I need help with my betta.

[Colin_T]

Your fish is not going to starve, you don't have to worry about that just yet. If he still hasn't eaten anything in a month then we worry about him starving.

You don't normally buy live Brineshrimp online.
But they are usually delivered to petshops once a week because it is a live food and usually dies at the shop within a few days, unless they have a nice tank for it. Perhaps call the local petshops and ask if they have any live brineshrimp available. If they don't, then ask if they carry it and when it comes in. Then go to the shop on the day it comes in and buy a small bag of it.

If you do manage to buy a small bag of live brineshrimp, pour it into a bowl and keep it in the fridge. Then use a spoon to scoop a few out and put them in with the fish. He should eat them and if he doesn't there is a problem with the water quality, temperature or a disease.

You could also ask if they carry live daphnia. It is a small freshwater crustacean that most fish love.

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Your temperature is fine at 78F.

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The water quality could be an issue especially if you are adding food and it is not being eaten. Any food in the water will create ammonia and that will stress and even kill fish. An established filter will remove any ammonia from the water but the filter must be established and have lots of beneficial bacteria living in it.
If you don't have an ammonia or nitrite test kit, take a glass full of tank water to the petshop and have them test the water for ammonia, nitrite & pH. Write the results down on a piece of paper and put them on here. The results will be numbers like: ammonia 0.25; nitrite 1.0; pH 6.8.
If the shop says the water is fine ask them what the actual readings were. We need the numbers.

If you can't get to the petshop for a few days, then do another water change. Change 75% of the tank water and replace it with water that has no chlorine/ chloramine in. Gravel clean the tank too just in case there are little bits of food in the gravel.

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You can usually buy live aquarium plants online. Do a Google search or check Ebay or Craig's list or Gumtree, (depending on what country you live in) and see about buying some from there. Or ask the local petshop to order you some in. Ask the petshop for Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thallictroides). It is a floating plant but also does well when planted in the gravel.
Petshops usually get live plants in each week so find out if they can order you some plants and then go and pick them up when they are delivered.

 

[J CZA]

Your fish is not going to starve, you don't have to worry about that just yet. If he still hasn't eaten anything in a month then we worry about him starving.

You don't normally buy live Brineshrimp online.
But they are usually delivered to petshops once a week because it is a live food and usually dies at the shop within a few days, unless they have a nice tank for it. Perhaps call the local petshops and ask if they have any live brineshrimp available. If they don't, then ask if they carry it and when it comes in. Then go to the shop on the day it comes in and buy a small bag of it.

If you do manage to buy a small bag of live brineshrimp, pour it into a bowl and keep it in the fridge. Then use a spoon to scoop a few out and put them in with the fish. He should eat them and if he doesn't there is a problem with the water quality, temperature or a disease.

You could also ask if they carry live daphnia. It is a small freshwater crustacean that most fish love.

------------------------
Your temperature is fine at 78F.

------------------------
The water quality could be an issue especially if you are adding food and it is not being eaten. Any food in the water will create ammonia and that will stress and even kill fish. An established filter will remove any ammonia from the water but the filter must be established and have lots of beneficial bacteria living in it.
If you don't have an ammonia or nitrite test kit, take a glass full of tank water to the petshop and have them test the water for ammonia, nitrite & pH. Write the results down on a piece of paper and put them on here. The results will be numbers like: ammonia 0.25; nitrite 1.0; pH 6.8.
If the shop says the water is fine ask them what the actual readings were. We need the numbers.

If you can't get to the petshop for a few days, then do another water change. Change 75% of the tank water and replace it with water that has no chlorine/ chloramine in. Gravel clean the tank too just in case there are little bits of food in the gravel.

------------------------
You can usually buy live aquarium plants online. Do a Google search or check Ebay or Craig's list or Gumtree, (depending on what country you live in) and see about buying some from there. Or ask the local petshop to order you some in. Ask the petshop for Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thallictroides). It is a floating plant but also does well when planted in the gravel.
Petshops usually get live plants in each week so find out if they can order you some plants and then go and pick them up when they are delivered.

Thanks, ill do the water change tomorrow. And ill call the petsmart. I dont know, maby he has a parasite? Or maby I dont see him eat. Im just worried because i got him about a week ago and havent seen him eat. So I dont know if he wasnt eating at the store or how long he has been acting like this. I didnt get him from petsmart because all of there betta had multiple diseases so I got him at walmart (I don't even want to know how well they take care of the fish) but they were looking healthy. Whats the diffrence vetween water sprite and frogbit, Just the size?

 

[Colin_T]

Water Sprite and Frogbit are completely different looking plants. I have added some links below that show them.
Water Sprite looks like a normal plant with stems and roots and can grow on the surface or planted in the gravel. Frogbit has little round leaves and only grows on the surface.

There are 2 species of Water Sprite but they both look similar and can be kept in the same way. Get whichever one is available to you.

