Anyone know....?

Question

My Betta (Brutus) is VERY bloated, and is not able to swim properly. my vet is out of town this week. Brutus is still able to get to his food, through bursts of a wobbly swim, but then he settles back down to the bottom of his bowl. i've had him for 3 yrs. i've NEVER seen him do this. it's scaring me. i don't know of any other vets in my VERY small town that know that much about fish. most are farm vets (large animal vets). i will be calling around, but if anyone knows what this could be i would really be grateful for any information.
thanks

actually the lifespan is 2 to 3 yrs old. i realize he is old. but he is also sick. and that is my main concern right now.
life span sources:
http://www.better-bettas.com/a/lifespan-of-a-betta-fish.shtml
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm

Answer 1

Your fish sounds like it has a condition called dropsy. You can confirm this by looking down at the fish from the top and if scales are sticking out from the fish and it looks like a pinecone then it's certain.

Treat dropsy with antibiotics. Furanace and Marycn are my top choices, but there are others. Treat as directed on the box, but continue the treatment for 2 weeks. Feeding medicated food made for bacterial infections is also an excellent idea. Feed the food for at least as long as you are treating the tank.

Be sure to remove the carbon from your filter if you have one while you medicate. Carbon removes the medication.

Answer 2

Your betta is not old, those life spans are based on keeping them in unfavorable conditions like those teeny little tanks that only hold a very small amount of water. With people who care for them properly, generally they live closer to 5 years.

Like MM said, look to see if the scales are sticking out, if that is the case, then it is dropsy, which at this stage is extremely diffucult to cure.

It also might just be constipation. If the scales are not sticking out that is what it likely is. For constipation simply stop feeding him until he goes back to normal. The inside of a cooked pea will help him digest whatever is stuck in him.

Answer 3

if it's bloated all the way round and evenly, but no raised scales, then i would go with it being severe constipation, and him put on a few days of starvation, combined with cooked de-shelled pea (fish laxative) and see if he improves.

if it's bloated all the way round and the scales are sticking out (pineconing) then thats dropsy. i've had 2 cases of dropsy in my time of keeping bettas, neither fish survived, its notoriously hard to cure. dropsy is a secondary affilication as the internal organs begin to shut down from a primary infection or injury, sometimes caused by severe constipation. epsom salt baths may sooth him (epsom salt can be bought from a chemist). you need to put 1 tablespoon in 1 gallon of water for 15-20 minutes once or twice a day. and also try the pea. the salt helps draw out any fluids that may be building up inside him.

if he's bloated irregularly or only on one side, it could be a tumour, one of my boys had a tumour and just need extra special care to see out the last few weeks of his life, he then developed dropsy symptoms and died.

Answer 4

Magic man has given you some good advice. And I suggest you give it a shot, but you need to keep in mind that the average life span of a betta is only two years.

Answer 5

That's exactly what happened to my Beta, Mervin Zhivago. I don't klnow what is wrong with your fish but I went to PetSmart and told the fishlady and she told me to put in this medicine called "BetaFix" or something. She said it would cure him becuase she thought that he had a fungal infection. wel he died and it turned out that he had worms. I don't know how to fix worms but you could try googling it.

Answer 6

as soon as your vet gets back take him to the vet in CLEAN water but first do a 75% water change