Urgent, Whats Wrong With My Fish????

[Aamber_02]

What is wrong with my fish??? He is all pale, but not whit exactly. His coloring around his head is just very dull and he isnt eating, all he does is float on the top of the aquariums water. He is not really moving and is surrounded by bubbles. He is alone in his tank, how do I fix it?

 

[William]

What are the ammonia and nitrite readings like? How long have you had him? What size aquarium is he in and with what tankmates?

I advise doing a large water change immediately of about 50% of the tank water and if it is only a small bowl of one or two gallons then perhaps the full lot but be sure to dechlorinate the water you add... Keep us posted

 

[Aamber_02]

I don't know what the ammonia and nitrate readings are, Iv'e had him since February 14. He is alone in a 1 gallon ( He's actually my sisters fish, ive basically been taking care of hm though, she's saving $ for a fish tank.) I changed his water, 50% yesterday and will change 50% today i guess. He s still just floating there, not eating or barely moving. I have another question for my betta, I'm getting a 10 gallon for him and was wondering what kind of lighting I should get. Do bettas like colored lighting, do they prefer the lighting dim or bright??

 

[Kryten]

First of all, what type of fish are we talking about, just so that we can look at PH level and so on

You are going to nee a test kit, at least to test for nitrite, nitrate, PH and ammonia. If any of these levels are down, we can help to give advice on how to rectify this

In a one gallon tank??? Do you have a filter or heater in there. If not, this could be why, there is no bacteria cycle in there and any food will just be rotting and will be turning to ammonia. Your sister needs to get a tank pronto!!! Even better, find a friend with a cycled tank and ask if your sisters fish can be a roomie in there until a permanent house is brought

 

[gadazobe]

when you change the water, do you user dechlorinator?

 

[Aamber_02]

Hey,
The betta fish died yesterday. I left for school in the morning and when I got back her was dead. I'm not the one that usually changes the water, but when I change his water I don't use dechlorinater or whatever that was. I usually but a little bottle water in, Ive heard it is good for them. Thanks for all your help. . .

 

[Kryten]

I hope that you can recover from this and find another betta

A few things you must do

1. Take regular readings of the tank with a liquid test kit
2. Change the water once a week
3. You must either use dechlorinator in the water or allow what you are changing to stand for a few days to get rid of the chlorine naturally

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Aamber_02]

Thank-you for your help. She does not plan to get another, I think she's to irresponsible to even own a fish, well, fish can be lots of work. I make sure the water is cleaned once a week, I let the water sit for 3 hours. . .I guess I should have let it settle for longer, I had no idea!! I'll be sure to let the water sit with my fish now. . . I had no idea! So could I have caused the death of that poor betta?? Oh No!!
Amber

 

[cichlidmaster]

You should not feel like you "killed" the fish!!

Accept it as a learning experience and move on!!

Next time you'll be that much more knowledgable when it comes to keeping fish. We have all had our losses when first starting out and have gone on to succeed in this wonderful hobby.

Good luck and I for one hope to hear about your new fish soon!!!

CM