What's Wrong With My Betta?

[jesskeim506]

I have had my betta for two years and he has changed colors and recently his attitude has changed, as well. He used to be bright yellow, pink, blue and purple. Now he's really dull with silver patches and his fins are curling and sticking together. He's also very lethargic and hardly moves to eat. I've checked the pH in his water, it's right around 6.6-6.8. The temperature in his tank is regulated by a heater and is kept at 76 degrees. I recently added aquarium salt thinking that he had fun rot and stress coat in case it was a chlorine problem. He is in a 2 gallon tank. I'm really worried and I don't know what else to do. He used to be very active and swim in circles every time he saw me. Now he doesn't do anything. Please help me!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Could you post a picture of your betta?  That would help a lot for people to diagnose him.

 

[the_lock_man]

Can you post a set of water test results, please, I am particularly after ammonia, nitrite and nitrate readings. Can you also advise how often and by how much you change the water in the tank. Have you changed any of the filter media recently?

 

[jesskeim506]

This is a before photo. There are some Instagram filters on this but he was fairly bright and his fins were separated when I got him.

 

[jesskeim506]

This picture was taken of him yesterday. He's in the back of his tank by his heater (where he spends most of his time, anymore).

I am new to bettas so I've never tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate before. I've only tested the pH and his water temperature. I buy his water from Petco then adjust the pH from there (because the local water is really hard).

 

[jesskeim506]

I used to change his water 100% once every 5-6 days. His tank has a filter that I run for a few hours every night to get some oxygen in his water and any leftover food filtered out. While it's running he has some silk flowers or decorative jar he likes to hide from the current in. Now, because I'm unsure if he has fin rot or some sort of infection I've been changing it 100% every 2-3 days and adding aquarium salt and stress coat. I'm sure that's stressful but I don't know what else to do. I've looked everywhere online. It seems like he has symptoms from a little bit of everything and I don't want to put him on an antibiotic without knowing what's really wrong. Today he's swimming around a little more than yesterday but he keeps going back to his heater. His fins are still really dull but he did acknowledge me which makes me hopeful. I really appreciate all the advise.

 

[the_lock_man]

 His tank has a filter that I run for a few hours every night

 
That would likely be your problem. The filter needs to be running permanently.
 
Fish produce ammonia from their gills, as part of their breathing process. The problem is that ammonia is highly toxic. In the wild, it doesn't matter as the local currents keep the water fresh, and there's an awful lot more water in the first place. In an aquarium, you don't have that luxury. The ammonia builds up in the water, and poisons the fish.
 
In your filter, you should be growing two colonies of bacteria, which convert that ammonia, via nitrite, into nitrate. Nitrate is not toxic at low quantities, and your normal weekly (or in your case 5-6days) water change removes nitrate and keeps it under control.
 
The reason your guy is looking better now, is that you have doubled your water changes, and so the ammonia level is being reduced.
 
I appreciate that bettas don't like strong currents, and given that he is in such a small aquarium (too small, really, if truth be told), a filter creates quite a strong current. The trick is to find a way of reducing water flow through the filter to a level where you can leave the filter on 24/7. This will allow the filter to grow its bacteria.
 
You would then go through a fish-in cycling process, and you can read the green link in my signature area to tell you how to do that.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

If possible, upgrade his tank to something as close to a 10 gallon as you can.  There are a few great reasons... it will be much easier to filter and break the current for him... also more water means it takes longer for the ammonia to build up which works in your favor while your filter cycles.

 

[attibones]

In addition to what has been said above, increase your temp to around 82 degrees. Warm, clean water really does wonders for the healing process.

 

[Wildbetta]

First thing is to increase the temp.  76F is too cold for domestic bettas and is part of the reason he is hanging by the heater so much.  Second thing is you need to either leave the filter on or take the thing completely off as only running it off and on does not do you any good at all.  If you were to remove the filter permanently you would need to do 100% water changes every 2 days.  Also I would stop messing with the ph of the water as that can cause a multitude of issues.  Bettas can easily be kept in almost all ph levels and there is no need to be messing with the ph especially if you are doing it with chemicals.  

 

[jesskeim506]

We upgraded Gill's tank tonight. He's now in a 13 gallon tank. Right now we have two heaters trying to keep the temperature up but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get too hot. It's at a steady 79-80. We've also tested his water. The Ammonia is between 0-.25. Nitrate is between 0-20ppm. Nitrite .5ppm. Chlorine is 0. pH is 6.8. From what I'm reading, everything seems to be in a "safe" range. We did add aquarium salt and stress coat again. We're running the filter constantly and he doesn't seem to be bothered by it. I'm hoping with these changes his fins will become healthier looking again. My only question is, why does he keep going up for air every few seconds? I can't remember him doing that before he got sick.
I really appreciate all of your feedback! It means a lot to me!

 

[PrairieSunflower]

Bettas are part air breathers, this is normal behavior and something they need to survive.  They also will make bubble nests.

 

[attibones]

When you can, add some silk or live plants for him. Betta fish really appreciate the extra cover.

Since you are seeing an ammonia reading and a nitrite reading, you'll need to do a water change of at least 50%. This won't stress him, don't worry. Just be sure to turn off the filter and heater while you change the water so your equipment doesn't break.

 

[tunagirll]

Hey there, sounds like you managed to catch and save your betta in time Nice work!
 
Don't worry too much, it's a bit of a learning curve to understand water management, but the nice thing is just like riding a bike, once you 'get it' you will find it a cakewalk
 
So basically:
 
Keep the water at that nice temperature (you can add a thermometer to the tank to check the actual temperature of the tank, as the heaters can be out by a degree or two)
Keep the ammonia and nitrite at or under 0.25. Eg if your nitrite is at 0.5, a 50% water change will drop it to 0.25
Be careful not to overfeed. Bettas are pigs! They literally will eat until they die of liver failure!
No need to add salt or medication, so long as your water is clean your fish will be happy
 
Enjoy your betta!

 

[the_lock_man]

My only question is, why does he keep going up for air every few seconds? I can't remember him doing that before he got sick.
 

 
Can't have been watching him enough then! As others have said, they have developed an ability to breathe air, and it is perfectly normal behaviour for a betta.