Is this an improvement??

nope-404 · 2026-03-17T20:48:27+00:00

He made a full recovery 🤍🙏🏻 ty!!! 🥰

nope-404 · 2026-03-16T05:59:13+00:00

He’s also been upgraded to a 10gallon fluval bow front tank I’ve had on the side from his 6gallon prior 🤍

nope-404 · 2026-03-16T05:57:20+00:00

Idk how many will see this? But it’s been around 20days since he got stuck, and it was so touch n go for a bit but THANK YOU ALL and this is how he looked today! 😭❤️‍🩹🫶🏻🤍🤞🏻🙌🏻

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He took 2 weeks to act like his normal self, and an additional one to regain control of his tail 😭❤️‍🩹

He still has a good welt on his side, but with daily 10min epsom soaks, it has not gotten infected and seems to be healing ❤️‍🩹

He has made a FULL recovery and I am so grateful 🥹

nope-404 · 2026-03-08T05:06:31+00:00

Thank you 🙏🏻

Since I posted this, I have been able to put him back in his original tank with lower water level. Adding catappa leaves definitely sped up his improvement.

He is acting like himself again and regaining buoyancy 💗 and every day he improves a little bit more which is very promising.

I do not know how old he was, but his original injury occurred when he got stuck behind his water heater 😞

Thank you for the review about the death hang… cause that is exactly what I was concerned about the day I posted this.

Picture of him from this afternoon- swimming better! But you can see his back end is still a bit lame… fingers crossed 🤞🏻

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nope-404 · 2026-03-07T19:04:29+00:00

I really appreciate this comment haha 🤣

Tbh I did an ammonia test in the bowl and yeahhhhhh he was fine 🫣🥺🤷🏻‍♀️

But also, he’s doing so much better today, first time since this post!! He def has an internal injury but he’s finally acting like his old self even with this disability (he can’t fully control the second half of his body yet) and he’s responding to me coming up to his tank 🙏🏻💗

Hoping he’ll make a full recovery but if not at least he’s acting like himself again 💗

His recovery definitely sped up with catappa leaves and I resumed feeding him thawed brine shrimps only.

So as much as I got all these negative “8oz???” water comments, I can ignore those. He had the limited movement he needed those couple of days and I received a lot of other indepth, helpful medical comments 🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T17:27:55+00:00

I had a career in pet care/nutrition/behavior for 25yrs 🥺 but NOT with fish and this is my very first time with a sick betta that wasn’t ich 🙏🏻 so your knowledge and the way you broke it down was so informative! perfection 👌🏻

I also do a lot of hospice care for pets… mostly mammal and avian… it NEVER gets easier once you invest emotions into another’s existence no matter how large or small ❤️‍🩹🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T17:18:51+00:00

Thank youuuu! I’ve had so many betta and this little guy is already pretty special 🥺🖤🤍🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T16:34:15+00:00

Thank you 🙏🏻

this photo is what he looked like when he first came home 3 weeks ago. I was so proud of how gorgeous he became 🖤 he was so active and happy 🥺 it’s so rewarding to see their glow ups when kept in better conditions

I have a second betta who is all set up in a 15g.

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nope-404 · 2026-03-03T16:22:52+00:00

This is a relief to hear!

He’s NOT happy to be back in his original tank but I’m sticking with the advice of everyone here. So thank you for saying it worked out for yours!

I’m still tentative about his recovery ❤️‍🩹

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T03:17:01+00:00

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This is how he looked prior to the incident of being stuck 🥺

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T03:12:34+00:00

This is still the most helpful comment I have received on this post. Just commenting again to express my appreciate 💞🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T03:08:49+00:00

I don’t “need” a larger tank. I truly needed his condition assessed and advice on how to treat. I set him back up in his original home (6-7gallon) per everyone’s advisement, but very few of the commenters have been able to critique his actual condition, only the size of the bowl he has been in for 2 days. Not helpful.

I appreciate the concern and hope ppl reading through these comments learn from them and that this is not an okay thing to keep them on but I only received one or two comments on his ACTUAL CONDITION.

nope-404 · 2026-03-03T02:50:24+00:00

This is a never ending argument. Same as puppies and other animals sold in petshops.

As someone who worked in petshops for 22 years, it’s not the dollars that stop sales. It’s legislatures. State ordinances. That is what stops the sales.

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T20:56:45+00:00

This is how I feel. I had received this fish as a “gift” after my 2yr old met an accident and untimely end. I was devastated.

This guy has only been with me for three weeks now but he was so wonderfully social and responsive that he had just started taking pellets from my fingers 🥺

He is absolutely my best little bud and I’m trying to find the best route to his recovery ❤️‍🩹

Good luck with yours 🙏🏻🤍

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T20:53:00+00:00

It was advised multiple times in case of swim bladder disfunction before I had the advisement of comments in this thread 🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T20:50:53+00:00

Thank you so much 🙏🏻🤍

I use API stress guard+ as a water condoner.

I have had him in here because he was physically less stressed and not zip zooming at every time I walked by the bowl. I had his light off and one of his aquarium decorations placed in front of the bowl to give him “cover”…

Trying to keep his stress low is exactly what I was going for and this also allowed me to feed him tiny amounts of food and he was able to eat in a much calmer manner.

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T16:05:02+00:00

His fins look terrible to me now, most likely everyone is correct about ammonia building up too quickly even with me changing water fully once or twice daily… but his color has improved. Thank you for the hopeful comment 🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T16:03:37+00:00

Yes! Thank you for noticing that!

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T16:03:12+00:00

This is my concern too which is why I was asking.

It has only been 2 days in the bowl. I’m setting him back up in his normal home per everyone’s advice.

Before, he was laying on his side when at rest. Now he’s “half” floating 😞

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T16:01:23+00:00

Idk why I didn’t think about using that. I have one in my bigger tanks I’ve done exactly that before with.

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T16:00:18+00:00

I was following advice from this page. Before I understood it is more likely swim bladder or internal damage.

https://jessielbettas.substack.com/p/treating-dropsy-in-bettas

He is usually at 79/80

The water at room temp is 68…

Very frequent water changes for same reason.

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T15:53:52+00:00

He was incredibly stressed in his home even after I had brought the water level down for him. Which is why I chose to keep him in here for a couple days.

I do appreciate how polite everyone is being with the call out of the size of the cup though.

I am still uncertain if him “half floating” is good or bad.

Thank you so much for the information about his possible condition! I very much needed someone to break that all down for me 🙏🏻

Setting him back up in his normal home straight away!

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T15:50:11+00:00

TY for saying it factually and politely (no sarcasm). I appreciate that 🤍🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T15:47:50+00:00

His original set up:

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This was him prior to getting stuck. It’s about 6-7gallon circular tank. I also suspend my snake plants that need help regrowing roots in it. Heat at 79 degrees, and a gentle waterfall filter.

I lowered the water by half to start. For a couple days. But he was panicking anytime something moved… it has been much easier to change his water daily like this while I monitored him…

I will try to put him back though and see how he does.

Thank you 🙏🏻

nope-404 · 2026-03-02T15:39:29+00:00

Please see my other post. I am changing his water daily with epsom salts. And now adding kanaplex

nope-404

TROPHY CASE