Newbie - and scared...

[SleepyHead]

I dunno if I'm panicking unnecessarily or what, but here's what's up:

How long have you had your fish?
I bought Zeus last Sunday.


Have you made any changes recently – tank size, food, water source, conditioners, etc?
As far as Zeus is concerned, probably everything is different. He came home in a small plastic lidded bowl, and now lives in a 10-gallon tank. The tap water I used to fill the tank has been treated with both AquaSafe and EasyBalance. The tank was set up, the filter started, and the whole thing allowed to stew for 24 hours before introducing Zeus to his new home.


Does he (or she) have any tank mates?
Nope, and hadn't really planned on it - that's why I wanted a betta to start with...


What size is the tank and is it filtered? Is it cycled? (A small tank that gets complete water changes won't be.)
10 gallon, filtered - what is cycled? I don't know how to answer that question...


How often do you change the water and what conditioners/water treatments do you use?
I've changed out about a gallon's worth of his water twice now - they told me at Critter Co. that in a 10 gallon tank, I shouldn't worry too much about the first two gallons, but on the third I should add a third of teaspoon of AquaSafe to a new gallon before changing it out or else using a gallon of drinking water.

Are you currently using any medication?
Yes - on Thursday, Zeus developed a slightly swollen belly right behind his gills. It got gradually worse yesterday, and this morning he was hanging about the bottom of his tank, not swimming around, not eating, and he's no longer flaring at himself in the ends of the tank. Nor does he respond appreciably when I tap on the aquarium... I was convinced Thursday that he was constipated, so I fasted him yesterday. With the swelling getting worse, I'm afraid I panicked and went straight out this morning to get him an aquarium heater and Maracyn2. After I got his temp raised to around 82, I dropped two tablets in.


What do you feed your fish, how much, and how often?
I am giving him 2 pellets of Aqua Culture Betta in the mornings, and a teeny twist of the cap's worth of BettaMin Tropical Medley in the evenings.


What is the water temperature? (All betta owners should know this and should have a thermometer to monitor it.)
Before I got the heater this morning, it was staying pretty steadily between 74 and 78. Now, I've gotten it up to 82...


What are the pH and ammonia levels? (Also nitrate and nitrite levels if it is a cycled tank.) Do you regularly monitor these levels? If you don't have test kits for these, many pet stores will do it for free. If you don't know them right now, it’s not too big a deal, but might be something worth looking into.
I looked at test kits today, but the prices were prohibitive - are they one-time only kits, or what?


Describe your fish’s symptoms and your concerns. How long have they been present and have the symptoms changed?
Zeus wasn't a real happy camper on Monday when he went into his aquarium from his cup - after a coupla hours he got sorta twitchy, and spent a lot of time going to the surface for air. He also refused to eat.

Tuesday afternoon, I added some aquarium plants I'd had the hubbit pick up at Critter Co the previous evening. Because he was still acting a bit charry, I went ahead and added 2T of aquarium salt as well.

Wednesday, he acted happy - swimming back and forth, circling the plants, and truly eating for the first time since he came home.

Thursday, he started getting a bulge behind his gills - I decided I was feeding him a bit much, and cut back from 3 pellets in the mornings to two, and made a quicker twist of the lid that evening, which made for less flakes.

Yesterday, he was even bigger behind the gills, so I decided I'd best fast him.

This morning, he was even bigger still, starting to look a bit dull-coloured, and seemed to be moping around the bottom of the tank. He wasn't flaring or responding to my taps on the sides of the aquarium. Scared stiff the poor thing had developed dropsy, I opened his lid and looked down, but I don't see any pine-coning, and he isn't swollen all over, just a marble-sized bulge behind the gills. In a panic, I read not one, but 7 different sites descriptions of different fishy diseases, and ruled out constipation - how does a fish become more constipated after 24 hours without food? On the offchance he's gotten some infection or the other, I betook myself to Critter Co. and bought Maracyn and Maracyn2, as well as a heater. I have the heater set at 82, and dropped in 2 tabs of M2 this morning, after removing the charcoal filter from the filter unit. I also replaced about a gallon of his water before putting in the meds.

I gave him his two pellets, but I didn't see him eat them - nor do I see them anywhere else. Also, he's not lurking around the bottom right now, rather he's huddling (it's the only term I can think of) around the top of his heater, with an occasional dash down and around, only to come right back. I don't know if he's staring at the new "toy" in his tank, or if he's getting off on the warmth right next to the heater...

Additionally, any other information that you think would be helpful for members.
I've never owned any fish before, and haven't even owned a pet since high school - and that was many, many moons ago. My main restraint was apartment living - not real conducive to pet-ownership around here. Now, we have bought a home, and we can't have dogs or cats, because of the kids' allergies - I've gotten way too attached to Zeus in this short period of time. If he croaks, I just don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to do the pet thing again.

