Sick Betta!

[hana7]

I have a male rose petal betta ,which I have had for about a year now, and I've recently noticed that it has trouble swimming. I keep it in a 5 gallon tank with 2 other glo fish (they are both fine). My betta usually just sits in one place for a long period of time. Sometimes it is floating sideways at the top of the tank without moving. I always think it's dead when this happens but, it starts moving again. Other times it's on the bottom of the tank laying sideways. I'm not sure if there's something wrong with its swim bladder or if its sick. Also I think its tail is different looking now than when I first got it and it has definitely lost its color. I'll try to upload some picture of it when I figure out how to.

 

[fluttermoth]

Do you have test kits available? If you do, test the water and post the results (including pH and hardness, if you know them).

If you don't have test kits, do a 50% water change, making sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated.

Most fish 'diseases' are actually due to poor water, so that's always the first thing to look at.

 

[FroFro]

I have a male rose petal betta ,which I have had for about a year now, and I've recently noticed that it has trouble swimming. I keep it in a 5 gallon tank with 2 other glo fish (they are both fine). My betta usually just sits in one place for a long period of time. Sometimes it is floating sideways at the top of the tank without moving. I always think it's dead when this happens but, it starts moving again. Other times it's on the bottom of the tank laying sideways. I'm not sure if there's something wrong with its swim bladder or if its sick. Also I think its tail is different looking now than when I first got it and it has definitely lost its color. I'll try to upload some picture of it when I figure out how to.

The first issue I can tell you right now you have too many fish for your tank size. Betta do best when kept ALONE. If they are in a community tank they need to have plenty of space. 5 gallons is the minimum for a single betta. One. One betta.

Have you tested your water? Your overcrowded tank, unless you clean it regularly, is very likely to cause unstable water paremeters which lead to a stressed fish, which leads to illness. I recommend an immediate 50% water change and gravel cleaning . Make sure the water is treated with water conditioner and is close to the main tank's temperature as possible. A large difference in temperature can cause a shock and further harm your fish, not just your sick betta. Make sure to also pour the water in slowly, Betta are weak swimmers to begin with and a large water disturbance will also stress him greatly.

Once you have your tank clean you need to test your parameters. I don't recommend test strips as they are usually inaccurate. You can purchase an API freshwater test kit at most local fish stores like petsmart and petco for a reasonable price. You get more than a hundred tests out of it if I last remember, so you save money in the longrun vs. paying 5-10$ a box for a dozen test strips. I also recommend rehoming your glo-fish. If you have another suitable tank with room you can place them there. Even if you improve your water quality the amount of mainetance you will need to do to maintain this quality will be doubled vs. if you had just your betta.

Please list us your parameters. Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Ph, and Alkalinity.

Please also answer the following questions.
How much do you feed your fish? How often? What kind of food?
How often do you clean your tank? Do you vaccum the gravel?
How much water do you remove/replace when you do your water changes?
Do you have adequate water flow? Even though betta have labyrinth organs they need well oxygenated water just like other fish. If he's too weak to swim up for air this is especially important for his recovery.
At what temperature do you keep your tank? Betta are tropical fish and like water at about 78 degrees. Cold water can cause lethargy in any tropical fish. If you don't have a heater you need to purchase one.

Have you done any other changes to your tank recently? Added anything to the water than water conditioner, new decorations? A change in feeding quantity/schedule? A change in food?

I know this is a lot, but if you provide us with this information we can then go about advising you on how to improve your tank.

 

[hana7]

Do you have test kits available? If you do, test the water and post the results (including pH and hardness, if you know them).

If you don't have test kits, do a 50% water change, making sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated.

Most fish 'diseases' are actually due to poor water, so that's always the first thing to look at.

For pH the results were 7.8 and I don't have a test kit for water hardness but, I know that the water in our area is really hard.

 

[hana7]

The first issue I can tell you right now you have too many fish for your tank size. Betta do best when kept ALONE. If they are in a community tank they need to have plenty of space. 5 gallons is the minimum for a single betta. One. One betta.

Have you tested your water? Your overcrowded tank, unless you clean it regularly, is very likely to cause unstable water paremeters which lead to a stressed fish, which leads to illness. I recommend an immediate 50% water change and gravel cleaning . Make sure the water is treated with water conditioner and is close to the main tank's temperature as possible. A large difference in temperature can cause a shock and further harm your fish, not just your sick betta. Make sure to also pour the water in slowly, Betta are weak swimmers to begin with and a large water disturbance will also stress him greatly.

Once you have your tank clean you need to test your parameters. I don't recommend test strips as they are usually inaccurate. You can purchase an API freshwater test kit at most local fish stores like petsmart and petco for a reasonable price. You get more than a hundred tests out of it if I last remember, so you save money in the longrun vs. paying 5-10$ a box for a dozen test strips. I also recommend rehoming your glo-fish. If you have another suitable tank with room you can place them there. Even if you improve your water quality the amount of mainetance you will need to do to maintain this quality will be doubled vs. if you had just your betta.