Frogbit
http://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Details/286

Water Sprite growing on the surface
https://www.azgardens.com/product/water-sprite-floating-plant/

Water Sprite growing in a pot with gravel
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3P9T64/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[J CZA]

Water Sprite and Frogbit are completely different looking plants. I have added some links below that show them.
Water Sprite looks like a normal plant with stems and roots and can grow on the surface or planted in the gravel. Frogbit has little round leaves and only grows on the surface.

There are 2 species of Water Sprite but they both look similar and can be kept in the same way.

Frogbit
http://weeds.dpi.nsw.gov.au/Weeds/Details/286

Water Sprite growing on the surface
https://www.azgardens.com/product/water-sprite-floating-plant/

Water Sprite growing in a pot with gravel
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00T3P9T64/?tag=ff0d01-20

Ih thats what it is... I thoght it was the stuff like frogbit but alot smaller. Will water sprite need any added stuff to the tank or is it like a moss ball maintenance level.

 

[Colin_T]

water sprite loves fertiliser and light but does not need any added fertiliser and will be fine with low light. If you have Java Moss, moss balls, etc and they are growing, then Water Sprite should be fine.

It grows faster as a floating plants and produces lots of baby plants that you can leave to float or plant in the gravel. It is in my opinion, the best floating plants for Betta splendens (your fish).

 

[J CZA]

water sprite loves fertiliser and light but does not need any added fertiliser and will be fine with low light. If you have Java Moss, moss balls, etc and they are growing, then Water Sprite should be fine.

It grows faster as a floating plants and produces lots of baby plants that you can leave to float or plant in the gravel. It is in my opinion, the best floating plants for Betta splendens (your fish).

Ok. Yea ill try to get some.

 

[J CZA]

and today he is

water sprite loves fertiliser and light but does not need any added fertiliser and will be fine with low light. If you have Java Moss, moss balls, etc and they are growing, then Water Sprite should be fine.

It grows faster as a floating plants and produces lots of baby plants that you can leave to float or plant in the gravel. It is in my opinion, the best floating plants for Betta splendens (your fish).

He is acting like he has clamped fins, not swimming much only using the 2 little fins to move around. he has been chilling at the bottom of the tank with his top fins looking compacted. He was acting better yesterday but do you think that all these symptoms are part of this? laying at the bottom of the tank and mostly hiding, not eating. I don't know if its stress or water quality, i did a water test and nitrates were 0 and all the numbers were good/ I did a 20% waterchange and he was kinda acting better.

 

[Colin_T]

need a picture of the fish and we need the numbers for the test results.

if the fish seemed to get better after a water change, do a bigger water change because it is probably a water quality issue. Just make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

 

[J CZA]

need a picture of the fish and we need the numbers for the test results.

if the fish seemed to get better after a water change, do a bigger water change because it is probably a water quality issue. Just make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

I dont know if he is just a small fish but he is moveing around more. My other betta is breathing heavy. Im doing a 20% waterchange at 7am and maby another 20 for him at the end of the day... it might be dirty water or somthing.. im out of test kits. There expensive 4 tests for $6. I might feed the fish a skinned pea. I heard they help somehow. Its 4 am and i couldent sleep because I stress about my fish, its spooky. Also my tap water dosent have chlorine And I add conditioner. The nitrates might be high or somthing, my mystery snail is acting like a tard.

 

[Colin_T]

Poor water quality can affect snails and shrimp before it affects fish. So if your snail is acting unusual it could be water quality.

If you live in a city then you probably have chlorine or chloramine in the mains water supply and you need to add a dechlorinator to any new water before it goes in the tank. Fill a "Fish Only" bucket with water, add dechlorinator, aerate for 30minutes or longer before using it in the tank.

If you use rain water make sure the rain water tank is clean and doesn't have anything bad in it, leaves, bird, animal. Same deal with well water, make sure it is clean. It's a good idea to check well and rain water for pH and nitrates before using, just in case something has gotten into the supply.

It's a good idea to aerate well and rain water for 30 minutes or longer before use too.

But right now, go to bed and deal with this after you have had some sleep

 

[J CZA]

Poor water quality can affect snails and shrimp before it affects fish. So if your snail is acting unusual it could be water quality.

If you live in a city then you probably have chlorine or chloramine in the mains water supply and you need to add a dechlorinator to any new water before it goes in the tank. Fill a "Fish Only" bucket with water, add dechlorinator, aerate for 30minutes or longer before using it in the tank.

If you use rain water make sure the rain water tank is clean and doesn't have anything bad in it, leaves, bird, animal. Same deal with well water, make sure it is clean. It's a good idea to check well and rain water for pH and nitrates before using, just in case something has gotten into the supply.

It's a good idea to aerate well and rain water for 30 minutes or longer before use too.

But right now, go to bed and deal with this after you have had some sleep

Yea, sounds like a good idea. Ill just do the waterchanges. Thanks.