A while ago I posted about my betta who was suffering from old age, and wasnt getting around the tank very well. He's gradually just got worse. He lays on his side all the time, buries his head in the rocks... alot of people will look in the tank, and say he's dead, but then when I walk up to the tank, he attempts to swim to the surface for food. When i do feed him, sometimes he'll just look at it like he wants it, but cant move because it hurts, other times he tries, but kinda just plops back down on his side after he gets a bite. Lately he just seems like he is in alot of pain. My oldest living betta was 6 years before he passed away, he seemed very active and healthy for his age. I guess my question is, has anyone ever euthanasied a betta because they were so old that they werent really getting around anymore, and just seemed like they were in alot of pain all the time? Ive been concidering it, but part of me says its wrong.

Poor Betta!
That is a tough decision that I haven't had to make yet. I don't think it would be "wrong" to do it and it sometimes just necessary when making the decision of what is best for your fish.
I was trying to make this decision a couple of nights ago for Fiona, but she died anyway. The hardest thing for me was if I would have to wonder if I did the "right" thing or if she could possibly have gotten better if I had tried. So I decided that I would try, but if she didn't improve at all very quickly, I knew I would have to do it the next day and not let her suffer.
But yours is suffering from old age not a sickness that might get better, so that is even harder.
I wish you the best with whatever you decide.

"Old Age"? Maybe your betta had something else that made him unable to move around or retrive foods. It think it's not because of age that makes your betta goes idiosyncratic beause if you are able to raise your betta until 6 years, of course i bet that you gave perfection ways to keep you betta strong enough..It woul'dt be age i might say. Maybe something behind "scene"?

Tough decisions. Part of me feels that what Fishrpets stated about it's better to let them go since they are not in the best condition. But part of me feels that Vinson might be on to something and that there's somethign besides age that is making him (specialy) not want to eat. We all know how greedy bettas are at feeding, maybe he was an internal infection? It would explain his pain as well as his lack of appetite as well as old age. Maybe try for a week and see if it's treatable?

Its not that he just recently started to get like this, its just gradually gotten worse as he got older. He is a very old fish. Everything in the tank is up to par, and he seems happy for the most part, except he seems like he is becoming more and more crippled. He still eats, just not as well. Sometimes, when i feed him he just sits there, alot of the time he will swim for the food, but is very slow, and swims very funny. At first I thought he may have broke something, because his back end moved funny. I still have no idea what to do. I dont think anything is wrong with him except for old age. I just feel awful for him. I dont know what to do. Its just so depressing to see him like this. Its such a hard decision. I also agree that one part of me says hes miserable and put him our of his misery, and another part thinks what if he will get better, and its some type of illness he may have..... but i just really dont think it is... and if i did euthaniz him, part of me will keep telling myself that maybe he could have gotten better.

Aw, BigRed, I see what you meant now. You love him, and sometimes love means we have to let them go even when we don't want to.

I dont think I could euthanize my betta no matter how much I feel like I should. I feel so bad for him. I never thought making a decision like this would be sooo difficult. My betta Big Blue who died after I had him for 6 years, never got like this. He was sooo happy and healthy, and then one day when I went to his tank in the morning, he was gone.. Ive never had a betta get so crippled looking and acting like this.

Aw, poor old fella. I have an old guy who is very thin, and is not looking his best, but he still seems fairly agile thank goodness.

That's a hard decision to make for sure! I had a goldfish recently who was sick for months (she had a bad tumor). I was in your situation, wondering what to do. Some days she would seem to be suffering so much, but then the next she was swimming and eating pretty well. Eventually things got to the point where I had no choice, fit rot set in and she developed ulcers, it was clear that despite the medications, etc. she wasn't going to make it to the end of the week.

My only advice is if you're sure that there is no hope, and your fish seems to be truly suffering, than maybe putting him out of his misery would be the best choice .

Good luck.
Christina