Sick or just growing up?

[Lila]

Hii. recently my betta (about a year and a half) has been slowing down and resting everywhere. Still eats normally and swims occasionally, but it's definitely different from him about 2 weeks ago. He used to bolt around and explore and while he still does that, it's not as frequent and everytime I walk in the room he is in his little log lying down. If he gets up to move it's to eventually find a different spot to lay (in the white stone, in the log, or on the floor).



Here's a photo of him when he gets up:



I thought it was oxygen depletion, so I added an air stone. Seemed to help a bit, yet he is still lying around. It makes me really sad LOL. No signs of illness because he still eats, no enlarged stomach or weird colorations like velvet or ich.

He does have two tumors that grew a while back, but he never really seemed harmed by them and they are rather small (haven't gotten bigger recently either). I'll show you a photo of the noticeable one:



The other is on the other side in the same area just much lower.

Is there any cause for this sudden inactivity or is it just because he's getting older and calming down? Maybe boredom? (yesterday I added some plants and leaves to try to fix that btw -- seems to ignore the plants but likes the leaves).

It also might be the fact that he was glass surfing when I first got him but now that the flow is gone he is relaxing. Idk, but I'm open to ideas.

 

[Andy Sager]

Bettas by nature are not active swimmers so you have to take that into consideration. That it has tumors could be the issue as you don't know what the tumors are doing inside the body. Having tumors is not a good thing for fish while sadly, many of the fancier Bettas seem to get them more often than the old style plain Bettas. There is nothing you can do for tumors except keep other fish out of the tank so that they don't pick at them.
( On a side note, this is the 4th post today I've found on internet sites I belong to regarding tumors on Bettas and all of the Bettas are the super fancy ones so you are not alone. )

 

[Lila]

yeah hopefully he still lives a long life with them. It's sad to think that it may have been caused by just bad genes ( so i've read). They don't seem to be getting bigger but I will still appreciate the time I have with him (

 

[Fishfur]

Unfortunately, the ‘koi’ bettas are particularly prone to tumours - the marble gene that is responsible for the colouring of these fish is also why they’re so prone to tumours. The tumours start in the iridophores (chromatophores) that express the colours but because of the marble gene the colours can change as the fish age and that seems to be what sparks off the tumour growth. It’s really too bad because they are gorgeous fish but their beauty comes at a fairly high price for the fish.

It might be that the tumours are causing trouble internally that’s not obvious to the observer but the sorry and sad truth is that an awful lot of bettas don’t live much past two years of age and they’re typically six months old when they’re shipped to stores.

So he may well be slowing down due to age more so than the tumours.

 

[Lila]

yes I got him from a local fish store at six months, had him for about a year. so I will enjoy the time I have with him. Definitely sad about koi being prone to tumors. Thanks for sharing though

 

[Lila]

Just an update, he has consistently spent more time resting at the bottom. He doesn't eat in the mornings, and only about three pellets at night. He seems bloated so maybe its dropsy? but it doesn't look as bad as photos i've seen online.
I can't get a photo now because he won't move.


Either way, tumors or dropsy, due to his decrease in activity and lethargy, should I be considering euthanization?

 

[Andy Sager]

Just an update, he has consistently spent more time resting at the bottom. He doesn't eat in the mornings, and only about three pellets at night. He seems bloated so maybe its dropsy? but it doesn't look as bad as photos i've seen online.
I can't get a photo now because he won't move.


Either way, tumors or dropsy, due to his decrease in activity and lethargy, should I be considering euthanization?

"Bad" is a matter of opinion because you don't know what is happening inside the fish. At some point, people have to decide if it's in the fish's best interest to euthanize. Some people have no problem with it and some people have a very hard time dealing with it. Here's things to consider: If the fish is eating, it's still healthy enough to eat. That it's only feeding once a day says that that feeding is enough for the fish since it's not moving around much to expend so much energy that needs replacing. Bloat will not cause lethargy but will cause an expanded abdomen. If the fish doesn't have an expanded abdomen, it's not bloat. Because the fish has tumors that there is no treatment for past surgery, it's end is inevitable and the fish is not going to live a long healthy life.

Since you can't post a pic of the fish in it's current condition, it's hard to suggest euthanasia since what you call lethargy could be the fish's natural habits. If you could post a pic and a 1 minute video of the fish, we can better advise.

 

[Lila]

hii I just got home. He was swimming around when i got back and seems more active in the afternoon, but after his little burst of excitement he returned to the botton of the tank.

I get what you mean about his "normal relaxed behaviors" and how bettas might normally be more calm, but as someone who's had him for a year and a half or so- something definitely is wrong. I have another betta who is a halfmoon and you can clearly see that he just prefers swimming around less, but he still explores once and a while. Benny, this betta, used to swim ALL. DAY. it got so distracting sometimes because he is right above my desk, but now I miss it. Still, I know people just have feelings when their pet is wrong, and this is a feeling. He isn't how he used to be and something is most likely wrong.

Here's the link to a video of him swimming when I got home. Literally right after I stopped recording he went under a leaf. As I'm typing this he is up swimming again but it seems like he had to constantly take breaks - like he gets very exhausted from swimming a few inches.

please ignore the reflection lol

The photo with a red drawing was yesterday (same with the screenshot from my camera roll) when I saw what looked like dropsy, because I hadn't fed him that morning at he looked severely bloated. Now it doesn't look like that, so idk.

 

[Andy Sager]

No, this is not bloat. What you saw may have been the remnants of the last feeding that hadn't been digested yet.
I'm not discounting your feelings that something is wrong because there is, the fish has tumors growing out of it and they may be pressing on a nerve or infiltrated a muscle to the point that it's strenuous for the fish to swim about. The issue is that there is nothing more you can do for the fish. If it was my fish, seeing the way it was swimming apparently with little obvious struggle and it is still feeding, I would not consider euthanasia at this point. If it were struggling more or stopped feeding entirely, then I would.
Hope this helps.