Diagnosis, please? :(

[pravae]

Hey guys. I'm hoping for a hand diagnosing my little dude. I've had him for about half a year. 10 days ago, I woke up to find that he couldn't swim. He was wobbling all over the place, would sink to the bottom of the tank as soon as he stopped trying, and would fall on his side. He was very listless and struggled to get to the top of the tank for

Comments

[hidden_kitten]

Melafix is not medication, and definitely not a solution for swim bladder issues.

There's this post, Another post suggesting the fast/pea (which you tried), this unhappy post. Try this tag and this webpage.

There's also speculation that round bowls cause stress in bettas, who have very good eyesight, and betta stress can also cause swim bladder problems. Also, you could try switching food to Hikari pellets (which are my preference and don't contain ethoxyquin).

I hope any of my links help.

edited for goddamn formatting

[pravae]

:( oh gosh, I had no idea Melafix isn't a medication, the guy at the pet store told me it would work just fine. Now I'm scared I've made his problems worse. D8 Thanks for all the links - at this stage, it looks like I'll be saving up for a rectangular tank, at least to cut down on his stress. My pet store and the other (humane) pet stores in my area only stock pro balance betta food, though. Thank you thank you ♥ I'm so worried about him.

[mrs_ralph]

I suggest you try Maracyn 2 instead of Melafix. Tea Tree (the main ingredient) isn't very good for fish with swim bladders even at half the dose it can be damaging. It contains nothing that will actually 'cure' anything it is more a disinfectant, like putting hydrogen peroxide on a cut, than a cure for an existing infection. Maracyn 2 contains antibiotics specific for gram negative infections. Gram negative infections are what the majority of infections turn out to be so it's best to start there and go to Maracyn 1 (for gram positive infections) or Maracyn TC (broad spectrum antibiotic) if Maracyn 2 doesn't work.

[pravae]

Thank you for your suggestion - I had no idea that melafix would actually hurt him; I'd honestly expect a pet store owner to know that kind of stuff! >:( Is it possible to order maracyn 2 online? The only "medications" that my pet store stocks are melafix, the fungal equivalent whose name I've forgotten, and aquarium salt. ; ~ ; you guys are insanely helpful, thank you. ♥ Today he looks pretty energetic again, but I'm scared that he's just being his usual self, and now he's hiding problems that the melafix has caused.

[mrs_ralph]

I think it might not be widely known since so many pet shop owners still suggest it for fish with swim bladders and they even sell a version of Melafix called Bettafix which is at least safer since it is heavily diluted.

I don't know what country you are in but Maracyn 2 is available at Amazon. I'm not sure the price is great but it looks like they are selling wholesale size packs (24?) or smaller packs. You might wind up with more Maracyn 2 than you will need for some years. I suggest checking Ebay and whatever the name of a big chain pet store in the US is for online ordering. I'm sure Pets at Home or one of the other chains sells aquatic supplies online. I imagine you could get it at Walmart as well. They tend to stock pet supplies and have online ordering.

[mrs_ralph]

I looked and your profile says Au. I suggest you try getting tri-sulfa or tetracycline...you can probably get it online through one of the major pet chains. They tend to have online ordering now. Apparently Marcyn 2 has to be imported and the contents, including inert ingredients declared and the only way you can get those is to contact Sargant for them. By that time it will be much too long for it to be effective.

[pravae]

Thank you. ; ~ ;

[pravae]

Now, a further question: Should I bring up with the pet store owner the fact that he recommended and sold me a chemical which is dangerous to my betta, knowing specifically what I would be using it for?

[heatherface]

You can mention it, but nicely since he probably doesn't realize it. They should know better but unfortunately a lot of pet store employees don't.

I don't have any more advice that wasn't already said, so all I can say at this point is I hope your fish gets/feels better soon!

[leaveittoweaver]

I really feel that you are not doing enough water changes for a tank that small with no filter. What exactly are your water parameters? Do you use a liquid test kit or test strips? I recommend the liquid kits as they are more accurate. The API Freshwater Master Kit is great and lasts you quite a long time.

Also, do you use tap water or something different?