Sick betta, loss of color

[Carraig]

Hi, everyone. I'm looking for advice for my crowntail male who appears to be sick. It looks very much as if I'll lose him, but I'd like to know why, as I'll probably go rescue another one from Wal Mart's clutches if he dies.

He has been off his food for the last two weeks and noticably thinner. His color began fading last weekend as well. While still active occasionally, he spends most of the time laying on the bottom or in the plastic plants. Just now I had to turn his bowl over and over before he would even move, and he has ceased to flare for his mirror.

Forrest Gump has only ever eated frozen shrimp. I know that is not ideal, but he would not touch betta pellets or any other kind of food. I have tried new foods again since this started, but with no luck.

His water is changed out 3/4 once a week and the "bowl" which is actually a one gallon tank, is cleaned along with the gravel, etc. When filled I add a smidge of salt, some Stress Coat, and some Betta conditioner. This week I have added a bit of Melafix because that is all I had on hand. He had slime coat after I first got him. In between complete cleanings, his water is changed out by half.

I've had him for a year, with no idea how old he was at purchase. Knowing breeders and stores don't keep them long, I figure he's not really that old. There is no velvet on him, no ich, no lifted scales, nothing physical to see. The Ph of the water is as it has always been.

I live in the country, 23 miles from the nearest town which does not have a pet store. They have a Wal mart which is where he came from, so all I could get would be what they carry. I'm afraid anything I could send for would be too late for him.

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? Is it old age already? Some internal issue that can't be fixed? I feel sorry for the poor thing. I'm a writer and despite the fact that I have cats and dogs, he's my desk buddy.

[psychobunny13]

By he's been off his food for 2 weeks, do you mean he hasn't been eating, or you've been starving him? Sorry but I had to ask. It could be old age. Most bettas live only 2.5 years, and Wal-Mart's bettas are usually a bit old when they're bought. But I have heard of bettas living up to 7 years, but that's very rare. I think you should upgrade him to a 2.5 g tank, so he has more room and do excite him. Try feeding him some freeze-dried bloodowrms or brine shrimp.

[Carraig]

I would hardly be asking for help, if I were starving him.

He has only ever eaten frozen brine shrimp. I could not get him to eat anything else in the way of frozen or dry foods. He even refuses the frozen mix for the community tank.

I do have a 2.5 gallon tank, but like this one because I can keep him on my desk next to the monitor. He's very entertaining. Much more so than some of my business clients.

I have tried tempting him with other foods, but if he eats at all, it is after the food has been down for a while,and he always loved to attack it as soon as it went in the bowl.

He has no visible signs of injury or illness, but for lack of anything else to do I have been changing his water and treating it with stress coat and melafix in the hopes that it kick starts something to help him fight whatever is wrong. I honestly did not think he would be alive today from the way he looked last weekend.

I didn't realize that Wal Mart got in older fish. It could just be that something is wrong internally, and the best I can do is keep him clean and try to feed him.

[admin]

Hello Carraig,
sorry to hear about your betta and welcome to the forums.

Bettas lose some of their colour with age but if he is younger and losing colour thats not good. Try to feed him different pellets as he needs a balance in his diet.

Also is he loosing colour in a particular place?

[Carraig]

I have tried feeding him the betta pellets, dried worms from a pressed cube, granule type food and his regular frozen shrimp. Last night I saw him eat a piece or two of shrimp in his tank, but he eats very little. His whole body is fading color, and his fins are no longer the deep blue and red that they were. There is more green to them now. He rests a lot on the bottom or his plants, but when he wants to move, he swims normally, does not gasp or lurch, and has no outward signs of illness like velvet or ich. He doesn't hang out at the top, and appears to be able to swim up and down when he wants which is not often.

I am changing 3/4 of his water and washing the tank every four days, and in between I change out half the water. When I change it, I add a little salt, Stress Coat, betta conditioner, and Melafix, which is all I have in the way of meds. I can't say that any of this has helped him, but on the other hand, he has been like this for a week or more and doesn't seem to have declined any more, he's just coasting along.

I forgot to mention that I have had him just a year. I would not have thought he was that old when I got him, but I can't think of what else it might be except old age, or an internal problem.

[just ducky]

First, DO NOT use Melafix, it is not good for Bettas. It coats the labyrinth organ and makes it hard for them to breath, it can also melt the fins. You should be changing his water 100% at least 2 times a week, cleaning everything in his tank, ornaments, plants, etc. When you leave some of the old water in his tank, you're leaving some bacteria in it also. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to each gallon, it may help him breath a little easier after the Melafix. I don't know what is wrong with your little guy, but this may make him feel better. If you have Indian Almond Leaves, or the extract, also add that. Hope he picks up soon.

[Carraig]

I disagree with you on the water change, ducky. I raised tropical fish likely before you were born. The idea of not changing out all the water, is so that you don't totally destroy the "chemical" balance of an aquarium. Yes, there would still be bacteria, but if it is in his system or on his skin, he will reinfect the new water anyway.

He has lived very well on the regimen we used for the last year. I already use salt in his water, as well. Today I have added some amoxicillin, which is effective against a variety of gram negative and gram positive bacteria.

If Melafix were going to melt his fins, why would it be one of the preferred treatments for slime coat? This is what I used when he got that shortly after I acquired him. I think overuse of anything causes problems, but I am very careful about what and how much he receives.

[Carraig]

Well, Forrest continues to sort of limp along. I can't say that he's any better, but he's no worse, either. I would think if he had an illness or some kind of organ failure, that he would have deteriorated by now. It was 11 days ago that I really noticed the loss of color, but he was off his feed before that.

He continues to eat very little and his fins while not clamped or sticking together, are somewhat limp unless he is swimming. He spends a lot of time on the bottom, sleping perhaps. I am still treating his tank with all the stuff I mentioned before. I don't know if that is a help or not.

I haven't had a betta for many, many years. Would this be typical behavior for old age?

[yoh4n]

try mixing the dreid blood worms with anothr food like flakes he might eat that

[Carraig]

Thanks Yo, I may try that next time. Forest died on Friday. The last couple of days he mostly laid on the bottom of his little tank. Given the amount of time that it took him to decline and die, which was about six weeks, I can only guess that it really way old age. I can't see anything else taking that long. And the decline was very slow.

I will likely go and rescue some poor thing from Wal Mart this week. I enjoyed having him on my desk because I spend so much time working here.