Help please?

[Prizm]

Hello, I have a betta in a one gallon fish bowl with an under gravel filtration system. He is extremely active, and swims about the bowl throughout the day, but lately I noticed a strange behavior where he rubs against the rocks, and/or his plastic plant and then lays down motionless...about ten minutes later, he's up and swimming again. --Could this be a sign of stress or illness? The "bowl" is actually triangular in shape, and I think the sides are reflective, so my first thought is that he might be afraid of the imaginary fish following him around constantly.

Is laying down typicall of betas, or do you think he's sick?

I'd appreciate any advice or insight into this!

Thanks!
~Prizm

 

[Kiarra]

Look VERY closely at him under a good light. Does he have white spots on his body that he didn't used to have? It would look like someone sprinkled salt or sugar over his body. If he has those spots, then he has ich.

Does he look like he has been sprinkled with a very fine gold dust? If he does, then that's velvet.

Both of which are parasites.

If possible, raise the bowl temperature to approximately 84-85 degrees Fahrenheit and visit a pet store. I've used a product called "Quick Cure" that I got from Walmart in the past for Ich, and it worked VERY well for me in a matter of a few days. I'm sure others can recommend other medications.

 

[yeeviabetta]

How long did you do the water changing last time? It sound like bacteria is biting him. Time to change the water.

 

[Prizm]

I don't see any powder or speckles, but there are two guppies sharing the pad, and they display rubbing behavior too, so I'll take your advice on changing the water and getting some ick medicine. Can't be too careful ---About the water changes. Since the filtration system is an undergravel filter, should I scoop out the water with a cup, leaving the fish waste at the bottom of the tank (for the filter sucks everything under the gravel) or do I need to remove the fish and everything in the "bowl," providing a full water change each week?

 

[yeeviabetta]

What are the two guppies doing in that one gallon tank with the betta? Get a 10 gallon tank and put all together.
Of course change all the water since it is a 1 gallon tank. Makesure the water is aged and treated with conditional too.

 

[jesssa]

you probably shouldn't have guppies in with a betta [assuming they are fancy guppies with tails n such?]

but you can scoop out the water with a cup, or you can do a full change. when we had our betta in a smaller bowl we did a full water change, but now we keep him in a 5 gallon and we do partial changes with a cup. i would probably do larger quantity changes/full changes with your bowl as it is only one gallon. and see if you can hike those guppies into a new location.

 

[Prizm]

*smacks* I know I know "one gal per fish." But you have to understand, this was a rescue operation! The guppies were feeders from another person's tank, and the beta was to live in a cup. I can't afford a real tank, so this was the best I could manage. ...Don't kill me, but there are two guppies and the one beta. Anyway, I want to keep the water clean, but I'm worried about stressing the fish out. Would scooping the fish out once a week be a problem? Or do you think I should focus on parshal changings?

---Thanks for all your help so far!

 

[Prizm]

Oh, thanks Jessa! I think we posted at the same time because I missed your post! They are fancy-tailed, but still young, and one is female (I thought both were female, but "life finds a way" as they say in Jurrasic Park. ) The male's tail was eaten by a gorami when he was a baby, and it is still quite small.

 

[Kiarra]

If they are proper "feeder" (read: plain, without big, fancy tails) Guppies, and are too big for the Betta to eat, then he probably isn't going to bother them if he hasn't by now. In the future, you may consider getting them a one gallon tank for themselves, and let the Betta keep the current one gallon. Or the other way around.

As for the water changes, then I would suggest a FULL water change for the initial water change, at the least. If you can do more full water changes after that, then definitely do, but at least a (large!) partial water change every day while these fish are showing these unusual behaviors is a good idea, and while you are medicating them. Considering it's such a small tank, then that shouldn't be too difficult.

Most fish get used to full water changes if they are done gently and with concern for the fish involved. A little care goes a long way in reducing stress for them, and the clean water is a VERY good thing any time, but especially while they are sick.

When my Bettas were ill with ich (read: total ich epidemic), I treated them with "Quick Cure" and changed the water everyday. All of them lived.

If it's not ich, though, don't treat them for it. Give them some Aquarium Salt (good for both Betta and Guppies). I don't know if the Guppies would come to harm from something like an Indian Almond Leaf or Blackwater Extract, but it works wonders on the health and peace of mind of Bettas.

 

[Prizm]

Thank you for your advice! I'm curious about the salt..how is it helpful? (And how much should I use for a one gallon?)

 

[Kiarra]

First of all, it has to be aquarium salt! It's really inexpensive, can be found almost anywhere. It has instructions for dosing on the carton, but for a one gallon, it's 1/2 TSP of salt dosing.

Aquarium Salt:
Reduces stess and adds electrolytes
Improves gill function
Improves osmoregulation
Speeds disease recovery

That's just what they mention on the box.

Truly, it discourages parasites like ich and velvet, and diseases like finrot and bacterial infections. Great stuff, really. I use it in every tank at every water change (and that's significant...I have a LOT of tanks). One of the big things I've noticed is that my fish seem a lot more calm and less prone to illness of any sort since I started using aquarium salt.

 

[Prizm]

Thanks! I'll give that a try!