Seeking Advice for Lethargic Male Betta Fish in Distress

[smoosh]

Hi there! My male betta fish has been exhibiting concerning behavior for about 2 weeks now. He appears lethargic, doesn't come up to eat, and spends long periods of time laying on his side at the bottom of the tank in a curved position. I am not sure what he might be going through and how to help him.

Tank Parameters:

• Nitrate: 5-10 ppm
• Ammonia: 0 ppm
• Nitrite: 0 ppm
• pH: 7
• Temperature: 79°F

I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to address this situation and improve the well-being of my betta fish. Thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Ram419]

Hi! How long has the fish been in the tank? Has anything changed recently in the tank like lighting or habitat?

 

[smoosh]

Hi! How long has the fish been in the tank? Has anything changed recently in the tank like lighting or habitat?

Hi! I got my betta 9 months ago, and it's been in the tank for the past four months after I upgraded from its original 3-gallon tank to a 5.5-gallon tank. As for recent changes, I haven't made any adjustments to the tank's lighting or habitat.

 

[Endlersendlers]

What is your water maintenance regimen?

 

[smoosh]

Hi! I do a 25 percent wc every week.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Thanks for the quick reply. I wanted to give a head start to the person who comes along and knows more than me to give you good advice.

 

[BettaFishGirl]

I'm sorry to hear your Betta baby is not doing well! Some questions to get a better (or dare I say, "betta") understanding:

Where did you get him? (From a trusted breeder, LFS, chain pet store), and when you got him, was he healthy, or was it more of a rescue situation?
In the pictures it looked like he was swimming/laying sideways....is he constantly doing that?
Is his back curved?
When is the last time he has eaten?
Do his fins look torn, scratched, or like he has fin rot in any way?

Also a picture of the tank would be helpful. And are there any other things in the tank? (Shrimp, snails, fish etc.)

 

[TNG]

That’s a nice betta.

I’ll be honest and say there’s little hope that he’ll recover. There’s nothing wrong I can see in your tank that points to a problem, it may just be that he’s getting to the end of his natural life.

Some will tell you that their bettas live to 4 years or longer. That’s true, but it’s also true many don’t live longer than 2 years especially if they don’t have optimal water conditions before you give them the best life you can after they come under your care.

 

[Colin_T]

Can you post a video of the fish?
You can upload it to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here.
If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally so the footage fills the entire screen and doesn't have black bars on each side.

Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

What do you feed the fish?
How often do you feed the fish?

What does the fish's poop look like?

 

[smoosh]

I'm sorry to hear your Betta baby is not doing well! Some questions to get a better (or dare I say, "betta") understanding:

Where did you get him? (From a trusted breeder, LFS, chain pet store), and when you got him, was he healthy, or was it more of a rescue situation?
In the pictures it looked like he was swimming/laying sideways....is he constantly doing that?
Is his back curved?
When is the last time he has eaten?
Do his fins look torn, scratched, or like he has fin rot in any way?

Also a picture of the tank would be helpful. And are there any other things in the tank? (Shrimp, snails, fish etc.)

Hi! To answer your questions: I got my Betta from Petco, and he was healthy when I first brought him home. He's constantly laying down sideways, but thankfully, his back is not curved when he swims. I just fed him an hour ago, and he managed to get up and eat after a few minutes, though it's taking longer than before. His fins have been split at their ends for about 3-4 weeks now, and I've been keeping an eye on that too.

I have a mystery snail as his tankmate, and they've been getting along fine without any aggression issues. Thank you for your concern and for taking the time to ask these questions! Pictures of the tank are below:

 

[smoosh]

Can you post a video of the fish?
You can upload it to YouTube, then copy & paste the link here.
If you use a mobile phone to film the fish, hold the phone horizontally so the footage fills the entire screen and doesn't have black bars on each side.

Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

What sort of filter is on the tank?
How often and how do you clean the filter?

What do you feed the fish?
How often do you feed the fish?

What does the fish's poop look like?

Hi! Thank you for your questions! I gravel clean the substrate approximately once a month during water changes. As for the filter, I have an aquatop CAF-10 sponge filter in the tank. I clean the filter every month when I gravel clean the substrate. I feed him Aqueon Betta food, giving him 3 pellets once a day and I fast him every Sunday. The fish's poop looks small and round. Video:

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Do you know your water hardness? Bettas need to live in soft water

 

[smoosh]

Do you know your water hardness? Bettas need to live in soft water

Yes, my water hardness is very soft with 0-25 ppm GH.

 

[Colin_T]

You could try adding live or frozen (but defrosted) foods like brineshrimp, daphnia, prawn (use cooked if you have shrimp in the tank) and bloodworms. It might spur him on but he could be getting old and be on his last legs.

You could try doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate every day for a week. This can sometimes help but the tank looks pretty good he might just be feeling old and tired.

 

[smoosh]

You could try adding live or frozen (but defrosted) foods like brineshrimp, daphnia, prawn (use cooked if you have shrimp in the tank) and bloodworms. It might spur him on but he could be getting old and be on his last legs.

You could try doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate every day for a week. This can sometimes help but the tank looks pretty good he might just be feeling old and tired.

I'll definitely take your advice and add bloodworms to his diet to see if it spurs his appetite. Additionally, I'll start doing daily water changes and gravel cleaning for a week to see if that improves his condition. I truly appreciate your support and will keep you updated on his progress.