Girlfriend's Pug (Beta) Sick! Need Advice!

[theSaj]

hey all,

My g/f's "Pug" (siamese beta) is sick. A few days after we got him he seemed to stop eating. She says he's losing his color.

Any advice? Is this an illness? Is it too warm? Etc. I don't know much about betas.

(and please no "get a real fish" bs, this is her first fish and she really liked this guy cause it was the only one that would look at her, and she really doesn't want Pug to die.)

Any advice, please email me jason@porthaven.com

Thank you!!!

 

[Leopardess]

First off, I don't think any one at this site would tell you to get a real fish - bettas are real fish! At least to us

So, if you could tell us a little more about the setup up he is in, tank size, temperature, if you added dechlorinator to the water, any tankmates, what you feed it, just about everything you can think of, that would really help us tell you what may be wrong.

After knowing this info, we should be able to help you



edit: ahhh, when I posted this, it posted like eight times! I had to delete them all...stupid thing


By the way, you may want to check out the forum a little further down on the home page that is all about bettas and gouramis...

I also sent you an email, because I wasn't able to post for some reason...

 

[FroggyFox]

Leopardess was on top of this one Give us some more specifics and hopefully we'll be able to help out. Losing color can sometimes mean that the fish is stressed out, and there are a ton of different factors that can lead to them getting stressed out.

Of course bettas are real fish

 

[lizwinz]

hey...whoever said bettas arent real fish...imo they are they best fish overall for ease of care, color and personality...they are also the best beginners fish imo

anyway...like the others said we need alot more details otherwise we wouldn't know where to begin...fading color/not eating can mean anything unless we know more

ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte and ph readings would help along with the info froggy and leopardess asked for

also in the meantime, try getting to him eat something different...some betttas can be picky, get some frozen brineshrimp or bloodworms (pretty yummy treats that are hard to turn down)...even if there is something else wrong with him getting him to eat can only help

--liz

 

[theSaj]

more info

Hi all,

Much appreciative of the help...I tried to post further details but browser crashed *argh*

Bowl is a vase, about 4 times his old residence. Feed are small "beta pellets". Water was spring water.

Leopardess mentioned there still could be chlorine and such in the spring water. (I have a couple aquariums but never dealt with the whole fish bowl setup.) Anyways, I have some dechlorinator and stress coat, as well as some aquarium salts and frozen blood worms. I'll give her some of that stuff and see if that helps.

When changing the water in a fish bowl (unfiltered) how often should you change it? And how much? I mean since there is no filter does it really cycle? Do you need to leave some water cycled water in it? Etc.

My one thought was that the temperature might be too warm for him....???

Anyways, my g/f is going thru some crud at this time and she really kinda got attached to this little guy. As for his condition, this is basically how she described it in her livejournal....

"Pug is dying. I don't want him to die. Why won't he eat his food? He just sits there and stares at me. He is going to die. Just as I feel like I have died. I'm losing colour. Just like he is. Losing hope. Losing life. I can't breathe. "

 

[FroggyFox]

Aww Sounds a MITE melodramatic...but thats what lj is for right?

You keep saying the temp might be too warm...but what IS the temperature of the water? We had a discussion here about the right temp for a betta and I believe the consensus was that high 70's was good for them. If its above 80 you might try to do a water change with some cooler water (NOT TOO much difference). Definitely make sure the vase is out of direct sunlight.

In a tiny bowl I think the best way to do water changes would be about 50% every day or every other day...but whatever you do make it consistant because changing everything randomly probably isn't going to help Pug much. Even though there's no filter, I would think that any decorations or gravel would still house bacteria. How long has she had him?

 

[lizwinz]

well the first thing i'd do is stop using spring water, its really not good for fish, it lacks alot of minerals...regular old declorinated tap water is best imo

like froggy said everyother/everyday water changes sound good...but what would be better is to get him a tank with a filter a 2.5gal or 5gal minibow would be nice...that way youd know you have the bio-filtration you need...that is if she would be willing to get a tank

some people do fine with bowls/vases for bettas getting a larger tank is just strictly my opinion

what temp is the water?

can you test the water for ammonia,nitrite, and nitrate?

also does this vase have a plant in the top that prevents him from breathing from the surface? bettas DO need to breath from the surface

also if hes going to stay in the vase maybe a couple floating plants would help with water quality and oxygen....anachris isnt very picky about light or temp and it would help keep the water clean along with all the water changes

--liz

 

[Timster]

Are the betas fins white at the tips?

 

[Leopardess]

haa, i sent him an email about most of those things, but I haven't gotten a definite response on anything...

as the aforementioned stated:

do you know the exact temp?

and, as I forgot to ask, the betta can still get a lot of fresh oxygen, right? they breath atmospheric air, rather than absorb oxygen from under the water.

 

[theSaj]

Pug Unplugged...

Well, I responded to Leopardess that I'd try the given suggestions. I tried posting on the forums several times but each time it crashed IE and forced me to reboot the computer.

Anyways, I appreciate all the advice given. I was planning on dechlorinating the water and adding some stress coat, aquarium salt and melafix. (All of which I in fact have.) But this morning such became rather pointless....

Extract from g/f's Livejournal:
"Why????
I came home this morning from work to find that my precious little Pug died. I buried him outside next to pretty flowers. I hope he is happier in betta fishy heaven. I wish I knew what went wrong.
I don't think I'm meant to have a pet. "

If we decide to adopt a replacement Beta I will be sure to try those things out. He did have the ability to get air. So I am leaning toward:
a) Temperature being too warm...
b) Something in the spring water having been toxic to Pug.

 

[lizwinz]

what was the temp in the tank? was it over 80?

too bad he didnt make it...i hope she dosent give up on fish because of this...might be that she just got a weak/sickly one from the store

--liz