beta - multi symptoms

Question
Hi Chris
I have a bad ass beta named Lucifer. Please help me save him!
NORMAL CARE: approx 1 quart bowl, distilled water, "Splendid Betta" brand water conditioner, glass marbles; weekly water changes; 4-5 pellets of "Hikari Betta Bio-Gold" a day; occasionaly feed with dried blood worm.
1st sign of trouble: redness and atrophy at tip of caudal fin.
2nd: bloating in the belly
ACTION: continued normal care plus 12 drops "Splendid Betta" BettaFix Remedy & 1 drop MelaFix.
About 1 week passed with no improvement, then cottony growth appeared on pelvic fins.
ACTION: normal care, 1 drop MelaFix; 1 drop (added daily) of PimaFix; removed glass marbles.
After about 4-5 days the redness & atrophy stopped on caudal fin.  Cotton decreased, gone after about 1 week.  BUT belly is still bloated and getting bigger.
About 2weeks later the redness & atrophy is now at tip of the anal fin. Cotton has come back and gone again (lasted about 3 days).  Belly is very bloated.
Now - For the past week I've changed water every other day with conditioner, remedy, melafix, and 2 drops pimafix.  There's no marbles in the bowl.  I've actually decreased food to 2 pellets a day... his belly is HUGE!  Louie is still active, but he does hang out at the bottom more often.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM? WHAT CAN I DO HELP HIM?

Thanks for your time,
Sarah Jane


Answer
Hi Sarah Jane;

I'm so sorry it took so long to get to your question. I was gone for a few days so I registered my vacation time with the site and your question snuck in anyway. I hope Lucifer is still hanging in there......

He is constipated so don't feed regular food at all until he is having bowel movements again. Without the marbles in there it will be pretty easy to tell. Offer him little chunks of green peas to help things 'move along' better. Peas act as a laxative. Here is a link to more info on betta constipation;

http://www.healthybetta.com/articles/Illness%20Diagonsis/constipation.html

It would be better for him if you use regular tap water and water conditioner instead of distilled water. Distilled water is lacking minerals that fish need so they can become weak and prone to disease after a period of time. Even though it's like rain water that they would get in nature, there are minerals in the ground where the bodies of water are that they live in. The ground has natural minerals that add what the fish need and usually aren't in a little fish tank or bowl.

Again, I am so sorry I missed you before I left town and I hope he is okay.......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins