# what could it be?



## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

my lil betta spike has been just laying on bottom for a few days now... he lived in a 10 with a devider and another bette yoshi who's perfectly fine... alil over a day ago i moved spike to his own lil bowl n have been fasting him and see no poop so far... could it be SBD? he tries to swim but doesnt make it far and hes doesnt have labored breathing and seems alert just laying on his side on bottom like hes dead... i had them eating the blood worms only n they loved em but i ran out n started feeding them sum flake foorm with shrimp bits and pellets i had could the different food have backed him up?


i added a pike of spike to my gallery of what he looks like now.... thas how hes been laying past couple days...if ya didnt see him breathing n occasionally moving ya'd think he was dead...


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## TheAquaExpert (May 24, 2009)

My Gourami Started Acting The Same Just Like Your's...Now He's Dead.....
Anyways, Your Betta Spike Mite Have A Illness Called Ick. What You Can Do Is Keep Him In His Bowl And Treat Him With Some Medicine. Also Try Rasing The Tempurature Up.
Hopefully He Gets Better!!!!!


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

looking at him hes seems to have no signs of ick or anything like that and the other betta yoshi from same tank is happy as can be swimming around so i dont think id be anything like ick... 

this is him in the bowl i put him in by himself... as u can see hes on his side and tries to pull himself up but then slowly falls back on his side...



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## TheAquaExpert (May 24, 2009)

I'm Sorry But I Don't Know What The Caus Is......
I'm Not A Betta Expert, But I Do Know One!!!
Go And Find A Member Named Chickadee And She'll Help You!!!
Hope This Helps!!!!


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

First what temperature is your water?

If he has been eating unfamiliar food or too much food he could be constipated and especially if he is not in the range of 80 degrees to 82 degrees Fahrenheit in his tank. they do not take to changes in foods very well especially when they are stressed from any other changes. Please do not feed him and try to get his temperature up to about 82 degrees slowly if you can. They really need to be treated like tropical fish and have heated tanks.

Then if you have not seen any pooing in the next few hours get a frozen pea and put it on a saucer in the microwave for 20 seconds with NO water on HIGH setting. It will not cook the pea just defrost it. Then peel the outer skin off and take one of the halves you find inside and cut tiny chunks about half the size of his eye and try giving him one or two at a time three times a day for the next few days with no fish food at all until he is feeling better. 

I would say that he sounds like he is combination ... overfed and different foods constipated and developing a swimbladder problem due to the constipation. If he is not in a good temperature he may not make it. Fish are cold blooded and when the temperature of the water drops they cannot digest their food properly and if he was already compromised he will be harder to treat. Somehow you need to get his water heated and yet you cannot do it in that bowl. He has to be back in the tank. (is the tank heated?)

Then when we get the fish to respond to the peas and swimming or trying to again, we can deal with the meds for the other problems but the constipation will kill him faster than any of the other problems he has right now.

Probably the major cause of death in tank held bettas is too much food and not warm enough water. They really need to be kept 78 to 80 degrees steady temperature and the food given needs to be very small amounts. The fish's stomach is only the size of its eye and they do not need a lot of food. Most foods expand in the stomach so I always soak pellets or any dried food so that it will not expand in their stomach. They are little piggies and will eat until the food is gone and that is why they need strict control of their owners.

I wish I had a better answer for you but this is the way bettas are sometimes and they have some of the most touchy digestive systems of fish.

Please do let us know if there is any change.

Rose


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

opps i gave em dry pellets... well the tank shows a blue colors ove 82 n green over 84 so im assuming its sumwhere around there temp wise... i moved him to the bowl so i can see if he poops cuz ya cant really tell in the tank with the gems n undergravel filter... so fal hes been in the bow almost 2 days no food n still i see no poop... i think he prolly did over do it with the pellets... and yes the tank had a heater. ugh as for pea the closest i have is stage 1 baby food peas lol no frozen and none canned which i usually buy canned... im taking it if he pulls throught to go buy the blood worms n stay with those since he was fine before the food switch...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

It is too hot for them. They should not go over 82 as it causes them to overheat. Also have you been changing the water regularly in the bowl? It looks very small and I would say would need to be having twice daily changes of at least half of its water. Ammonia builds up very fast in those little bowls. He could be getting poisoned with his own wastes in that sized container and no filter.

