Betta fish dying suddenly

[belleora]

My female betta's not doing great and I'm worried she's on her way out. She's hiding at the bottom of my tank, near the corner, making it hard for me to get a good look at her. I did manage to catch a glimpse of her abdomen area when she swam by, and it's pretty swollen. She's still eating, but I've started fasting her to see if that helps whatever's going on pass. Any thoughts would be appreciated, even without a photo.

Water Parameters:
5-gallon tank
0-0-5ppm
1 nerite snail in there with her
50% water change, twice a week

I just got some clove oil from a pharmacy, it's actually pretty common stuff for toothaches. I picked mine up for £2.99 at Boots, so it's easily accessible.

I'm not saying you should give up hope just yet. Fish can look absolutely dreadful and still bounce back, so I wouldn't be too hasty about euthanising her. How long has she been like this? I'd do another water change, see if that helps. That ammonia reading you got could've been even higher before you tested, and the plants might've soaked up most of it. So it's possible she's just suffering from the effects of an ammonia spike and could fully recover. Or, like roygun_1 mentioned, she could have a different illness that's treatable.

[brewista]

I'm not entirely convinced it's dropsy just yet - a clearer photo would be super helpful. There's also a chance she might have an internal parasite causing the swelling, so I'd love to know more about her diet. What's her usual food like?

She's been eating bug bites, freeze dried blood worms, and micro wafers as her main food sources. Her scales have lifted a bit, and her color isn't as vibrant as it usually is. I've been feeding her once a day and fasting her once a week to give her digestive system a break.

[brewista]

My female betta's not doing great and I'm worried she's on her way out. She's hiding at the bottom of my tank, near the corner, making it hard for me to get a good look at her. I did manage to catch a glimpse of her abdomen area when she swam by, and it's pretty swollen. She's still eating, but I've started fasting her to see if that helps whatever's going on pass. Any thoughts would be appreciated, even without a photo.

Water Parameters:
5-gallon tank
0-0-5ppm
1 nerite snail in there with her
50% water change, twice a week

She's been like this since yesterday, it's really concerning me now.

[belleora]

My female betta's not doing great and I'm worried she's on her way out. She's hiding at the bottom of my tank, near the corner, making it hard for me to get a good look at her. I did manage to catch a glimpse of her abdomen area when she swam by, and it's pretty swollen. She's still eating, but I've started fasting her to see if that helps whatever's going on pass. Any thoughts would be appreciated, even without a photo.

Water Parameters:
5-gallon tank
0-0-5ppm
1 nerite snail in there with her
50% water change, twice a week

Considering the ammonia reading and her sudden illness, I think it's worth doing another water change to see if she'll recover. It's a bit suspicious that her condition worsened right after the water change, and I'd like to rule out the ammonia spike before making any decisions.

[kingrise]

My female betta's not doing great and I'm worried she's on her way out. She's hiding at the bottom of my tank, near the corner, making it hard for me to get a good look at her. I did manage to catch a glimpse of her abdomen area when she swam by, and it's pretty swollen. She's still eating, but I've started fasting her to see if that helps whatever's going on pass. Any thoughts would be appreciated, even without a photo.

Water Parameters:
5-gallon tank
0-0-5ppm
1 nerite snail in there with her
50% water change, twice a week

Considering what you've said about the ammonia reading and her symptoms, I'm still thinking it's possible her illness is due to the water quality rather than dropsy. Have you tried doing another water change to see if that improves her condition? It's worth a shot before making any drastic decisions.