Seriously Ill Male Betta With Glued Up Fins!

[Sky Diamond]

We bought a male Betta a week ago Thursday, from Brisbane Australia, which is about 2000kms from me, he was shipped via the mail and took two days to get here. When we got him, he was a little stressed out, faded in colour but was swimming around happily. Over all he was fine, apart from the insides of his gills were and still are, really red - though his colouring is white around most of his body, with patches of black and baby blue, so I don't know if this is normal in all Bettas as I've never had a white one before.

His tank was setup the day we got him, as we had to buy one from the pet shop - I live out of town so it wasn't possible to get one the day I bought him. When I put him in the tank, I added API's Stress Coat+ and Stress Zyme+, as recommended by the lady I bought him off, who is a bit of an expert in Bettas.

The first night the water dipped down to 20 degrees Celsius and then the next day while the tank was 22 degrees Celsius I turned the heater up so it reached 24 degrees by the night.

Since then, we've noticed he's very slowly been getting less active. On about day two of seeing him going down hill, I placed Indian Amen Leaves in the tank, to make the water more acidic for him as I've been told that's what they like. That seemed to have helped a little. He was fighting with a mirror we place by his tank for about two minutes a day, up until yesterday, where he really couldn't have cared less, even though he was swimming around and eating.

Now today, I look at him and he's sitting at the bottom of the tank with fins all glued up and finding it hard to swim with them. I've been told before glued up fins are a sign of depression in fish, which I have seen in my other fish at times, but this is nothing like it. They are actually glued up into a thin line, just not appearing to be.

I tested the water just a few hours ago and everything is normal.

Nitrite -- 0
Ammonia -- 0
Nitrate -- 0
PH -- 6.6

I gave him a 50% water change and added Betta Fix to the water as well as 7mls of Stress Zyme - to replace what I took out - just trying to do something for him. He's in a tank that is 9 litres with an Indian Amen leaf - like our other two boys who are fine - and has a water plant and heater and now air just to help him along. He isn't breathing heavily, just slowly.

Can someone please help him and me? He's my aunt's fish whom I'm looking after until she goes back home. Thank you.

 

[OrangeCones]

What are you using to test the water's parameters?

The dip in temperature likely caused stress in the fish. As a tropical fish, 20degrees is very very low. My suggestion would be to keep the tank at 26-27degrees.

What sized tank is the fish in?

By the way, fish do not suffer from 'depression.' Clamped fins are a sign of physical illness.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Test tubes. It's showed up high levels in other tanks before. The tank is 9 litres and the water is currently 24.5C.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Should I turn the heater up more and if so, how much more?

 

[OrangeCones]

As above, 26-27 would be my recommendation.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Okay thanks. So could the stress have caused his fins to glue up like this?

 

[OrangeCones]

The fins are not 'glued.' The fish is holding them close to the body, clamping them to prevent movement. This is a symptom of disease, not a disease itself. The stress of low temperatures can very easily weaken the immune system of a fish and disease can take hold.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Ah okay, I understand thanks.

 

[OrangeCones]

His tank was setup the day we got him, as we had to buy one from the pet shop - I live out of town so it wasn't possible to get one the day I bought him.

He did or did not have a tank the day he arrived. This is confusing here.

If he was not in a tank the 1st day, where did you keep him during this time?

The first night the water dipped down to 20 degrees Celsius

How do you know that 20 was the low point?

He was fighting with a mirror we place by his tank for about two minutes a day, up until yesterday, where he really couldn't have cared less, even though he was swimming around and eating.

I would not recommend stressing him by trying to aggravate him to fighting a rival. There is a lot of controversy around the benefits/harm that this practice causes in a HEALTHY fish.

 

[Sky Diamond]

He did or did not have a tank the day he arrived. This is confusing here.

If he was not in a tank the 1st day, where did you keep him during this time?

We bought and setup the tank the day he came.

How do you know that 20 was the low point?

I have a digital thermometer in the tank. It tells you the exact temp.

I would not recommend stressing him by trying to aggravate him to fighting a rival. There is a lot of controversy around the benefits/harm that this practice causes in a HEALTHY fish.

We were told to use a mirror or another fish to exercise them for ten minutes a day, daily to keep their fins right and them healthy, though he's only ever had about five minutes if that. It's also a way I use to see how well they are.

He was originally imported from Thailand to Brisbane Australia, though was at the Aquarium for about three weeks or more, as his original online buyer didn't pay for him within the 48 they were supposed to. When he came, he and my other fish was perfectly fine and healthy.

 

[OrangeCones]

I understand that your thermometer can tell you the exact temperature, but how would you know it had dipped to only 20 overnight? When you saw it was 20, how do you not know it was 19 or less earlier? Thermometers for a fish aquarium will normally will tell you the CURRENT temperature, not the lowest temperature.

