Betta fish dying suddenly

[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

[kingrise]

I'd love to help you out brewista. Can you check if her scales are sticking out at all? Also, what's her poop like - is it white or stringy? Try to get a picture of her as soon as possible, that would be super helpful.

[brewista]

I'd love to help you out brewista. Can you check if her scales are sticking out at all? Also, what's her poop like - is it white or stringy? Try to get a picture of her as soon as possible, that would be super helpful.

She's definitely not doing well. Her usual aggressive behavior when I approach the tank is gone, now she just ignores me.

I checked for ammonia and it's at 0.25 ppm, which is weird since I did a 50% water change just yesterday. This tank is cycled, so I'm not sure what's going on.

Haven't seen her poop yet, so can't tell you about that. Her scales might be sticking out, but I'm not positive.

[kingrise]

Keep up those water changes. I'm concerned about the ammonia spike, that's unusual for a cycled tank. If her scales are indeed sticking out, it could be dropsy, which is tough to treat.

[brewista]

Keep up those water changes.

I still can't tell from what I've seen if her scales are sticking out or not. If they are, it's likely dropsy. I've been reading up on it and the prognosis isn't great. Apparently, the infection is tough to cure. Some experts even recommend euthanizing affected fish to prevent the spread to healthy ones. If it's combined with popeye, the outlook is even bleaker. I just read that online - it sounds pretty dire. I'll keep an eye on her for a bit longer, but honestly, she looks like she's on her way out.

[kingrise]

I just read that the infection causing dropsy is pretty much incurable. Some experts think it's best to put affected fish down to prevent the infection from spreading to healthy ones. And if she's got popeye too, it's basically hopeless.

That's just awful. I'm gonna keep an eye on her for a bit longer, but honestly, she looks like she's on her way out.

All of that is true, I'm really sorry... You're actually doing her a huge favor by considering putting her down. If you kept her alive, she'd just be in pain. Again, I'm sorry...

[brewista]

I'd love to help you out brewista. Can you check if her scales are sticking out at all? Also, what's her poop like - is it white or stringy? Try to get a picture of her as soon as possible, that would be super helpful.

Appreciate the kind words - means a lot. Kids are going to be really upset about this.

Honestly, I've never had to put a fish down before, so I'm not sure how to do it.

[roygun_1]

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?

[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 completely still now, won't budge for a better photo. Her fins are barely flickering. She doesn't even acknowledge me anymore - just lies there beside the wood and gravel. I've been looking into clove oil, but the delivery is going to take a while, which means she'll have to endure this for a few more days.

[roygun_1]

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

Don't lose hope just yet, it's still worth exploring other possibilities. What's her diet like, and how often do you feed her? Have you noticed any changes in her scales, like them lifting and losing colour? Is her back-end floating upwards, with her nose pointing down?