Betta Fish Sick? Need Help

[will031]

Hi, we got the betta fish 12 days ago and he's been fine every day since we got him. He's been swimming around normally and aggressively eat his food every morning. But today i woke up to feed him to see he's barely swimming around and had no interest in eating today. When he does swim it looks as if he's having trouble. The tank is 2 gallons. The first picture is how he looked when we got him and the other 3 are what he looks like this morning. It looks as if his top fins are twisted??? If you have any idea what is wrong please help. Thanks

 

[David1978]

Could you answer a few questions to hopefully get to the correct answer.
Tank temp?
Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?
Water changes?
Dechlorinator?
Filter?
Food?

 

[will031]

Temperature i assume would be room temperature.
I don't measure ammonia, nitrate or nitrites
I haven't done a water change yet as its been 13 days since i first put the water in
I have used a dechlorinator when i set the tank up 13 days ago
There is a filter
I gave him the dry blood worms for the first few days and its been flakes since

 

[David1978]

Bettas should be kept at 78-82* f
Typically water changes are done bi weekly to weekly .
Fish create ammonia which in a cycled tank will be broken all the way down to nitrates but I assume your tank isn't cycled since that takes a minimum of a month .
So in short I see 2 big problems temp and water conditions

 

[will031]

I've had betta fish before and always keep it a room temperature and never had any problems. With having a filter are water changes required that frequently? I've always done every 2-3 weeks and never had any problems. In terms of the fish is there a treatment I should do?

 

[will031]

Oh and i also had drops of a bacteria supplement with each water change.

 

[SeaAngel]

David 1978 is right. You have to have a filter, weekly water changes and a heater. I think your fish is suffering from ammonia and nitrate poisoning. Get some Seachem Prime ASAP. It will detoxify the poisons in the water. It won’t remove them but will protect your fish from the toxins. Read up on “Fish In Nitrogen Cycle”. Get an API Freshwater test kit and test your water. You will want to keep doing this until your tank is cycled. Do daily 25-50% water changes using the Prime until ammonia and nitrate drop. Watch nitrites too. Let us know if you have questions.

 

[SeaAngel]

David 1978 is right. You have to have a filter, weekly water changes and a heater. I think your fish is suffering from ammonia and nitrate poisoning. Get some Seachem Prime ASAP. It will detoxify the poisons in the water. It won’t remove them but will protect your fish from the toxins. Read up on “Fish In Nitrogen Cycle”. Get an API Freshwater test kit and test your water. You will want to keep doing this until your tank is cycled. Do daily 25-50% water changes using the Prime until ammonia and nitrate drop. Watch nitrites too. Let us know if you have questions.

Also, is his tank at least 2.5 gallons?

 

[David1978]

Original post said 2 gallons so water changes are extra important.

 

[Demeter32]

Sounds to me you didn't cycle the tank before adding your betta. Read up on the aquarium Nitrogen cycle to get a better idea of the problem. I suggest you change a good 75% of the water ASAP and then start doing at least bi-weekly 50% water changes till the tank is cycled, at which point you should go to once weekly 50% water changes.

It's obvious that his fins are clamped and he's not feeling well. Changing some of his water is your best bet. Bacterial supplements rarely worked perfectly right away.

 

[seangee]

Just to add to what the others have said about water changes - this is urgent, it won't wait till next week or even the weekend. It will really help your fish if you are able to get floating live plants in there asap. These will help reduce the poisons.

 

[NickAu]

I gave him the dry blood worms

Dry blood worms need to be pre soaked in a spoon of tank water for at least 20 minutes before feeding.

I've had betta fish before and always keep it a room temperature and never had any problems

You need a heater not having one in a tank that small causes too much temperature fluctuation, this stresses the fish and the stress weakens the Bettas immune system.

I don't measure ammonia, nitrate or nitrites

So how do you tell if you have ammonia nitrite or nitrate problems.

I haven't done a water change yet as its been 13 days since i first put the water in

Well there's the problem. Small tank not enough water changes.

That tank is way to bright for a Betta and it needs some floating plants and they will help with ammonia.

You can get away with not using a filter but you need live plants both in the substrate and floating ones and you must test your water.

 

[Colin_T]

The twisted dorsal (top) fin is either poor water quality or a bacterial or protozoan infection. All three issues can usually be remedied with big daily water changes and gravel cleaning. If there is no improvement after a week of water changes then look at getting a broad spectrum fish medication that treats, fungus, bacteria and protozoans. However, try water changes and gravel cleans first, especially in a small tank or tank without filtration.

Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

Keep the water temperature between 24-28C.

 

[Phil Fish]

Without a filter with a tank that size you should be doing at least a 30% water change once or twice a week and at least once a month clean the entire tank. Please invest in a small filter like the Tetra Whisper filter for 1-3 gallons. Personally I made my own custom nano sponge/biological filter for my 2.5 gallon Betta tank and it works perfectly.

 

[NickAu]

and at least once a month clean the entire tank.

Please explain this once a month tank cleaning.

Here what you need to do in an unfiltered tank.

You need live plants including floating ones,

50% water change every other day.
Maybe vacuum the substrate, I never vacuum.
Clean the glass from the outside,
Maybe use a sponge to clean the glass from the inside.

Thats it, nothing else