Help with betta fish!

[Piebald]

Originally Posted by Enh98

Thanks for the encouragement but I'm really just hoping he dies soon, lol.
I'm in over my head with fish medical intervention!

And yet you are still doing all you can

Originally Posted by Enh98

What started out as an "easy" pet for my son has easily turned into the most difficult to maintain, lol!

You are trying to create and maintain a different atmosphere. Think of it like keeping a pet Martian or Jupiterian.

[BrainGirl]

Originally Posted by Piebald

You are trying to create and maintain a different atmosphere. Think of it like keeping a pet Martian or Jupiterian.

That is a brilliant analogy! It is indeed trying to recreate an atmosphere unlike our own. We are able to know something about our ham's environment because we live in it, but we can only measure what we can of our fish's and try to keep it as similar to what they're used to as possible and hope that's enough.

[Enh98]

Shockingly, Fishy seems to be on an upswing! He's in his second "hospital tank" (a mixing bowl, lol) and is staying a bit more upright. He doesn't seem to be struggling to breathe as badly as he was and he's a bit more active. I think he definitely has swim bladder disease so we're treating with Epsom salt baths. I just saw him swimming near the surface of his bowl - yay! I'm going to get a betta bowl heater to keep his quarantine tank warm. His old tank is set up and ready to begin the cycling process but I'm having trouble finding 100% ammonia. I was hoping to do a fishless cycle while he was in his separate tank....

[BrainGirl]

Great news! For the ammonia you might try a hardware store. I've even seen it at dollar stores

[Piebald]

Fingers crossed for fishy!

[racinghamster]

He`s fighting it so you must be doing something right. Really hope it works. x

[katmick]

Wow!Just read the whole thread and rooting for u and ur Betta!
I am working in the petstore,but I am an expert on all other animals and I am still learning about fish.
You are inspiring me to learn a lot more about them! Thank u and good luck! x

[Enh98]

Originally Posted by katmick

Wow!Just read the whole thread and rooting for u and ur Betta!
I am working in the petstore,but I am an expert on all other animals and I am still learning about fish.
You are inspiring me to learn a lot more about them! Thank u and good luck! x

There is so much to learn! I've been trying to do some research and I feel like I've only scratched the surface. This forum has been so helpful, even more so
than some of the betta forums I've been stalking!

[Enh98]

Update on Fishy: he's perked up quite a bit although still having difficulty swimming. He's in a Rubbermaid storage bin which is long and shallow and he's been hanging out at the surface rather than laying on the bottom of the tank. I'm wondering if the tank was too deep and he didn't have the strength to swim up for oxygen which caused him to lay and gulp. He doesn't swim much unless we tap the bin. He'll dart around for a second or two but has trouble maneuvering. He sorta tilts sideways. I tried feeding him a cooked, shelled
pea which is supposed to help with bloating and constipation. He refused it. He also doesn't eat any of his pellets. I think we'll make some sort of permanent home for him in a more shallow bowl or tank so he can at least breathe better. I'm not sure he'll ever recover completely. Thanks for all the help and well wishes for this stinkin' fish! Lol

[Wanna Hamster]

I think I know what might help. The pea shells would actually make it worse, so it's good he didn't eat them. You should unshell the peas then cut it into teensy little pieces and he should be able to digest them easily and get his system flowing again. If he truly has swim bladder problems, I'm afraid there is nothing you can do. Depending on the severity of the swim bladder problem he may be alright. Try hand feeding if he doesn't eat the pellets of the surface. With the floating at the top of the tank (bin) I don't think there is a huge problem. I wouldn't change tanks again as that could stress him out even more. Try adding a whole bunch of plants and decorations. Also, I think a picture of your tank set up would help. Hope this helps.