Betta Help Urgently Needed!

[Sara]

Help! Sick betta!

For the past week, it's looked to us like our betta was finally succumbing to his old age. His fins have been getting raggedy lately, and we just thought that it was his time. He has been hanging out in the plants right at the surface of the water, and hasn't eaten about a week (we tried pellets, bloodworms and peas). We bumped his heat up to 80 degrees and added a little bit of salt to his water.

Today, we noticed that there looks to be something wrong with his gills. They look inflamed and red (although that part was hard to tell because he's a red betta), and there also looks to be a white coating on them. My first thought is fungus or ich, but we can't possibly figure out how he could have gotten sick. We haven't done anything (other than changing the water, of course) to his tank in months.

He is in a 5.5 gallon tank by himself, heat's currently up to 80. There's a bit of salt in the water, and we just put in some melafix until we can figure out what this is.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. He's pretty weak, having not eaten for a week, and we're not sure what to do. We're pretty attached to this fish (he was our first fish together), so we're desperate to find anything that can help him. Thank you in advance!

Sara and Chris

 

[Keeper]

From my experience....Melafix is primarily a fungus medication. This could be a bacterial problem. Pics would be helpful if possible. Raggedy fins could be fin rot. What are the parameters in the tank?

 

[Sara]

I'd post pics if we had them, but a digital camera is still on my wishlist. I've looked at all of the diagnostic charts and can't find anything that looks similar. As for the raggedy fins, it's definitely not fin rot, it's just signs of age - that much we're positive.

Parameters are:
pH: 7.6
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 10
...Nothing out of the ordinary...

 

[Menagerie]

It may be ich that has only infected the gills.
Some people will argue this, but ich is always present. When a fish's immune system is weaken, the fish can succumb to ich. I would try the natural method of 86 F and salt. Since this is an older betta, the immune system may be over whelmed. Start treatment immediately.

 

[Keeper]

It may be ich that has only infected the gills.
Some people will argue this, but ich is always present

A couple things I didn't know. You learn something new every day!

Good luck with the treatment Sara...hope everything goes well

 

[Devilishturtles]

Some people will argue this, but ich is always present.

I have had this argument with I don't know how many people in the past as well. Personally, I think it is true. When your fish becomes weak, their immune system becomes weakened, their slime coats get's irritated..etc. They can succumb to it.

I agree with Menagerie, sounds like it could be ich of the gills, which won't look like regular ich. If the heat and salt doesn't work, you might want to grab some parasite meds. Melafix will do nothing for your fishie if this is the case.

Hope he pulls through!

 

[Sara]

Thanks for your help everyone, but unfortunately it was too late to do anything...

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=26566

 

[Guest]

Your bettas symptoms sounded like freshwater velvet, or someting but i cannot remember what its called.

 

[cheezysquirrelz]

im sorry about your betta. I think he had gill parasites. The symptoms are- redness in the gill areas, labored breathing, inflamed gills, cant swim correctly.