Tropical Fish Forums

nenapod2 · New Members Joined: 09 Jul 2006

I have no idea what's wrong. I've had this betta for 7 months in a 30 gallon brackish tank. There are several other fish that have no problems in the same tank. I came home today to find my Betta, doing his usual thing (staying near the top, waiting for his food) but with big yellow/white puffy gills. He doesn't seem hurt or irritated, and he's definitely not doing this on his own (like as a display). Can anyone help me?

cito · Members Joined: 14 Aug 2006

Umm, why do you have a freshwater fish in a brackish setup?
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nenapod2 · New Members Joined: 09 Jul 2006

Ooops, duh, not brackish.... I do use freshwater salt, but the setup for this fish has been the same for like 4 months. Does anyone know what he could have?

cito · Members Joined: 14 Aug 2006

Do you think you could get a picture for us? He could have inflamed gills... I'll pull it up in a sec.
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cito · Members Joined: 14 Aug 2006

http://bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm

Here, scroll down to where it says "Inflamed Gills" and see if he matches the description.
Also, what are your water paramaters? (temp, ammmonia, nitrite, nitrate, tankmates, etc.)
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nenapod2 · New Members Joined: 09 Jul 2006

Here's a few pics:

See on his chest? The big yellow sac.... I hope he's not too bad.

Shai · Regulars Joined: 09 Jul 2006 Location: Calgary, AB

Not his gills. It looks more like he swallowed a marble, which indicates he's constipated and/or developing dropsy. (Look down at his body from above; are his scales sticking out like a pinecone?)

Don't feed him for two days. On the third day, get a pea (raw but not frozen, or put it in the microwave for 15 seconds), remove the husk of the pea and feed him the inside (mush it up and/or use tweezers to feed it, it probably won't float). You probably won't be able to feed the whole pea, maybe only half or a quarter.

The pea is a gentle laxative and will help the betta get his digestive tract in working order again.

After feeding the pea, wait another day without feeding and try again with the pea. Observe closely to see if he's pooing or not. You'll have to judge how long to keep trying with the pea based on whether or not the swelling in his stomach is going down.

Also, do extra water changes to keep the water quality high.

If the betta recovers, think about feeding less than you have been. Bettas are kind of like dogs in respect to food: they'll gorge themselves to death if they get the opportunity (even stealing food from other fish), which leads to problems like this. Feed peas on a regular basis (once or twice a month, perhaps) to help keep him in shape.

Good luck, keep posting back with updates.
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nenapod2 · New Members Joined: 09 Jul 2006

Uh-oh.... I described it to the people at the LPS and they told me bacterial/fungal. I already put in this stuff.... but, it can't hurt the fish, right?

EDIT:I was watching him- he has a small string, thinner and smaller than usual, but he's got something. Does this just mean he can't go enough, or it is dropsy?

tylermb20 · New Members Joined: 08 Dec 2006

unissuh

I highly doubt it's fungal. Don't see many internal fungal diseases, they're pretty much all external as far as I know/in my experience.

Do his scales stick out like a pinecone (honestly, I can't tell from those pictures)? That is an indicator of an internal infection (dropsy) - in my opinion you will need to start treating with antibiotics to save him or you might as well put him down now.

If his scales are not sticking out, treat it like a constipation issue - bettas are very prone to getting constipation. Do not feed anything else except the inside of boiled peas (peel off skin) until it clears, adding fuel to the fire is the worst thing you could do.

Basically everything that Shai said.
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