a healthy update on my betta

[folksy]

I adopted my rescue betta in pretty rough shape - underweight, a weird lump on his head, and a big chunk of his tail missing. But, after some TLC, his tail started growing back and he gained weight. The lump, however, stuck around, so I decided to seek advice here. Following your suggestions, I started antiparasitic treatment, which seemed to work initially. Unfortunately, the lump reappeared and the area started swelling. After some more research, I treated him again with a double dose for a longer period. This time, it seemed to do the trick, so I moved on to an antibacterial treatment to tackle the remaining swelling and fin rot.

Once the swelling went down, I put him back in his tank. A few weeks passed, and he was doing great - his tail had grown huge. But then, he started being slow and seemed weighed down by his tail. He'd rest most of the time and even snapped at his tail once while swimming (I knew he might be a tail biter, given his history). I made some changes to his tank - new substrate, more plants, and a lower water level. This helped reduce his resting time, but I was still concerned.

I was preparing a shallow tank as a backup plan, just in case things took a turn for the worse. I even got some salt and pepper cories from my LFS, since I thought I'd be moving him soon. But then something unexpected happened - after introducing the cories, my betta perked up. I'm not sure if it was just the new tankmates or what, but I was planning to move him anyway.

It's been two weeks since the cories joined, and I'm thrilled to report that there's been no flaring, chasing, or nipping. My betta's more active, with no signs of stress or aggression. He'll check out the cories, but then calmly swim away. He's still resting a bit, but way less than before, and his activity levels have increased.

The shallow tank is ready, just in case, but for now, I'm grateful for the progress. I wanted to thank everyone again for your amazing advice - it's made a huge difference in my betta's recovery!

[kingrise]

That's just the best feeling, rescuing a sick fish and nursing them back to health. I'm beyond thrilled that your betta made such a remarkable recovery, it's truly heartwarming to see them thrive after being so unwell.

[Lurcher]

A bit musty in here, isn't it?