Inherited betta may be getting worse

[bettanovice]

Hello, these are photos of the beta my parents have been keeping under poor conditions. I knew something was wrong so I took him under my wing. Got a 10 gallon and a heater. These are photos of him in the little bowl and the photos of him when I moved him in the tank.

Fast forward 4 days later and I think he’s looking worse.

He sits on top of the heater a lot. I’m afraid of jacking the temperature high too quickly so I adjusted it to 70F for now. I am going to adjust it higher. His fins look a bit more frayed. He does swim around instead of staying at the top or bottom of the tank, but he likes resting on top of the heater. I added prime and dechlorinated the water, also Stress zyme.

Would appreciate some help. I realize my parents did not take good care of him and I want to know what I can do to make him comfortable and cute him if he is sick. They insisted that we put the tank next to an always lit Christmas tree so that probably stresses him out

 

[Ellie11]

So sad. I hope he gets better and some people here who know a lot can help you He is very prety

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Hi there, well done for wanting to get this fish looked after properly!

First question...have you cycled your tank?

 

[bettanovice]

Hi there, well done for wanting to get this fish looked after properly!

First question...have you cycled your tank?

Hey Captain, I’ve read about how important it is to cycle my tank. I was considering waiting for longer after taking ownership of him and cycle the tank with food, but people online blamed me for my parents putting him in awful conditions and I freaked out and put him in a 10 gallon without cycling it properly….it’s been hard convincing them. I use prime daily to try to make sure it cycles while he’s in it.

Should I take him out? What can I do?

 

[Oblio]

Hey Captain, I’ve read about how important it is to cycle my tank. I was considering waiting for longer after taking ownership of him and cycle the tank with food, but people online blamed me for my parents putting him in awful conditions and I freaked out and put him in a 10 gallon without cycling it properly….it’s been hard convincing them. I use prime daily to try to make sure it cycles while he’s in it.

Should I take him out? What can I do?

Daily large (50-75%) water changes, make sure you vacuum up any food and poop while changing. If it were me, since the fish is stressed, try to match the temp of the replacement water. Since it is a small tank, condition water before adding to tank. Unplug heater before the change. It will take weeks to complete the cycle, so be patient, read the sticky on Cycling.

Do you have a filter?
A water test kit?

Cycle Your Tank! A Complete Guide For Beginners

Fishless cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycling-your-new-fresh-water-tank-read-this-first.421488/ Silent or plant cycling https://www.fishforums.net/threads/planted-silent-cycling.470400/ Fish-in cycling...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Naughts]

"He sits on top of the heater a lot. I’m afraid of jacking the temperature high too quickly so I adjusted it to 70F for now."
[/QUOTE]
I appreciate that you don't want to shock him but betta need 77- 80°…you may know that already but some people don't realize their requirements are warmer than a lot of the tropical fish species.

 

[NannaLou]

Lots of fast growing live plants. They will help with the water quality and hive him somewhere to hide and rest.

 

[Rocky998]

Add some decor... Like a floating bettas log and some tall plants... He is probably really stressed. And you may want to add a simple sponge filter if you dont already have a filter in there