When I got my first PKs in from Thailand more than a week ago, one of them - the Fancy Red Marble in my avatar - was acting a little weird. He ate, flared at the other fish, and did the usual things bettas do, BUT he would also go to the top to get air and take several gulps. It was strange though: he almost looked like he was 'biting' the surface of the water.

Well, within the week it got worse. He stayed at the top, 'biting' the surface constantly. I was really concerned... I absolutely LOVE this little guy! He's so unusual - you don't see a lot of bettas with red and yellow on the same fish.

On Wednesday, my Platinum Sunshine PKs came from BluebettaUSA (really nice - AND he sent me an EXTRA PAIR just because the 'box looked empty!') so I called Bryan to thank him for being so generous.

He's great to talk fish with! And in the course of our conversation, I told him about my boy. I had tried antibiotics, anti-parasitic medications, and nothing seemed to be helping.

Bryan told me that sometimes in the course of shipping, a betta's air bladder can get injured. He wasn't biting the surface of the water - he couldn't get oxygen and was frantically trying to take in as much air as he could.

He instructed me to change the water to get all the medication out of the container. Some meds can inhibit the water's ability to hold oxygen. He also told me to cool down his container - cooler water also holds more oxygen than warm. THEN he told me to put an airstone in with him.

WELL... later that night he was in the lower level of the jar. He wasn't gasping at the surface, AND he even ate! Today, he's doing even better, and is even flaring at his future mate!

There's no guarantee he's going to make it, though I'm a lot more hopeful now than I was Wednesday, but he looks like he's on the road to recovery!

THANKS BRYAN!!! I owe you one! I appreciate you taking the time to help those of us with less experience, and am glad you're a part of this forum! :thanks:

that is a great story hal. i am glad that your pk is doing much better. it was really nice of bryan to offer advice like that too. one of the best aspects of fishkeeping is meeting all the wonderful and helpful people out there.

I had wondered where you got that beautiful PK in your avatar. I'm glad he's on his way to recovery and I've never heard about this until now. Isn't it cool how we have all these betta experts at our forums to help us in our specific needs?

Glad to hear he's doing better, Hal and thanks for the kind words !

I just try to do my part and contribute where I can !

BRFriends - I never heard of this either. But it makes sense.

I got the Fancy Red Marble PK from Tapong Betta in Thailand. I'm turning into a PK freak, and LOVE the vivid colors they have. When I saw the photo of this guy, I had to have him...

Bryan - I'm glad I asked you about him! I assumed it was either bacterial or parasitic, and it never occurred to me that it might be an injury.

Thanks again...