Sick Betta? Looking For Advice

[NickAu]

 
We also have hard water though - very hard actually,

I wonder if its the water causing the issues?

 

[betta fish]

His behaviour is a bit strange, almost as if he is scared, have you noticed a pattern of him being ok in the morning and then not in the evening? if you find that he eats in the morning I would just feed him 3 pellets in the morning, that is what I do with mine, they don't get an evening meal.
Have you moved the tank recently? is it the light perhaps? how long is it on and for and what times? It may help to get more cover for the tank such as floating plants as bettas do not like strong lighting and it will make him feel more secure.
Keep an eye on any changes in breathing i.e fast and change in colour as that could mean he is ill.

 

[sebbutcher]

Thanks for your replies.
 
 

 
I wonder if its the water causing the issues?
 

 
I guess it's possible, although the water hasn't changed since we first got him so it would seem strange if it suddenly caused a change in his behaviour now. I haven't ever measured the hardness of the water (I don't have the relevant kits) but the local area is known for hard water and limescale more than some other areas of the UK. I don't know what ranges would be acceptable for Betta's to be honest or how I'd go about find this out?
 
 
 

His behaviour is a bit strange, almost as if he is scared, have you noticed a pattern of him being ok in the morning and then not in the evening? if you find that he eats in the morning I would just feed him 3 pellets in the morning, that is what I do with mine, they don't get an evening meal.
Have you moved the tank recently? is it the light perhaps? how long is it on and for and what times? It may help to get more cover for the tank such as floating plants as bettas do not like strong lighting and it will make him feel more secure.
Keep an eye on any changes in breathing i.e fast and change in colour as that could mean he is ill.

 
He seems to be more active in the morning than the evening at the moment for sure. He ate again this morning and was swimming around a bit more again, which is encouraging but I'll have to see how he is later.
 
There's been no changes to the tank position at all, it's currently in the corner of the living room, it's not directly in front of a window, although it does get light from the sun in the afternoon from a window on the other side of the room. The light is also the same and hasn't changed, it's on a timer and comes on at 7:30 and goes off at 22:30 (I know this might be frowned on as it's over 12 hours but we like watching him! If this needs to change, I will adjust it) He does have some floating ferns, although I would like to get some more plants in the tank so happy to do that anyway and there are areas of the tank in the shade.
 
His breathing is looking fine, quite normal and not fast, which is good. Likewise his colour seems good too, doesn't look dull and he's not grey under the chin - however, I've had the lights off the last day and a half so haven't seen him in full light. Apart from his clamped fins he looks in good shape.
 
The only thing which has changed recently is the addition of the Oto Catfish (NickAu - I will check whether it's appropriate for him to stay in this tank in more detail, fortunately he is settling in OK at the moment though) I know introducing new fish to a tank does often cause the existing fish to act a bit strange for a week or so (we also have a 2ft tank which has undergone stocking changes). This Betta is not the most aggressive and he is quite shy, so I suppose there is a very slim chance he's sulking because he's got something else in his tank with him as he's been solitary for so long, but it just seems like a very unlikely reaction?

 

[Essjay]

Your hardness should be somewhere on your water supplier's website. They could use one of several different units so if you can find the info, make a note of the unit they use as well as the number.

 

[Wildbetta]

I can personally not see anything really wrong with your boy.  His color is vibrant and his fins do not look bad at all.  Also all your husbandry for the tank seems to be really good.  While your water may be hard, most domestic bettas can handle a wide array of water types without issue so I wouldn't not think this had anything to do with it unless there were any changes done through your water company lately.

However, my thoughts are on the oto.  It is possible that it brought in something and you are starting to see some early signs of an issue -- particularly velvet.  While this may not be the case, it is something to be watching for.  Stuff to watch for:  continued lethargy, clamped fins, flashing (scratching), sitting at the surface taking breaths but not seeming to get the oxygen,and/or a dust-like coating or spots on the betta which often appears goldish or greyish white.

On another issue, Nick is correct in saying that the oto is not right for your tank. They are a fish that really needs a group of at least 6 of its own kind which would require closer to a 15-20 gallon tank.

 

[sebbutcher]

Thanks for your replies over the last couple of weeks, I've been busy and haven't had much time to update the thread unfortunately.

However, I'm pleased to say that he seems to be doing g a lot better recently. He's still a little more reserved than he was but he's moving around a lot more, doesn't seem ill / showing any other symptoms and is also eating correctly again. It's quite a relief although we are still a bit unsure as to what the issue was as aside from routine water changes, nothing else has changed so the only thing I can put it down to is introducing the Oto in the tank.

The Oto is doing fine and the 2 fish seem to tolerate each other just fine, however thanks for the further feedback about the suitability of the tank for him, I will consider my options and potentially give him away (I'll start another thread!)

Anyway, thank you all for your advice and help, it's appreciated and we just hope he's heading back to normal again. I tried to encourage him to flare up so I could get a good photo to post, but unfortunately he wasn't interested, instead he's being shy but hopefully on the road to recovery!