I still would not recommend aggravating him to 'fight' another fish in the mirror while he is under stress and showing signs of illness. I personally wouldn't do it to a healthy fish, but that's just my opinion.

Good luck with your fish.

 

[Thyra]

[/QUOT] We were told to use a mirror or another fish to exercise them for ten minutes a day, daily to keep their fins right and them healthy, though he's only ever had about five minutes if that. It's also a way I use to see how well they are. [/QUOTE]

This is completely unnecessary as the fish eventually "habituates" (gets so used to it) that they will ignore it completely. That's why a lot of breeders will put cards between the fish so they can pull them and have the fish "flare" for customers. I personally have mirrored backgrounds on two of my community tanks with bettas and have never had them flare or pay any attention. I did try it on a small tank (2 1/2g) and that betta flared immediately so I did not proceed with mounting it. People continue to call them "fighting fish" but they are actually defending a small territory and don't go looking for a fight. They are now bred for beauty, although I am sure in parts of Asia they still use them for gambling just like they do cocks.

 

[Sky Diamond]

I understand that your thermometer can tell you the exact temperature, but how would you know it had dipped to only 20 overnight? When you saw it was 20, how do you not know it was 19 or less earlier? Thermometers for a fish aquarium will normally will tell you the CURRENT temperature, not the lowest temperature.

I still would not recommend aggravating him to 'fight' another fish in the mirror while he is under stress and showing signs of illness. I personally wouldn't do it to a healthy fish, but that's just my opinion.

Good luck with your fish.

I'm up all night 'til the early hours of the morning. Well I've only seen it on a low of 20 and that was with the heater in there at the lowest setting of 20. I only left it as that for that long as it's a 25w heater for a 25 litre tank and this tank is only 9 litres.

This is completely unnecessary as the fish eventually "habituates" (gets so used to it) that they will ignore it completely. That's why a lot of breeders will put cards between the fish so they can pull them and have the fish "flare" for customers. I personally have mirrored backgrounds on two of my community tanks with bettas and have never had them flare or pay any attention. I did try it on a small tank (2 1/2g) and that betta flared immediately so I did not proceed with mounting it. People continue to call them "fighting fish" but they are actually defending a small territory and don't go looking for a fight. They are now bred for beauty, although I am sure in parts of Asia they still use them for gambling just like they do cocks.

Well that explains why one of our other males ignores the mirror and rathers my finger to fight with. . . This one that is sick is just a fancy pet but our other two are show fish we've just bought to be pets and maybe breed with later on down the track.

 

[Sky Diamond]

Well this afternoon I got onto the lady I bought him from just to be safe as I turned up the water and he seemed worse today and she said he has a bacteria infection. . . So now I'm to treat him with Tri-solfa until I can get stronger and better meds.

 

[OrangeCones]

Well this afternoon I got onto the lady I bought him from just to be safe as I turned up the water and he seemed worse today and she said he has a bacteria infection. . . So now I'm to treat him with Tri-solfa until I can get stronger and better meds.

What did the lady say caused this bacteria infection? How was it diagnosed?

 

[Sky Diamond]

Sadly he's passed away now.

No she didn't say what cause it, but I think maybe he had it before we bought him as he wasn't actually that lively in the video I saw him on, though he was lively enough for me not to think he was sick.

I rang her up and told her he was very dull, sitting at the bottom of the tank and had glued up fins and she said that's what it sounded like. He also wasn't eating and now my other fighter I bought on the same day is dull now too, not really swimming around as much as he was and fighting - which is very unusual for him and he was very lively in the video and even the day got him. :/

 

[OrangeCones]

No she didn't say what cause it, but I think maybe he had it before we bought him as he wasn't actually that lively in the video I saw him on, though he was lively enough for me not to think he was sick.

The stress of the ultralow temperatures in an uncycled tank was likely too much stress for him.

What are the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the other betts's tank?

 

[Sky Diamond]

The one that just died didn't have a cycled tank, no, but my other fighting fish that looks sick now had his tank cycled for three days, which we were told was good enough for a small tank.

I tested the water a few hours ago and gave him a 85% water change.

Ammonia was 0.25 -- so that might not be helping.
Nitrite was 0
Nitrate was 0
PH 7.2 or 7.6 it was hard to tell with the blue. He's used to acidic water where he comes from so that might not be helping either.

 

[Thyra]

If you do not have any nitrate your tank is not cycled. How do you normally cycle your tanks? Also if you think there is a big difference in the pH you can use the "drip method" of acclimating a fish to a new tank as OC does.

 

[Thyra]

Also just exactly what do you mean by the statement "his tank cycled for three days, which we were told was good enough for a small tank."?? I do not understand that concept.