Lethargic New Male

[floppydee]

My addiction to Bettas is great fun! I have happy healthy Males...except for my last addition. I bought this one because I loved his color, however I knew he wasn't "perky" , and the water he was in was extremely dirty.

He is in a 1 gal bowl. He is still eating, but he doesn't really swim. He tries to make it to the top and then just floats back down to the bottom. He keeps floating to one side-its strange the way he moves is almost like he has broken bones??? His body is like croked (spelling???). There are about 10 HUGE bubbles on top-I am assuming this is because he is not getting oxygen??

I have had him since Friday....I know it doesn't look or sound good but is there anything I can do?? Thankx!

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

Just keep doing small water changes with dechlorinator/water conditioner and add a little aquarium salt to his tank- keeping the water levels fairly low in the tank will also help him make it to the surface for extra oxygen. Just remember not to overfeed him as he is still settling into his new enviroment, also keeping the tank in a nice dark and quiet place will help lower his stress levels .
If anyone else can add to this feel free

 

[floppydee]

Okay I did a 50% water change, added a little salt water, and didn't fill the water as high this time. We'll see what happens-thankx for the response!

 

[Elise]

My friend got a fish much like that. Hers is a CT and it has a spinal deformity where he appears to be sitting. His entire body is shaped kinda like a semi-circle. She keeps him in a shallow bowl, maybe 3-4 inches deep max and gives him plenty of big leafy plants to lay on and he just lays on the leafs closest to the top so all he has to do is raise his head and breathe air. When he was in his cup, he couldn't swim to the top, he'd struggle, then slide back down. Maybe yours has the same problem.

Keep the water level low, and give him big leafy silk plant to lay on that reaches the surface of the water. Also, I've noticed that my friend's fish has a hard time getting the food, so try and feed it right in front of him. If he doesn't seem to eat, try holding live bloodworms right in front of him. THe extra protein couldn't hurt him either!

Keep us posted!