Wow
So I have had a red male betta fish for about a year now it's was a gift from a close friend. And it came with a .25gallon tank, and in the beginning he was a very happy fish and moved a lot all day and ate very well but now he sits in the bottom of his bowl and doesn't move much and when I feed him (a tiny pinch everyday) he won't eat and to top it all off I think he might has fin rot from what I've read so far and I just don't like seeing him like that he just looks really sad. I clean his tank every 1-2 weeks. So I feel he might be sick because of the fin rot that makes him not feel good but idk much about fish to say so what can I do to help him??? And also to treat his tail? I will attach some photos to show how he looks.
HELP! I don't know what's wrong with my betta!
- Thread starter Bettamomm
- Start date
To put it simply, his living conditions have brought on the fin rot which seems to have progressed to dropsy which is often a fatal disease. Bettas need a heated and filtered tank that it at least 5 gallons. They may be "hardy" but they still need the same treatment as any other tropical fish.
To keep the water clean in that small a bowl you should have been doing water changes every day or at least every other day. When you cleaned his bowl how did you do it? If you removed the fish and gave all the gravel a good rinse then that would be the bad way to do it. Because there is no filter, all the good bacteria that breaks down the fish waste was living in the gravel, which will get rinsed away or killed if the gravel is clean, especially with hot/cold water. This would effectively disrupt the Nitrogen Cycle, leading to high ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, which leads to the majority of fish illnesses.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. You can try epsom salts to draw out the fluids that are making him swell up and his scales stick out, but I can't say I've ever been able to cure dropsy. Find a clean 1 gallon or half gallon bucket and add one teaspoon of epsom salt per gallon. You should also add some fake silk plants so he can rest of them and reach the surface more easily. You will also want to get the water temp to 76-80 degrees.
To keep the water clean in that small a bowl you should have been doing water changes every day or at least every other day. When you cleaned his bowl how did you do it? If you removed the fish and gave all the gravel a good rinse then that would be the bad way to do it. Because there is no filter, all the good bacteria that breaks down the fish waste was living in the gravel, which will get rinsed away or killed if the gravel is clean, especially with hot/cold water. This would effectively disrupt the Nitrogen Cycle, leading to high ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates, which leads to the majority of fish illnesses.
I don't mean to sound harsh, but I wouldn't hold out much hope. You can try epsom salts to draw out the fluids that are making him swell up and his scales stick out, but I can't say I've ever been able to cure dropsy. Find a clean 1 gallon or half gallon bucket and add one teaspoon of epsom salt per gallon. You should also add some fake silk plants so he can rest of them and reach the surface more easily. You will also want to get the water temp to 76-80 degrees.
Well I'm gonna try to treat him as well as I can thank you so much didn't know about dropsy. I looked it up and all the symptoms are what he has so thanks for the help.
I agree. I do not hold much hope he will survive especially in a unheated tank.
What do you feed him? How much is a small pinch.
With an unfiltered small tank like that you should be doing 50% water change every other day, and you should be using seachem prime to treat the water.
GobyMaster11276
Fish Crazy
To start, that tank is too small. Bowls are not very ideal because of there shape. You need a heater, and a filter. Not to mention you need to be testing the water about weekly, and you would probably need a bubbler. Your water changes aren't done often enough. Do you have water conditioner? Did you cycle the tank before putting him in? When you say you clean, please be more specific. Do you take out all the water? If so, you are making a mistake. Please test your water and repair it accordingly. Get a bigger tank. Do water changes daily, and get medication for the fish. If you do all of that, your fish might have a chance, although he doesn't look like he's going to survive at this rate.
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