My betta girl is sick, and I have so many possible causes! Am I doing all I can?

Question

She has been with us 6 months and we have her in a 2.5 gallon glass tank with a matching one that we switch her out in when we need to clean the other. She has a nice filter and very small heater. 2 fizzy stones 2 plastic plants and sleeps at night on a leaf like a bed.. Last night she was sleeping in the corner with her head near the surface gasping. I tried to get her attention and she didn't respond. Today she is sick, she is acting like she is blind or just concentrating on the pain so much she can't see. Her actual gills are dark red and she seems bloated. Her scales are sticking out somewhat, not like the really bad dropsy pics. She looks bad though, too young to be dying. So I went out and got salt, Melafix, Maracyn 2 powder. I treated water for ammonia and well.... I just want to know what else I can do. She is not dying on my watch, not this young in a clean tank. Is it possible I fed her too much? Or she is injured? Tank is too clean for her to die. We are upset andconfused

Answer 1

It actually sounds like dropsy. The Maracyn 2 should help her out. You also could get Maracyn and use it along with Maracyn2. The two together will work much better. Combining these two medications, which is safe to do, you are getting the benefits of treating both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Maracyn treats-gram positive, Maracyn-Two treats gram-negative. All bases are covered.
You can also try Epsom salt. Adding Epsom Salt to your betta's water is something you can do as an addition to treatment. This may help reduce the internal pressure caused by the swelling. Epsom Salt is made with magnesium, not sodium. Epsom salt does not pass through the walls of the stomach or gills and will extract water out of the surrounding tissue into the stomach, where it may be excreted depending on the level of internal damage that may have already occurred.
But remember that Epsom salt is made up of Magnesium Sulfate. This does contain one part Sulfa in its make up. If you are using a medication that states it is not compatible with medications containing Sulfa, do not use this as a method of treatment . Dosage is 1/8 teaspoon of Epsom Salt per five gallons of water. If you are working with a smaller tank, measure out 1/8 teaspoon, divide it up into five equal parts. Add one part per gallon of water that you are working with. You can also add a air stone to put more oxygen in the tank. Good luck!

Answer 2

How old is she? They live approx 4 years. Did you just clean her bowl? What did you use? Gasping is a sign of poor water quality. Test it to be sure. Red gills can be paracitic worms as well as the raised scales. Bacterial infections cause all of the above plus it looks like blindness ( a coating over the eyes). No you did not overfeed, fish don't overeat. Although too much food in a clean tank without good bacteria to break down waste will cause ammonium gasses that will burn her. Hmmm,....take a sample of water to the pet store and have them do all 6 tests on water quality. Good luck!

Answer 3

That's so sweet.If u got it from wal mart u can take it back and get another no extra charge.It's time for her to go.jesus wants her.But if you'd like take her to a petstore and let them have a look at her. i hope i helped!