I am afraid for him in that bowl without the water changes and he really does need those peas as they are like a laxative to bettas. Sorry to be so insistent but he looks really sick.

Rose


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

well the temp is usually 76-78 but i had used the heater briefly cuz it was alil cold inside with the a/c... as of now the themometer strip has 76 in blue 78 in green n 80 in brown the rest is black so i dunno which is the correct temp... i have changed his water in the lil bowl a couple times today and thus far since i put him in ther almost 3 days ago no poop... i had sum frozes stir fry and took som frozen peas outta it n gave him a few tiny bits but doesnt seem like hes bothering to eat em hes still alive n still seems like himself just stuck on bottom still...


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

well here it is like day 5 or 6 and spike still has yet to poop and still has no interest in eating the peas... hes still alive n still himself other then he cant swim! he does try but to no avail... how long can he go without eating or pooping???


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

He is better off with no food than to be given food that is not good for him. Try lowering the water level so he does not have so far to get to the surface but he is going to have to get some meds I think for the swim bladder problem. The problem you are going to have is medicating in the very small container you have him in at this time. He also needs to be warmer at this time. To really give a fish with swimbladder problems a chance to see if the temperature will work it needs to be raised to around 82 degrees slowly and left there consistently for a period of several days to allow the gas build up in the swim bladder to be expelled. 

I do not know at this time what else to tell you.

Rose


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

well the tank is about 80-82 now and i put him in a lil bag and put it in tank on top water... he still is just laying there no poop and not eating the pea bits...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

He can go for a few days without eating anything but if this is swimbladder disorder he may not be better for a while longer. It is not going to be taken care of in a few minutes. He may even need to have some medication like Maracyn to help clear up the infection probable in his system. I do not know that he is going to survive and there is the very real possibility that he will not but the not eating the pea bits is not unusual. He is either so uncomfortable or just not able to do so.

How is his coloring? Has he paled out at all? Usually if the problem is constipation it causes them to lose color in part of their body but with swimbladder disorder they may have stress stripes but I have never noted the loss of color.

If he is not eating he will probably not be pooing so that is not unusual but that does not mean that he is not having swimbladder problems. It also does not mean that he is not dying of a secondary problem of another type like age. Do you know how old he is? Sometimes the fish that are sold in petstores are already of advanced age like perhaps over a year and they could have only a lifespan of a year or so in your home. He looks like a mature betta but it is difficult to tell with the way he is laying there.

I am not saying that he is going to die but I want you to be aware that this is a possibility and please do not try to feed him anything for the next day or so to see if just being in a warmer water will help him. If he perks up then you can try to feed him one piece of his food but just one. If the warmer water does not help him then I do not think anything is going to unless you want to try the medication.

Rose


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

he shouldnt be too old... ive had him prolly 6-7 months and he was pretty small when i got him so i think he was a baby when i got him... still is kinda small compared to my last 2 bettas... well he looks like he might be a slight bit lighter in color but it might just be the plastic bag and the bright florescent white light making him look lighter... i dont have any maracyn only melafix which i havent used on him cuz i know he has none of what its for...


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

You cannot use Melafix, Pimafix, or Bettafix on any betta, gourami or any other labyrinth organ fish for any purpose anyway. It damages their labyrinth organ and will eventually kill them.

I guess all you can do then is to try to wait it out and see by putting one piece of food in the area where you have him to see if he will eat it for you but you will have to remove it if he does not and if he is still in that bag he will have to have water changes as it is unfiltered and his ammonia levels will be growing.

While I do not like the idea and it is a hard thing to do, if he does not improve in a couple of days, I am thinking that you need to think of the possibility of euthanasia for him. He is not going to be able to continue this way for a long time and he can be painlessly put to sleep if he does not improve. But he can have some more time to see if he will improve if you would like. I have some methods that would be painless to put him to sleep if this is what you decide to do though.

Rose


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## xbabygurlxxx (Jun 29, 2009)

well with much effort and time poor lil spike passed with no improvement *sh


Rip spike


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## Chickadee (Nov 15, 2008)

I am so sorry for your loss and do hope that you will be okay. I know how hard it is to lose a fish that you love. I am sorry that nothing was able to help him and hope that you can find a nice place for him in your heart and let him stay and live there.

Rose


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