Can anyone give me some pointers here?

[Incipit]

Cycling, in a nutshell, is the establishing of good, or bacteria and the extermination of bad, or bacteria. At first, your aquarium goes through an ammonia spike , it then developed into a nitrite spike , and then, finally it developes nitrates which dont harm your fish if they're kept in check. I think the cycle goes over about 40 days or so, and so maybe your fish are getting sick from the ammonia or nitrite spikes. You should read up on either fish cycles or fishless cycles (the latter being the preferable) to avoid these probs in the future. Not sure if this is the problem, but it's good stuff to know for next time.

Another prob might have been adding the heater. Was the fish in there when you did it? Quick changes in temp can harm the fish and even cause ick. Make sure in the future that your water temp is contant all the time.



Good luck mate

[SleepyHead]

Okay, I'll read up on it.

Update: I gave Zeus his M2 around 10:30 this morning - it's now 4:17 pm, and there have been a few minor changes. He's a bit more active, but only a bit. His colouring also appears improved. His bulge has developed a clearish area on the bottom - like a bag, only upside down, you can see light through the bottom third of his bulge. He is definitely NOT constipated (I haven't been this eager for poop-sighting since my girls were babies, LOL!)! Also, although he isn't apparently up to flaring, he did at least greet me at the aquarium wall a couple of times, and his fins aren't clamped so tightly now. He's also not "worshipping" the heater now...

[Incipit]

Yeah, if the fishy was huggin the heater there might have been something up with the temperature in the tank.

I dont know what the sickness is, but stress levels have big impacts on a fish's ability to contract disease.

[ACKislander]

Hi SleepyHead,
First of all, I want to commend you on your vary detailed account of your betta’s symptoms and your fish keeping regimen. All that information makes it much easier to find an answer to your problem. I apologize in advance if I get a little long winded, but there is much talk about. Your case is not at all uncommon with new Betta owners and can be fixed.

First, at 10 gal is a great big aquarium for a single Betta and he’s going to love it. I myself keep one betta in a 10 gal and they do great. It will make your life much easier if you cycle the tank (more on that in a minute) because it’ll mean you won’t have to perform 100% water changes. I’m afraid the fish store people may have given you some inaccurate information. (which with Betta’s is extremely common)

First, here’s some info on tank cycling:
It is ultimately up to you to choose which type of tank you want to keep. (cycled or uncycled) Each has different requirements that will affect your fish, your time and your checkbook.

Uncycled tank or bowl: Uncycled means the tank has not gone through the nitrogen cycle where beneficial bacteria are added to tank to naturally remove waste. Bettas, being relatively hardy fish, can be kept in uncycled tanks or bowls provided you are extremely vigilant and have the time to dedicate to keeping a tank in good order. Uncycled tanks require 100% water changes at least once a week or more depending on how quickly your Betta produces ammonia. (in your case it might be less then once a week because your tank is a good size) Ammonia is produced when fish are added to a tank. Their feces, urine, uneaten food, and decaying plant material create toxins that are extremely harmful to them. Initially, it is less expensive to keep an uncycled tank because it doesn’t require the use of a filter, gravel, or even a conventional tank. The cost over time, however, will be higher because you will have to frequently purchase ammonia and pH test kits as well as water conditioners to eliminate ammonia, chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. You will still need these products for a cycled tank, however you will use them far less often. (That goes back to the cost-prohibitive test kits you were looking at.)

100% water changes heighten the chances of stressing your betta due to changes in temperature or pH. When changing your betta’s water make sure the new water is within one degree Celsius or two degrees Fahrenheit of the old water temperature. The pH should also be checked with a test kit and be kept within .2 of the old water’s pH. All tap water must be treated with water conditioners. I’m not sure why the fish store told you not to treat the first two gallons, but this is not true and can be harmful to your betta. In an uncycled tank test the water will be necessary almost every day or every other day.

Cycled tank: A cycled tank means you have successfully completed the Nitrogen Cycle also called the Biological Cycle. As mentioned earlier, fish produce ammonia, which cannot be detected by the human eye. Even if your tank appears crystal clear, there can still be toxins present causing your fish stress unless your tank is cycled. The nitrogen cycle introduces helpful bacteria that ingest the toxins (ammonia and nitrite) and produce, themselves, a less harmful byproduct (nitrates). Cycling can safely be done before you add fish to your tank in a process called, appropriately enough, Fishless Cycling or after your fish have been added. Waiting until your fish are in the tank puts a great deal of stress on them and many often do not survive the cycling process. There are products such as BioSpira that allow a tank to cycle in a very short amount of time (a few days) with little or no impact on the fish. For more information on tank cycling, visit freshaquarium.about.com/cs/biologicalcycle/a/nitrogencycle.htm
The benefits of cycling your tank are stability and upkeep. Once the tank has been cycled you will only have to occasionally check for nitrates to make sure the tank is still cycled as well as complete only 20% water changes once a week. This process allows your fish to live in stable water conditions with little change in pH, temperature and zero ammonia. The smaller the tank, the more difficult it is to maintain the nitrogen cycle. Larger tanks (10 gal or above) can stay cycled for many years but tanks smaller then 2.5 gallons are very hard to maintain. I don’t recommend cycling any tank smaller then 5 gallons. In your case a 10 gal tank is perfect for cycling. This process is not unusual and is something that almost everyone who has an aquarium needs to understand. Just a note, keeping a filter in an uncycled tank will cause bacteria to begin the cycling process, which will stress your fish unless you are monitoring it closely. If you choose to do the 100% water change method, it’s important that you take out your tanks filter.

