poor water conditions, and the overfeeding doesn't help either. Need to do water changes on that probably every other day at the very least, not every week. Overfeeding & fish waste & small bowl=large amounts of ammonia=diseased dead fish.
You can try an antibiotic from a pet store, specific for dropsy. It is not ick, please don't listen to those that have no clue. Do not flush a live fish either. And Bettamin will help the fin/tail rot, but not the dropsy. Sorry, but at this point doesn't look good for him.
2006-09-11 18:33:45 · answer #1 · answered by tikitiki 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would get some meds at the store and treat him as though he has fin rot. There are many strains of fin rot out there so even though it may not be textbook like you say it may still be a form of the disease. I have treated fin rot in other fish successfully using maracyn plus. I'm not sure if that is safe for bettas or not though. Otherwise a more natural medication is melafix but I have heard this isn't good for bettas because it coats their labyrinth organ (which is what allows them to breathe air at the top of water). I would google some betta sites and see what they say are safe meds for bettas. I don't fully trust the big pet stores to give accurate info about meds. Good luck and I hope your bettas fin gets better soon.
2016-03-26 21:19:27 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like Ick or fin rot.... Ick meds aren't too expensive (more than a new beta - but i understand having 3 aquariums myself, that they are pets none the less) and if the fin rot isn't too bad you can try tea tree oil a few drops in the water should clear it up, that is basically what is in fin rot meds at the pet store I have been told... unfortunately, it sounds as if Stanley may have deteriorated beyond this point, but I wish you and Stanley the very best and hope you get him sorted out.
*Hugs*
PS) It was very good of you too read up on it... and you learned about the over feeding etc, so if nothing good comes of this, at least you can better care for your next fish, should you choose to.
2006-09-12 01:58:54 · answer #3 · answered by ♥ goddessofraine ♥ 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Well sorry to break it to you but my beta just died. He had rotting fins awhile ago and I put some Melafix in his bowl and it cleared up. But this time the swollen belly was the kicker. If your betta gets better or worse, you have to get another beta, try to put a plant or something in its bowl for it to rest on. Betas like to "lay" on bottom once and awhile and their fins rott from stuff on the rocks. In aquariums you are supposed to do a 25% water change and no more than that. When I clean my beta bowl out, I keep a lot of the water. Then I clean the rocks from the bottom, add the old water and put fresh water in until full. I don't know how to get rid of the swollen belly but I hope someone on here will. Good Luck! Also I have always heard that it is better to under feed than over feed so, my fish get fed once every three days. (I have two aquariums and a beta. Well I had a beta.) They seem to clean up after themselves better and they are not starving either.
2006-09-11 20:07:29 · answer #4 · answered by poutypitbull 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like Stanley has dropsy and fin rot- you can go to a pet store and get Bettamax. It may be too late for him though.
2006-09-12 05:51:21 · answer #5 · answered by wendyn371 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah - hate to say it but it sounds like your Betta has both Dropsy and Fin/Tail Rot.
I wish I could say there was a miracle cure out there, but at the stage he is in there just isn't.
For future reference - keep some Maracyn-2 on hand, and make sure you have another smaller tank to act as a Hospital Tank in case of emergencies like this (at 10 or 15g tank will due).
2006-09-11 18:30:06 · answer #6 · answered by sly2kusa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like Stanley is on his last fin my dear, sorry i have had many beta fish
2006-09-11 16:24:04 · answer #7 · answered by preciousmoments1962 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like it is too late for Stanley, Sorry!! I killed my beta too, not on purpose. I didn't feed him too much, I added new water to his old water and I guess it disturbed the chemical balance and he was dead the next morning.
2006-09-11 16:25:13 · answer #8 · answered by yummymummy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Generally scales sticking out is the end. (Sorry) You could try treating him with trisulfa.
PS- Note that it's not ich unless there are white dot the size of salt grains.
2006-09-11 17:54:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it sounds like dropsy, or other bacterial or fungus infection. Get some Betta cure, a medicine at you local fish shop.
2006-09-11 16:25:55 · answer #10 · answered by mobfront06 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