Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => Fish Health => Topic started by: Fiddlefish on July 21, 2014, 07:26:56 AM
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Hello!
Over the last couple months, I have noticed my betta becoming slightly paler, and less active. This month he got finrot. I've been treating that with daily w/c, Stressgaurd, and AQ salt (I stopped aq salt a few days ago but may start treatment again.) But, it has not improved. He seems like he has bad aim when trying to eat his food, and he seems rather skinny. It looks like he's aging, but I've only had him a year and a half. Does it sound like old age, :isay: or something else?
I can show pictures if needed. :wave:
Thank you! :fishy1:
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Hello!
Over the last couple months, I have noticed my betta becoming slightly paler, and less active. This month he got finrot. I've been treating that with daily w/c, Stressgaurd, and AQ salt (I stopped aq salt a few days ago but may start treatment again.) But, it has not improved. He seems like he has bad aim when trying to eat his food, and he seems rather skinny. It looks like he's aging, but I've only had him a year and a half. Does it sound like old age, :isay: or something else?
I can show pictures if needed. :wave:
Thank you! :fishy1:
Hmmm! Let's see. Pale and lethargic - Check. Finrot - Check (Dicky leg). Bad aim at mealtimes - check. Rather skinny - Well... no. Apart from loss of hair and teeth it sounds like you've been reading my medical files. ;)
Sue's the Betta expert and will undoubtedly give you a more serious and considered answer, but I have read that Bettas can only be expected to live for a maximum of about 2 years in an aquarium. So it looks like you've done pretty well by yours.
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It does sound like old age. Bettas can be anything up a year old when you buy them, and certainly over 6 months as that's how long it takes for their finnage to grow enough to be saleable. That means your betta is somewhere between 2 and 21/2. This is a good age for a betta. I've had my current one for 14 months (actually almost 15 months) and he is beginning to slow down.
Daily water changes, as you have been doing, is the first thing to try for finrot. If you want to try something more aggressive, look at eSHa 2000.
Can I ask, is the betta a dragonscale, that is one with thick metallic scaling? These type does have a tendancy to go blind as the scaling grows over their eyes. My last but one betta was a dragonscale and I had to be very careful where I put his food for him to find it.
Other than this, I can only suggest making his last days comfortable. Feed him his favourite food, and when you do a water change make sure the decor is in exactly the same place afterwards so his surroundings are familiar.
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Thanks for replying!! I'm quite convinced it's old age. No, he's not a dragonscale, he's a veiltail. :fishy1: What is eSHa 2000 ? Thanks again for the advice.
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eSHa 2000 is a medication. This one (http://www.eshalabs.eu/europe/products/esha-2000supregsup.html).
Veiltail bettas can also be dragonscale. I had just wondered if yours was one because they are prone to going blind and have problems finding food.
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Thank you so much!! ;D