Are you bored yet? I hope not. This may seem like a lot, but once you learn it, it’ll come easy to you.

About Food:

I personally think, based on what you said, that your fish was constipated. The marble that you described behind the gills is exactly how I explain bloating and constipation to people who don’t know how to diagnose it. Also, the amount and type of food you’re feeding are conducive to causing bloating and constipation. While it’s possible that other things could have caused the bloating, the area that you’re describing is exactly where his stomach is located. AND yes, bloating can get worse over a couple of days.

Here’s my blurb on feeding:

Now this is where I add my disclaimer… I only feed my bettas frozen or live food. This is based on research and advice I’ve received from breeders; however, many people here do chose to feed their betta’s dry pellets or flake food with little problems. I have had personal experiences where my bettas have reacted vary badly to dry food and have long ago removed it totally from their diets. I consider the following to be fact but some may disagree. It’s up to you to decide what you feed your guys in the end.

Great food for Bettas.
Frozen bloodworms or bloodworms in gel (probably the best thing out there)
Frozen brine shrimp or brine shrimp in gel
Frozen or live daphnia
Frozen glassworms
Frozen beef heart
Frozen Tubifex (not live, they are notorious for harboring parasites and bacteria)
Frozen mysis shrimp
Live white worms
Live grindal worms
Live flightless fruit flies
Live black worms

If possible, try to avoid dried pellets, flake or freeze-dried food. Some foods are marketed as “For Bettas” such as Betta-Bites but often cause digestion problems due to fillers and low moisture content. You will usually find these in packages near where bettas are sold. These pellet foods absorb water and expand in the fish’s stomach 2x or 3x their original size. Some bettas react badly to them, often suffering from constipation, bloating or even swim-bladder disorders. If you’re unable to feed your betta anything but dried food, you should soak the pellets in a glass of water for 10 minutes before feeding your fish. (water should be conditioned, I usually just take it out of the tank) This will give the pellet a chance to expand to its full size before your fish ingests it.

One of the most common mistakes people make with their betta is either overfeeding or underfeeding their fish. A betta should be fed every day or nearly every day. A good rule of thumb at feeding time is this… A betta’s stomach is about as big as his eyeball and should not be fed more that amount at a time. This translates to about 3 bloodworms or brine shrimp per feeding. If you feed pellets, this equals about 2-3 soaked pellets per feeding. A betta can be fed this amount once or twice a day.

I personally don’t think you are overfeeding your betta, but he may be one of the few that cannot have any dried food in his diet. You have to remember that pellets are nothing like a betta’s natural diet and drastic changes from the norm can have ill effects. I had a betta who could have no pellets at all. Even one would cause severe bloating for days at a time. Once I changed his diet, he went back to normal and never bloated again.

Ok, I’m almost done… are you really still reading all this?

Just a bit about medicating. When you notice something wrong with your betta it’s best to be sure of the diagnosis before medicating him. For instance, a constipated betta can be treated with a little blanched pea and left to fast for two days or so with no medication added. Unnecessary medication can cause more harm then good. Medicine changes the water quality and removes dissolve oxygen from the water putting stress on healthy fish. Also, medications like Maracyn and Maracyn 2 are great antibiotics but only work for bacterial infections. Like humans, fish can develop antibiotic resistance causing the drug to fail later when he needs it most. This antibiotic resistance is becoming an epidemic in the aquarium industry. The problem starts with fish trappers medicating fish as a preventative measure. New strains of bacteria are developing all the time making it harder and harder for us to cure our fish. Now that you’ve started the M2, it’s best you finish the course. Stopping mid way can stress your betta too. Once it’s over though, it may be best to hold off on medicating until you have a good idea what the diagnosis is. I know this can be a pain since on one hand, you need to medicate if he’s sick and on the other you don’t want to give him the wrong thing. It’s a judgment call in the end.

Oh my goodness, I’ve gone on for pages. I hope I answered some of your questions and cleared things up. It’s getting late, so I hope others will pick up on the points I may have missed.

