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I have a red crown tail betta. For the past couple of days i have noticed that he has lost a great deal of color. He stays at the bottom of his tank kind of on his side and only comes up for air. Also his fins have begun to turn brownish between the rays and his tail is noticably shorter. Many of his rays have all but disappeared. He almost looks like a ragged veil tail now. I assumed that it was fin rot but am confused by the fact that his stomach is extremely bloated. However, his scales aren't sticking out. He never was an extremely active fish but he has gotten increasingly lethargic over the past week. If anyone has anything that could help please let me know. What kind of medicine do i need to use? etc.

Last edited by jefferysgirl at 27-Jan-2005 17:18

Hey girl - Its possible that he is stopped up. Do you see poop anyplace?

Tell us more about his environment. Is he in a bowl, a tank, a cup? How much water is he in and how often do you change it?

How old is he? Have you tried to treat the fin problem with anything?

I must say that it is possible he is in the process of dying too. In any event, it is best to keep him in as clean of water as possible and to keep the level low so he doesn't have to struggle up for air. Answer the questions above and we'll see what we can do to help.

He is in a vase about 1 gallon bowl. He doesnot poop as much as my other fish and he is only about a year or less old. I change the water atleast twice a week.

How does he swim when he goes up for air??
Like Cory_Di said he may be stoped up, if he is eating try a half of a pea.
Hope your betta gets better

He has gained a lot of his color back. i think he is stopped up. he has pooped a little but still not as much as my other fish.

Firstly, don't feed him for 24 hours. Then, get some frozen peas and take just one of them, thaw it and squeeze the round outer shell out. Break one of the two pea halves into betta-bite sized pieces and feed him 2-3 of these. Then wait and see if he poops. Repeat the next day.

Now, if you want to help things along a little more, you can add a little Magnesium Sulfate to the water (Epsom Salts) predissolved. The dosage is 1/4 tsp per 10 gallons, but you are working with a bowl. Measure out 1/8 tsp (you can just approximate half of the 1/4 tsp). Divide that on a flat surface into 5. This will give you the dosage for one gallon.

The magnesium sulfate will draw water into the intestine and help flush the fish. You can do this with a water change, but do watch the fish. I would do it on a day when you can be home. It may take a day or two to produce the movement. I would change his water when you do see a poop.

Also, metabolism plays a role. Fish metabolism is temperature dependent. So, if he is in an unheated container that is say, 70F, you would speed up his metabolism if you could get him into a room that is warmer - like 73-75. However, don't do anything that would cause the water temp to go up that many degrees in one day as it could cause temp shock. Even placing him under a lamp could heat the water, but watch that it doesn't go up to much too fast.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 27-Jan-2005 20:06

Hi everybody. He is doing fine.No more bloated betta, the pea thing worked. I am still worried about his tail though. It is still getting shorter even though I have tried everything i can think of. i hope his tail will grow back!! he also had ick but i caught it quick and he has recovered with treatment.

If any of his fins are disintegrating that is a problem. I would not mess around with it. One thing you can try is Jungle Fungus Eliminator. I can't remember the dosing for small tanks, but if you get some and post the dosing instructions it will jar my memory.

Extra clean water is essential, meaning to decrease the interval between water changes until it is under control. Make sure you don't expose him to more than a 1-1.5F temp change in the process.

Alternatives to fungus eliminator would be Maracyn (erythromycin/e-mycin), Fungus Clear Tank Buddies, Tetracycline, Sulfa. All of these would need to be cut down to size. I just keep cutting the tablet in half, and cut that in half until I get down to the approximate dosing. I often predissolve in a cup for an hour or so (keep stirring), then add it to the tank. Otherwise it just stagnates. If it is a filtered tank, you can add it directly to the tank.

Always monitor for ammonia and nitrite daily if medicating a filtered tank.

If you use anything but Fungus Eliminator, add 1tsp of salt per gallon too. Fungus eliminator already has this in it. Predissolve it first and slowly dribble in some of the solution throughout the day to gradually increase salinity.

As added assurance, you can feed the betta Jungles new Anti-Bacteria Medicated Food, crushed to betta bite sized pieces (ok, per Jungle). It is best to find at Petsmart.

If he is in a planted tank, then your best bet may be Maracyn. This would not affect the plants.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 30-Jan-2005 10:50

He is doing very well now. He built his first bubble nest in over 6 months. and he is actually flaring at other fish. he acts like he wants to eat my tadpoles somwtimes. He's back to his old self. thank you for all the tips.
Mary

Sounds great - thanks for the update. How are the fins? Did you have to medicate?

I decided that he had the beginnings of ick and decided to treat that first. I guess that the QuICK cure killed what ever was eating his tail because it appears to have stopped deteriorating and is even growing back!! He was such a beautiful crowntail. I hope it will eventually look close to that again. He looks like a veil with a really short tail now. He's still my favorite though

Last edited by jefferysgirl at 09-Feb-2005 10:45

It will come back, but it grows back very slowly. There may even be some unevenness, but that will grow out.

just as long as he is still alive and healthy. I don't care if his tail looks horrible. just as long as it isn't falling out anymore!!!

Well his tail has stopped growing back. You know those old ratty lace curtains that you see in fun houses. well that is what his tail reminds me of. But i still like him best out of my boys. My little red and yellow female is my favorite though