Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've been a long-time lurker on this forum, and I'm grateful for the help I've gotten over the past year with my beautiful blue betta. I've had aquariums my whole life, but this little guy's situation has me stumped.

My betta is about a year old, living alone in a filtered 2.5-gallon tank with weekly 20% water changes. The temperature's always within a comfortable range - 72-78 degrees, depending on the season and room temperature. He used to thrive on Ocean Nutrition Betta pellets, but about six weeks ago, he just stopped eating. At first, we thought maybe we were overfeeding, so we tried fasting him for a few days, but he never regained his appetite.

I've been keeping a close eye on the water quality, and everything looks good - pH is 7, and ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates are all at 0. I've tried offering him different foods, like peeled peas and blood worms, but he's just not interested. I've also made sure to remove any uneaten food to prevent water quality issues.

I've tried various treatments over the past six weeks, including Betta Revive and API Geneflake Cure, but nothing seems to be working. His fins have been deteriorating, and I'm worried it's because his immune system is weakened. He's also developed a long, stringy film coming from his underside, which I've attached a picture of. It's broken off a few times, but it just keeps coming back. I've tried treating him with Prazipro, thinking it might be a parasitic disease, but so far, no improvement.

I've been doing all the treatments in his tank, with the carbon filter removed and aeration added. Right now, he's just floating at the top, in a corner, gulping for air and occasionally emitting a bubble. He's been like this for a few days, and it's heartbreaking to see him losing his color. I'm still adding and removing food, hoping he'll eventually eat, but it's been six weeks, and I'm starting to lose hope.

As a seasoned aquarium owner, I'm not sure what else to try. I feel like I must have done something wrong, but I just don't know what. My young daughter is really attached to this fish - it's her first pet - and she just wants to see him swim again. I'd really appreciate any advice or guidance you can offer.

I think the issue with your betta is likely related to an internal infection, given the symptoms you've described. The stringy film coming from his underside, combined with his loss of appetite and lethargy, point towards either an internal bacterial or protozoan infection.

The fact that the API Geneflake Cure didn't work suggests it may be a bacterial infection, which can be notoriously difficult to treat. In my experience, these types of infections can be very challenging to overcome, especially when the fish has gone so long without eating. I'm not sure if antibiotics would be effective at this point, and even if they were available, I'm not optimistic about his chances of survival.

It's heartbreaking to see your pet suffer, and I can understand why your daughter is attached to him. However, considering his condition, I would recommend euthanizing him to end his suffering. This would also give you the opportunity to thoroughly clean and reset the tank, reducing the risk of any lingering infections affecting future fish.

If you're in the States, I'd suggest giving Kanaplex and Furan-2 a shot. You can sometimes find them at PetSmart, or you can order from Zorchzon Prime with next-day delivery. Just follow the package directions for treatment. Both are solid antibiotics. If they don't make a difference, I'm not sure what else will. Keep us updated on how it goes.

I really appreciate the advice from both of you, it's given us some hope to try one last thing. We actually already have a package of Kanaplex at home, so we're going to give that a shot and see if it makes a difference. Thank you again for your input, it's much appreciated.