Sick Betta

[princess_jen1234]

I got my first Betta fish, Sammie, a few months ago in June. He has always been very active busy fish. But the last few weeks he hardly ever moves. He just lays in his plants near the top of the water. When ever I walk into the room he does'nt even come to see me like he used to. When he does sometimes swim, he seems to let his back end just fall under him and he seems a little unbalanced. Any ideas what could be wrong with him? Is there any medication I can get him from a pet store?

 

[Durbkat]

1. What size tank is he in?
2. What are you water stats e.g. ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?
3. What is the temp in the water?
4.Are there any tank mates with him?
5.What have you been feeding him and how much?

 

[princess_jen1234]

1. What size tank is he in? 1 gallon

2. What are you water stats e.g. ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? not sure

3. What is the temp in the water? about 19.

4.Are there any tank mates with him? nope

5.What have you been feeding him and how much?
I give him pellets and bloodworms, but he has never eatten very much.

 

[Durbkat]

19 degress celcius or farenihight? What is the temp in farenhight? Do you have a picture of the betta and a pic of the tank? Do you do water changes or vacum cleanings? Do you dechloranat the water before you put it in the tank?

 

[princess_jen1234]

19 degress celcius or farenihight? What is the temp in farenhight? Do you have a picture of the betta and a pic of the tank? Do you do water changes or vacum cleanings? Do you dechloranat the water before you put it in the tank?

Its celcius. I do 100% water changes once a week and yes I was dechloranat the water.

 

[WILDER]

You should be maintaining that bowl twice a week as it's only a one gal, i would do a water change and try some shelled peas on the fish.

 

[Joby]

You might want to crank up the heat a little too, mine are always kept at 26 degrees, when in cooler waters i believe they are less active.

Agree completely with Wilder, in such a small bowl you need to do a 100% water change at least twice a week to prevent ammonia building up and making him ill.


Hope he livens up for you

 

[princess_jen1234]

You might want to crank up the heat a little too, mine are always kept at 26 degrees, when in cooler waters i believe they are less active.

Agree completely with Wilder, in such a small bowl you need to do a 100% water change at least twice a week to prevent ammonia building up and making him ill.


Hope he livens up for you

I do sometimes change the water twice a week. He does'nt act any better after a water change.

 

[Synirr]

For the record, it's not 100% necessary to clean the tank twice a week so long as you never leave uneaten food in the water. I have several 1 gallons and the ammonia is only .1ppm on water change day, which is once a week like all the other tanks.

I'd bet money that the temperature is the problem. 19 degrees Celsius is only 66.2 degrees Fahrenheit; the recommended temp for bettas is 76-82 degrees F (or 78-80 if you're really picky about it), which is about 24-28 degrees Celsius. Cold-blooded animals such as fish slow down and become lethargic in colder temps, so I'd try upping the temp first and foremost and see if he perks up for you

 

[princess_jen1234]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, but I don't understand how cooler water temps could cause his back end just fall under him when he swims?

 

[Synirr]

Because cold weather makes cold-blooded animals lethargic and he lacks the energy to hold his heavy fins upright, most likely.

It could also be swimbladder disorder, where for whatever reason, he isn't able to regulate the air in his swimbladder properly and it's throwing him off-balance. Again, raise the temp, and don't feed him for a day or two. You could also try feeding him a bit of blanched pea (skin removed first), which will help if he's constipated. If that doesn't fix it you might try adding some aquarium salt (NOT sea salt... something like Doc Wellfish brand) to his water and maybe treating him with an antibiotic like Maracyn. Sometimes swimbladder disorder is caused by an internal bacterial infection, sometimes by constipation/overfeeding, and sometimes it just seems to come out of nowhere and go away all on its own. It's almost never lethal and fish can live pretty well even with a chronic case of it, but lowering his water level so it's easier for him to reacht he surface to breathe will help make him more comfortable