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Please help me.

I have a male betta spleda in a 3 gallon tank that I do 100% water changes on every 6 days. I use salt and dechlorinator. I've had him for 2 and a half years. I haven't tested the parameters but since he is changed so regularly I see no need to. I feed him Hikari Betta BioGold.

I've just returned from six week overseas and my mum was looking after all my fish. When I got them back I noticed a some had mild fin rot and there were like cotton tufts at the bottom of the tank. I treated all the fish with a malachite green med and melafix. Everyone seemed cured but then I noticed that Andersen's tummy was swollen. He was swimming fine. I first thought it was just the food but then the next day he was still really swollen and starting to just lay on the bottom of the tank. I starved all of them for a day and a half and then fed them all shelled peas. But he wouldn't eat them. Yesterday I scooped some water out so he didn't have so far to get air. There were not sign of him pooing on the bottom of the tank.

Today he is lying on his side on the bottom of the tank. His fins are all pale and very thin. I put him in a 10 minute Epsom salt bath (2 teaspoons to 1 gallon) and then changed his water and put him back in his tank with only 1 gallon in the tank. I didn't use salt this time as I know it makes them retain water and could reverse the good of the epsom salts.

But he is still lying on his side on the bottom of the tank and I'm really worried about him. I've had him for so long and I don't want to see him sick. He hasn't pooed out anything and his little tummy is still swollen.

I really thought it was constipation because of the way his tummy is swollen and the fact that he hadn't pooed but now I'm thinking maybe dropsy or some other bacterial infection inside him. I have antibiotics I kept from when I had teeth out that I could give in a very small dose if needed. But I really thought it was constipation.

Would putting 1/8 teaspoon of epsom salts in a gallon of water and leaving him in it for 6 days help any? Or are the epsom salt 10 min baths the best bet? I really wanted to avoid the epsom salts but he just won't eat anything let alone peas.

Please help me!

if the scales are poking out like a pinecone it sounds like dropsy.. from what i hear if its that its pretty rough to salvage.. maybe someone can offer you some better advice, but to me, it sounds like hes on his last leg.

*Chelle*
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I love the fishes cuz they're SOOO delicious...

even though I'm not as advanced with betas as some people are, I would take him to your LOCAL pet store with a water sample and see what they can do. I did this with my beta when he had the same symptoms, and they said he had drospy. Now I'm not saying yours has dropsy, not at all, but I would definatly take him to the local pet store, because mine has an excellent fishy professional that literally diagnosed Rit right when he came in. I would look online for beta diseases and match the symptoms with the diseases. Heres a good website that I found useful:

http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm

Unluckily, Rit died that night. It was very sad, but it was a good thing that he didn't have a prolonged and painful life of 5-15 more days. Beautifulvieltail, though - copper/clue/white/red mix. Best beta ever

He died.

Milkyboy