is my betta fish dying!?

Hi Jessie -

I googled betta bloated and got back the answer I was so hoping I wouldn't. Dropsy.

The last thing he needs right now is food of any kind, regardless of whats wrong, he's trying to tell you that.

If they are too cold their fins will clamp, colorloss and they will sink to the bottom. But you say there's no color loss. You say he's breathing normal. No pumping gills or reddened?

I have only seen Betta's sink to the bottom from cold when it's under 72 degrees. Is your house 72 or lower?

The bloating has me most concerned. Esp. when he hasn't been eating. With dropsy they won't eat and they bloat. If you can get a view of him up top of his body, and please google betta dropsy you will find pictures showing you what it looks like.

The beginning stages of dropsy won't show the 'pinecone' look yet.

I've only ever successfully treated dropsy once. The general concensus is its fatal.

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Jessie - if your Betta is still with you, you can try these things. I got my female Betta thru dropsy doing this - if it is in fact what your Betta has. Regardless, this treatment won't harm him.

You say you don't have a heater for him so you have to turn up your house heater. Get his water warmer.

You need to buy some Epson salt. Not aquarium salt or any other kind. Only Epson salt.

Treat a gallon of water w/ your usual water conditioner plus 1 TABLESPOON of Epson salt.

You need a seperate bowl other than his bowl. Mix the gallon really well. Make sure the salt is all dissolved. Try to match the temp in gal. jug as close to temp in his bowl.

Pour about a quart of the salt water in to extra bowl. As gently as you can lift him out of his bowl and in to salt solution. Set the timer for exactly 15 minutes. Let him lay in solution. IF AT ANY TIME whiles he's in salt solution he acts distressed take him out. Dilute the saltwater by a fourth and try again. Give him this salt bath twice a day. Do a 20% water change in his bowl. no saltwater in there. Lower the depth of his water appropriately. If he has dropsy he may not beable to swim to the surface to breath. Tomorrow if he's still with us continue salt baths twice a day. The salt bath is to draw out the fluids building up in him.

If or when he looks like he's recovering boil one pea, blanch it, that is take the skin off, cut a very tiny bit and try to feed it to him. You can take a toothpick and swish the pea around near him, get his attention. If he eats it only 2 pieces of pea. If not take the pea out. Try again next day.

Food is not crucial at this point, getting that bloated down is.

Thru the day try to gently change out small portions of the water in his bowl.

10 days w/out a water change is too long but stressing him out with large water changes right now might be worse.

Keep your house heater up ...80 would be optimal, until he's recovered.

I hope I'm wrong about the dropsy - if all this typing was a waste of time I'm Glad!

Remember Walmart killed him, if thats how it ends, NOT YOU. Sounds like he was sick when you bought him.

You clearly care for your Betta's. You know what to do having them live 5 yrs.

My Best To You,

Hope if this ends unfortunate, you will consider another Betta,

Angie

Yeah, more info. is needed. Shine a flashlight on him. Do you see any of the following?:

1) Swollen gills

2) Clamped fins

3) Color Loss

4) Lethargy

5) Heavy/rapid breathing

1) Darting

2) Attempting to itch himself against decor or gravel

3) Loss of appetite

4) White dots like he was sprinkled with sugar

5) Gold flecks or a gold cast to his body (can only be seen under a flashlight)

1) bulging/cloudy eyes

2) white/grey cottony patches on his body

3) white strings hanging from his fins

4) swollen body bulges

5) swollen spots with a pimple-like head

6) inability or difficulty swimming up or down, swimming on side, tipping on side, anchoring himself to stay down on decor/plants

What size in your tank?

Is the tank cycled?

Are there any other tank inhabitants?

Do you use water conditioner?

Do you use a heater? What temp. is the water?

When did you last do a water change? How much water did you change?

Like someone above mentioned, what are the water parameters for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate?

How big is the tank? Are there any spots or discolorations on him? What's the temperature? Does it have a heater and filter?

EDIT:

Fish bowls will kill him. You need a five gallon fish tank with filter and heater. The water needs to be at LEAST 78 with 80 being much better. The water also needs to be filtered gently. If they're housed in bowls they're "lucky" to reach their second birthday. In a five gallon heated and filtered tank they can live 7-10 years. They get sluggish and sick like you're seeing when they aren't housed properly.

What size tank?

Was the tank cycled?

Do you have a filter and heater?

Sounds like a water parameter problem if you even know what one of those is ?

Need more info. What is the water temp? Was the water aged?

I have a betta fish and wal-mart is not the best place to get them from they don't take good care of them maybe you should google if he's dieing it is normal for a male to blow bubbles :D

If he lives and from you say about him kinda sitting sideways? Maybe try bloodworms. Most pet stores should have them. They break up in water so don't worry that there gum drop size. if he doesn't eat that he's probably already dead.