Good Luck,
Christie

[SleepyHead]

Thanks, Christie, for your very informative reply. Zeus still seems remarkably uncomfortable, and his colours are tending to fade again. His fins are still mostly unclamped, but flaring seems to be a thing of the past as he sits in the bottom corner of the tank looking at himself (or at his "buddy", depending on his viewpoint...)

I do understand all that you said about dried foods versus frozen, but I've heard all sorts of horror stories about live food and parasitic infestations that really make my blood curdle. I'm really confused over which way to turn - neither pathway seems like the best to me, but there are only the two, aren't there?

I'm still not getting the cycling part - what filter? There's a power filter running, and after he finishes his M2 tomorrow, I'll be putting a new carbon filter insert in it (it was less that 6 days old when I started Zeus on his M2, so I had to pull it before beginning antibiotics.) Is this what you're talking about? Or are we talking about a whole separate process here?

I'd really like to know, because if Zeus leaves us, I'd like to take the time to cycle the tank properly before yanking another pretty Betta from the "happy" confinement of his otherwise clean cup from the shelf of any pet department.

I had put off any such medications for a couple of days - Zeus is defecating, so I really cannot understand how this could be constipation. The only thing I can assume is that perhaps fishies dump more than I'm aware of and that he isn't processing enough - I'm certainly not aware of how much nor how often a little guy must evacuate to remain healthy. At any rate, it was the definite defecations that led me to start the M2...

I'll take your advice, though, and after his last dose tomorrow, simply fast him another couple of days. I'll also look into something different for his diet, but I'm not sure what or where...

[ACKislander]

Hi SleepyHead,
Here is a link to the food page on this site. It'll tell you everything you need to know about types of betta food:
healthybetta.com/articles/New%20To%20Bettas/food.html
Parasitic infestations from frozen food are extremely rare. In fact, the frozen foods made by reputable manufacturers go through a process making it virtually impossible for parasites to survive. I stand by Hikari Brand and San Francisco Bay Brand frozen foods. If you choose to go and get live food, again the major manufacturers offer a vary dependable product. Parasites become an issue when your harvesting misquote larvae from your back yard. Some foods, live tubifex worms, have a reputation for having parasites and most betta keepers stay away. (although frozen seem to be just fine) Just about any other kind though is great. The benefits of feeding your betta a high protein, easily digestible diet far outweigh the slight risk of contracting a parasite. In fact, it's more likely your betta will contract parasites from tank mates then from frozen foods made by the big name companies. You can buy Hikari frozen bloodworms, daphnia and brine shrimp at just about any LFS. (local fish store) The link I posted above will tell you more.

Ok, so clear up what I was saying about the filter.
When you cycle your tank what happens is the bacteria that are already living and present in the water make themselves comfortable by living and growing in the filter and in the gravel. As the fish goes to the bathroom the urine and feces turn into dangerous ammonia. These helpful bacteria "eat" the ammonia and themselves give off a product called "nitrite". Nitrite is also vary dangerous to fish. Then another kind of bacteria that "eats" nitrite then begins to grow and multiply. They too like to live in the filter media. They begin to eat the nitrite and give off nitrates which are much less toxic to fish. As this cycle progresses the bacteria consume the bad ammonia and nitrites as fast as they are produced so that there are none left in the water. The only thing left are the not-so-bad nitrates which you keep in check by changing 20% of the water every week. Now the filter is important because without it the bacteria don't have a place to cultivate and grow. In order to cycle a tank you need a filter running. If you don't want to cycle the tank you should take out the filter altogether. Having the filter there will encourage the bacteria to grow and go through the cycling process. You don't want that to happen while the fish are in the tank. At least not bettas anyway. Even a little ammonia and nitrite are dangerous for bettas.

Since your filter was only in for 6 days your tank has not cycled and your fish hasn't felt the stress of that cycle. When you're done with the M2, you'll want to do a 100% water change and leave out the filter until you've decided to cycle your tank. I think it's best to get Zeus better then worry about all this cycling mumbo jumbo. I don't think his illness has anything to do with the cycling process.

I hope that helps explain why you don't want a filter in an uncycled tank.

About his constipation and bloating. Sometimes it's best to take out any gravel while he's constipated so that you can see when he's pooing. You'll know he's going because you'll see the swelling go down. Healthy betta poo is brown and round like a mouse poo. If you see white or stringy poo, then it could be a sign of internal parasites. Just keep watching him for other signs (like the pine-coning) Also, keep the temperature stable and it would be good to purchase a pH and ammonia test kit to make sure there isn't anything dangerously wrong with the water. If you don't notice him pooing, take a green pea (I buy them frozen and thaw them in a glass of hot water), take off the skin and feed him a bite or two of the inside. This is a tried and true betta constipation remedy. Just make sure you only give him a tiny bit. Repeat again after two days. Peas are a good source of roughage and can be offered once a week in place of his regular food.