Master Li - my 2 year old Betta

Question
QUESTION: For 1 1/2 years he was in a glass fish bowl with no heater - he was fine. I
have gravel, a plastic plant and a piece of PVC pipe (for a hiding place) in the
bowl.
Then the bowl got stress cracks, so I had to move him to a 3 gallon plastic
bowl. He was in the new bowl for about 6 months, and his eating habits
slowed down. He got lethargic. (Could he be lonesome?) And I noticed a gray
oval spot on his dorsal fin. The spot is about 1/16" x 1/32". I did a complete
water change and used betta fix for 7 days. No change. Then I bought a
heater and 2 1/2 gallon glass aquarium - did another water change and tried
tetracycline for 3 days. No change.
Today I did another water change and I'm trying a stronger dosage (5 drops,
twice a day) for the next 3 days.
Ever since I bought him, I've used aquarium salt each time I change the water.
When I switched from bowl to bowl to aquarium, I kept the same gravel,
plant, and PVC pipe.
Help

ANSWER: Hi Bobbi.  I'm sorry to hear you are having problems and your fish isn't feeling so well.

You are worried about your Betta being lonely, but I don't think you should worry too much.  You can try something to stimulate him though.  If you have a hand-held mirror (or place his bowl next to a mirror), you can use a mirror up to the side of the tank and let him see himself.  This will stimulate him as he will think it's another Betta and you will see him (or he should) flare and get excited.  You should really do this once a day to keep him stimulated.  It's pretty neat to watch too!

The gray spot you are talking about sounds to me like it could be columnaris (also called cotton mouth).  It can actually start anywhere on the body.  Columnaris is a gram-negative infection, and it is usually treated with Maracyn or Kanacyn.  However, Tetracycline is a broad spectrum antibiotic that treats both gram-positive and gram-negative infections, so you might be ok using it.  If it doesn't respond, I might consider trying the Marcyn or Kanacyn (if it were my fish).  While treating with the medication, you should do a 10% water change every other day and completely change the water once a week.  Keeping the water quality in great condition will also help clear up the infection.  Since he is in a bowl with no filtration, you should always totally change his water weekly.  If not, it leads to poor water conditions, which in turn can lead to disease.

Try dosing the tetracycline like you said you were going to do and see what happens.  It should respond within a reasonable amount of time.  You can also purchase an anti-bacterial food to feed him which will help with this infection and/or any other infection going on.  If it doesn't clear up relatively quickly, I would purchase either of the medications listed above and try it.

Make sure you do a complete water change PRIOR to adding any new mdications, so there are no traces of the other medications left over.

See if this helps clear him up and make him more active.  I would also use the mirror trick too, every day.  Under normal circumstances they really seem to enjoy this.

Please get back to me and let me know how things are going, and certainly if you need any additional help or have additional questions.

I will wait to hear from you.  Good luck!!  ;o)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: well, he's still hanging in there. I tried the tetracycline for 3 days and got him
to eat some! But, after a water change, he's still not eating much - maybe 1
worm or 1 pellet a day. The gray spot is gone (it was not cotton-y, it was
flush with the skin and not a cotton-y color, a darker gray.)
Ever since I've had him, I put a mirror outside his tank at least once a day.
Now there's little or no reaction. He still swims around, though-but not as
fast as he used to. And he doesn't always swim over to the side of the tank to
greet me.
Maybe he's just getting elderly, and it's almost time to die. Do you think so?

ANSWER: Hi Bobbi.  Bettas have a lifespan of about 3 years, but can live up to 5 in some cases, not all.  3 is average. You said you have had him for 2 years, and generally when you buy them from the pet stores they are almost a year old. So putting that together, his is probably around 3 or a little over.  So in all honesty, yes, he could be coming to the end of his lifespan, but NOT necessarily.  The illness may have weakened him to the point where he is not going to make it much longer, but who can say.  

You have a couple of choices. You can either treat again with a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as Maracyn Plus, Tetracycline again or Cephalexin, or go with a "natural" antibiotic like Melafix or Pimafix (check out this site which will explain what they do: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=11269  )  This, being all natural, would obviously be easier on him.  Would I try this?  Yes, I would.  I believe it's worth a shot, considering he has the potential to live up to 5 years.  And plus, he's your little buddy, so I know how you are feeling.

I'm 41 years old, and I STILL get upset when I lose a fish, especially one's I'm really attached to (which is most of them, lol)...but there are a few that I simply adore (like my male and female bettas, believe it or not.  They are the sweetest little guys I have ever had.  They are not afraid of me, and come right up to me when my hand is in the tank and swim by it as if they want me to pick them up or pet them.  My female "Princess" started getting dropsy, and I caught it in time to treat, now she's back with the other guys in one of my community tanks!!  I'm so happy!)

Anyway, what I'm beating around the bush trying to say is that IF/when it is time for Master Li to finally "rest", that you know in your heart that you took the BEST CARE possible of him.  Let that be your comfort.  He lived a happy, comfortable, "loved" life.  And that's what counts.  You have NOTHING to be ashamed of, or feel bad about.  A lot of Bettas do not make it even close to their lifespan limits because people don't take good care of them.  YOU did.  That says a lot.  ;o)

Please keep me posted, as it was nice hearing from you about how he's doing.  

Best of luck    ;o)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, again, Trish-
Well, he's still alive! After 3 different antibiotics -- Betta Fix, Tetracycline,
then Melafix. ( Itried the Melafix, at your suggestion.)
He still has the grey spot on his fin, but he swims around, and eats 2-3 dried
worms a day. I think he sees less well or not at all, because when I drop a
worm in the tank I have to touch his back before he knows to open his
mouth.
I've changed his name to Spot, the Miracle Fish.

Answer
Hi Bobbi!  Thanks for letting me know how he is doing.  I don't like the fact that he STILL has a white spot on him.  I'm going to suggest that you give him a round of Maracyn or Kanacyn and see if this clears him up.  It still doesn't sound right.  What a shame.  But hey, at least he's still hanging in there!!  You are taking great care of him, you should be proud of yourself.

I would give him a few days break from medicine, but then treat him with either of the medications above (which are geared toward the white spot) and see what happens this time.  IF for any reason the spot gets bigger prior to using the new medication, use it right away.  This has the potential to spread quickly.

The other alternative you have is to get a q-tip and scoop him into a net GENTLY, then use the q-tip to wipe the spot off, then wait to see if it stays away or if it comes back.  I myself would do this, but it's totally up to you.  Also, try to do some simple things to see if he can see.  Try putting a mirror up to the tank and see if he sees himself and flares.  If he does, that's a good thing.  Then, do that every day once or twice a day, it's good stimulation for them!!  My betta loves when I do it, lol.  Anything to keep them entertained.

Please keep me posted, especially if you try the q-tip procedure.  I'm interested in seeing what happens.

Good luck, and great hearing from you!!    ;o)