2 more...

[goldenpuon]

From the same tank as the female who got beat up and the two others who randomly showed up with the trouble swimming upward, 2 more are having a problem. Dawn and Ellie. I noticed Ellie was having a bit of trouble swimming upward and getting to the top a few weeks ago. Just now, I pulled out Dawn for the same reason, only added to Ellie, probelms, she was not eating. Dawn has had the swimming problem for almost a year but it was pretty mild up until now. Ellie and Dawn are not related other than I got both of their mothers at the same petstore. Both were also born at my house. Dawn is 1 year and 6 months (perhap a bit more) and Ellie is about 1 year and 4 months old. Ellie is the one who has always seemed fat. She has been like that her whole life. He mother was also pretty fat until she first spawned.

Anyway, I tested my water before I took them out and got the following.

PH: 7.1
KH: 100 or less
GH: 150
Nitrate: 15
Nitrite: 0
Ammonia: 0
Chlorine: 0

I checked their tank and found nothing wrong. I did water change on the 4 gallon they were in that still houses 2 female bettas. I put the Dawn and Ellie in 1/3 filled gallon containers. I am not heating them as the container filled with water I put my betta container in to heat them does not have anymore room and if I put them in at this point, it would mean they would have to go in the back which means I couldn't see them easily. Plus the I would have to pull out 2 males and subject them to the temperature change. I am not sure what caused this. I know from having this problems so many times that they should recover but the mystery is why it keeps happening...

[Carl]

These are Bettas right? Sorry I am not good with names and I am getting so many emails and phone calls in a day, I have trouble keeping things straight.

If so, your water parameters are good.

You may have a latent infection of some sort, by am cautious to go with more meds here.

This is a case if you lived around the corner I would just come by and snap on a UV Sterilizer for a month.

Obviously this is not the case so you may consider something relatively inert such as Melafix.

If at some time in the future you want to "bomb" your tank with meds; first get several healthy sponge filters or other filter media going (well seasoned), then store them in healthy tanks with normal bio loads. Then start a really strong medication regimen with Erythromycin and Kanamycin, which is sure to damage your bio filter, so this is where you constantly rotate in some healthy seasoned filters every 2-4 days.
I am NOT saying to do this now, it may be something to do in the future with good planing ahead so that you do not kill off your fish with ammonia poisoning while trying to treat an unknown pathogen.

Carl

[goldenpuon]

Thanks Carl. Whatever it is, its is not fatal. At least the fish can live happily even if they have it for the rest of their lives though as I've said in the past, the less stressed teh fish are, the less their condition affects them. The cause, I wish you could come here with a microscope and tell me! lol Oh well, the fish will be ok, it'll just take a bit fro them to feel lik their old selves again.