Please list us your parameters. Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, Ph, and Alkalinity.

Please also answer the following questions.
How much do you feed your fish? How often? What kind of food?
How often do you clean your tank? Do you vaccum the gravel?
How much water do you remove/replace when you do your water changes?
Do you have adequate water flow? Even though betta have labyrinth organs they need well oxygenated water just like other fish. If he's too weak to swim up for air this is especially important for his recovery.
At what temperature do you keep your tank? Betta are tropical fish and like water at about 78 degrees. Cold water can cause lethargy in any tropical fish. If you don't have a heater you need to purchase one.

Have you done any other changes to your tank recently? Added anything to the water than water conditioner, new decorations? A change in feeding quantity/schedule? A change in food?

I know this is a lot, but if you provide us with this information we can then go about advising you on how to improve your tank.

I have another tank that I will move the glo-fish to and I'm in the process of setting it up so I think I can move them in a few days. The results for pH was 7.8 and for Alkalinity it was 90, however I used test strips so as you mentioned, the results might be inaccurate. I don't have results for Nitrates, Nitrites, or Ammonia. Also I will try to buy the API freshwater test kit as soon as possible.

I give my fish a pinch of food once a day and the food I have is Aqueon Tropical Flakes.
I clean my tank every 2 to 3 weeks and I don't vacuum the gravel.
For water changes I replace about 25% of the water.
I have a filter so I think there is adequate water flow.
I do not have a heater for my tank but, the temperature of it is 77.5 degrees.
I haven't made any changes to my tank recently.

Also thank you so much for your very detailed answer!

 

[NickAu]

I give my fish a pinch of food once a day and the food I have is Aqueon Tropical Flakes.

How much is a " pinch "? , Bettas are insectivores and in my opinion tropical flakes to not make the grade as food.

I would switch him to a high quality pellet like New Life Spectrum.

 

[hana7]

How much is a " pinch "? , Bettas are insectivores and in my opinion tropical flakes to not make the grade as food.

I would switch him to a high quality pellet like New Life Spectrum.

How much is a " pinch "? , Bettas are insectivores and in my opinion tropical flakes to not make the grade as food.

I would switch him to a high quality pellet like New Life Spectrum.

About five flakes. Thank you for the suggestion I'll definitely look in to getting better food for him.

 

[FroFro]

I have another tank that I will move the glo-fish to and I'm in the process of setting it up so I think I can move them in a few days. The results for pH was 7.8 and for Alkalinity it was 90, however I used test strips so as you mentioned, the results might be inaccurate. I don't have results for Nitrates, Nitrites, or Ammonia. Also I will try to buy the API freshwater test kit as soon as possible.

I give my fish a pinch of food once a day and the food I have is Aqueon Tropical Flakes.
I clean my tank every 2 to 3 weeks and I don't vacuum the gravel.
For water changes I replace about 25% of the water.
I have a filter so I think there is adequate water flow.
I do not have a heater for my tank but, the temperature of it is 77.5 degrees.
I haven't made any changes to my tank recently.

Also thank you so much for your very detailed answer!

Your issue is definately a water quality issue. You need to be doing once weekly partial water changes of 50% or 2 weekly water changes of 30% to 40% a week. I would advise that you get a heater pronto. Fluctuating temperature is best to be avoided especially if you live in a more temperate climate. A heater will maintain a comfy, healthy temperature that will keep your betta happy. You MUST vaccum your gravel at least once a week, I do so with EVERY water change.

The reason water changes and proper cleaning are so important is because fish usually live in areas with naturally flowing water. A stagnant tank has no water flow. Therefore the ammonia and nitrates produced by rotting poo and uneaten food in your gravel have no where to go. The ammonia filled secretions your fish naturally gives off in his urine and slime coat has no where to go. Do you see what Im getting at? Without regular cleaning your fish waste/uneatenfood/and other dirty things simply rot in the tank. Your water parameters start to shift into a dangerous zone because of this. An unclean tank makes for unclean water, which is effectively killing your fish by stressing it and wearing down on its immune system, allowing illness and disease that your fish would otherwise be resiliant to when taken care of properly. Unfortunately this is a common mistake that most new to the hobby make. Have you done the large water change I suggested? You can get a small gravel syphon for less than 6$ at walmart.

I'm also willing to bet your tank is not properly cycled, meaning you don't have a mature enough bacteria colony to take on the bio-load of your tank to provide stable water parameters.

If all your fish is doing right now is showing signs of lethargy it might not be too late for him to bounce back. Please take the proper steps to clean your tank and get the right equipment (by that I mean a small heater and gravel syphon). Keep us updated and feel free to quote me with any questions you have.

 

[hana7]

Ok so I moved my betta to another tank and I definitely think his health is improving. A lot of his problems were due to stress from the other fish and he's doing a lot better on his own. Also I have been doing frequent water changes and keeping the tank clean. I bought a gravel cleaner as well as an API freshwater kit, which should be coming soon. I was wondering if buying higher quality betta food would help him improve because I don't think that the tropical flakes are the best for him.