# sick fish-- surprised



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Found my old betta with a swollen area on his head and covered in fungus yesterday morning. Treated with antifungal- he's feeling a bit better today and tried to eat. However he is pineconing on his head so I am not sure what to do next. he is getting 100 % water changes each day but i suspect because of being older that 1 year he is not going to make it. Sad that they die so young now a days. Just a few days ago he was terrorizing his tank mates( neons, and a platy)


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

mousey said:


> Found my old betta with a swollen area on his head and covered in fungus yesterday morning. Treated with antifungal- he's feeling a bit better today and tried to eat. However he is pineconing on his head so I am not sure what to do next. he is getting 100 % water changes each day but i suspect because of being older that 1 year he is not going to make it. Sad that they die so young now a days. Just a few days ago he was terrorizing his tank mates( neons, and a platy)


When in doubt, change water. If he has fungus, add some salt and methylene blue. Make sure not to mix it with your other med though.


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## Guest (Apr 18, 2013)

I cannot remember if it is anti fungal or anti bacteria for use with pineconing. I have to check when I get home or someone else can verify which to use for pineconing.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

actually it is an antibacterial you can use for pineconing.
As of this morning he is almost back to normal. Is taking an interest in his food and the other fish that are swimming around his floating Q tank.
However he is an old fish and past experience has shown that at his age it could mean more problems of the same. I am hoping it is not a tumor. They are nasty.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

how old is he mousey ? i have had bettas live for 6 or 7 years...but then again that was quite awhile ago and todays strains may be genetically weaker....


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

Alas he is just over a year. I have never had one last longer than 18 months. We basically can only get decent bettas at petsmart and i suspect that they are so inbred that they can't live long. generally they are young partially grown when i buy them. I would love to get one that lasts for many years. Perhaps because i now keep them in community tanks they burn out faster but I did in the past keep them in solitary with still short lives.
I really like the bettas and get attached to them so a long life would be preferable.

Big Als and the one independent store have fully grown bettas so I opt for young ones. The independent guy does not keep them in good conditions.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

The fancier they are, the weaker they are IMO. Look at bichon frise. 2 hunting dogs bred and got a useless cotton ball for a pup. Plakats live longer and are easier.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

hey watch what you call a useless ball of fluff! 
We have a shihtzu-- stubborn but loyal. Can hardly wash itself because it has no nose. Needs its bum wiped after a poo.
chronic eye problems, allergies to other dogs even.
Likes to cuddle and is very loyal and protective. Got him as a rescue from the people down the street so took him in rather than see him go to the pound.
I personally like standard poodles but they are so inbred they die young which is really sad. I agree mutts are healthiest. And I agree that pure lines in fish are weak. Couldn`t raise red wag platies past a couple of weeks but the mutts from among all the color platies do ok.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

You have so many issues I want to blame your water supply. Have you ever tried using rainwater + minerals? It likely wouldn't be practical for a big tank, but you could do a test with a lone betta.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

we are in an area that has what used to be called 'acid rain' We get a lot of pollution in the summer months blowing up from Ohio and New York. We are also ear a heavy farming area-- the salad bowl of Ontario -where they grow tons of veggies using tons of chemicals.
_You present an interesting idea though._ The pet stores here go thru tons of fish every week.bettas are bought with shocking frequencey. Some folk tell me they can't keep them alive for much over a week. When questioned they do treat the water but don't seem to understand the concept of keeping them warm. On the positive side I can keep some tetras for 7-9 years and my rainbow is at least 5 years old. My plec is 3.
I have pretty much given up on guppies as they only last a year or so compared to going back 6 years or more when they lived for 2-3 years. I have had dismal luck with platies in the last 2 years only raising 2 successfully out of a batch of 100 plus- all red wags.
It is annoying to say the least. Water supply has changed from ground water to a mix with lake water pumped in from 30 miles away. Huge increase in population in the area and constant changing of the water supply chemicals .


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Acid rain = sulfuric acid + nitric acid + water. You'd definitely want to use a buffer like baking soda (bicarbonate). Those sound horrible, but really not especially toxic once neutralized.


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## C. King (Dec 14, 2012)

mousey, my fantail guppy only lived about 8 months. The other fish are fine, no sickness whatsoever, but guppy just started looking kinda thin, like old fish do, and finally died. I though that guppies lived longer than that back when I had them before. (20+ yrs ago) Now I wonder if it was due to poor breeding. I've def. noticed that problem (short lifespans due to poor breeding) in modern day neons as compared to years ago. Wonder if bettas are starting to run into that problem, as well.


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