Betta Fish: Is anything wrong with my betta?!

How long has the tank been set up for prior to putting him in? If you notice something that worries you (odd behaviour, loss of appetite or abnormal colour changes in his scales) it may be because of that.

Also his fins appear to be fine unless your water params are off – more experienced betta owners will confirm that though.

Also think he has sore gills from flaring too much does salt  cure that too?

People will always ask what your parameters are or if they’re good if you’re asking any fish keeping community for advice because water parameters are the ultimate determinator of health for any fish. As fish produce ammonia through waste, their tank becomes toxic to them. Other things can produce ammonia too like uneaten food. The nitrogen cycle is so important because converts ammonia into less harmful things by healthy bacteria growing in the tank overtime. Even the least harmful part of a cycle (which is nitrates) is still harmful for fish in large amounts. So these need to be removed manually by performing water changes. Having live plants in your tank and reducing the amount of uneaten food can help control high ammonia level levels, which helps keep nitrite levels and nitrate levels lower. I would definitely research the nitrogen cycle and watch some videos but since you’re here with a little guy ready for care, you should really prioritize getting the tank cycled as quickly as possible for him and keeping the parameters safe in the meantime.

So you’ll need a water test kit, bottled starting bacteria (quick start or something like that), water conditioner, to start.

He probably needs an immediate 50% or greater water change. So taking out at least half of the water that’s in the tank and adding new treated water that’s brought to temp of the tank back into it. After doing a water change, add the bacteria, test the water. Then test again in a couple days. Probably add more bacteria. Probably be ready to do another water change. Your tank is cycled when your ammonia levels stay at zero, your nitrite levels stay at zero, and your nitrate levels continue to rise. You will continue to need to perform water changes on a regular basis to keep the nitrates within safe levels for the rest of his life. It should only take a few weeks to cycle the tank if you are adding bacteria and doing water changes. You might have to do water changes really often at first (like maybe even every other day depending on what your water tests are indicating), but once it’s established- water changes once a week or so will keep his water safe and healthy.

He’s a cutie, good luck!