What should I do with my fish?

Question

My fish, 2 bettas are both sick. Both are on the bottom all day and night. They breathe heavily and do not eat. They had tis for about three weeks and I thought it was because my apartment was hot for a few days when I was away. But, the water has been a constant 78-82 degrees now. They used to come up for food last week but now are not eating since Saturday. I have got good advice from someone on this YA but I am very afraid because theire condition had gotten worse today. I am about to start Tetracycline in one moment because I am clueless what to do. They won't eat peas and their stomachs aren't bloated. Nothing is white hanging off them and they aren't dashing against rocks. They look like they always do except my red fish has a little black on his fins. I tested the water and the ammonia is perfect. The test says yellow when there is none present. I tested the pH which is close to 7.0. There is some salt in the tank also. I am afraid they will die if I don't do something now.

Answer 1

Treat for ICH !

Answer 2

It sounds to me like anything you do right now will be a "By Guess or By God" shot in the dark.  Tetracycline sounds as good as anything.

I'm not a fish person but I did lose my dog a while back.  I think I understand how upset you must be.  Good luck.

Answer 3

Urgently change the water or else they are certainly going to die.  And switch the submersible pump on if you have it as it keeps the water cool. Water temperature is the main reason for sure.

Answer 4

Unfortunately, they're pretty old. Bettas usually don't live much past a year old, and if they were imported (chances are that they were) they were between 4 and 7 months. Either way, good luck with them.

Answer 5

It sounds like you have done everything right for them so far.  I would continue to frequent partial water changes to keep the water parameters in perfect shape.  I think the salt was a great idea, that is how I always treat my fish.  You could try the antibiotics, it won't hurt them.  The only other thing I can suggest is adding a fine mist air stone hooked up to an air pump since they are breathing heavily.  It will help in adding some oxygen to the water.  When my fish are sick or stressed, I usually also leave the aquarium lights off which seems to help them relax.  Good luck

Yes, it could definitely be bacterial.  It could have been transferred many ways from one tank to the other - using the same siphon or net in both tanks for example.  The meds may help, there is no harm in trying.

Answer 6

It doesn't seem like there is anything you can do, you've done everything you can by keeping the water clean, warm, and not over feeding.  If there is no obvious signs of disease...there's not much you can do.  You'll just have to see what happens.  Maybe they will get better on there own, let nature take it's course.  My betta died about a month ago, I thought about using the clove oil and vodka method but couldn't bring myself to do it.  I really liked that little fish! So I understand how upset you are.