( he’s not dead)
Hi everyone, I’m looking for advice about a betta I recently took in from my boyfriend. When he had the fish, it was kept in a very small tank with the filter barely ever changed, so I’m assuming he wasn’t in great conditions before coming to me and was fed with a other load of bettamin flakes (which isn’t good for bettas)
Since I’ve had him, his behavior has been really worrying. He WILL swim around sometimes, but after a little bit he suddenly loses energy, sinks to the bottom, and lays completely on his side. He stays like that for a long time before getting up again. When he does swim, he’s not very stable he looks weak and kind of uncoordinated. He can breathe, and his gills move normally, but sometimes don’t move at all or are very slow, but his whole body seems exhausted after even a little bit of movement.
Some extra info:
• He’s eating a little
• Temperature is around 80°F
• He’s not bloated
• No pineconing
• His color is really dull and his body looks thin
• Tank is newly set up and conditioned, but he came from poor water conditions
• He rests WAY more than he swims, and rests flat on the bottom
I don’t know if this is from long term stress, organ damage from past ammonia exposure, swim bladder issues, or something else. I’ve added an Indian almond leaf and kept the tank quiet and stress free. I just want to know what else I can do to help him or what this behavior might mean.
Any help is appreciated I really want to give him a chance to recover.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1p8kddc
Posted by atomicbobo
3 Comments
You need to cycle your tank. Please search fish-in cycling since you have him now. What kind of filter do you have? Please don’t change filters because it will mess with your cycle. I’d advise against plastic decorations and get live plants instead. Please get water test kit to check your parameters. Try to lower the temp to 76. Indian almond leaves are great, try giving him some resting place near the top, a hammock or anubias placed 1 inch below water line.
Go to bettafish.org and scroll the diseases section. Specifically dropsy and swim bladder disorder. Compare what you are seeing with the info, potential causes and various treatments. It’s a well sourced resource, unlike just getting a million random opinions for social media. Best of luck too 🙏
I hate to be this person, but the decorations in your tank aren’t really great.
Plastic decorations can shred or injure fish over time. I highly suggest larger-leaved plants for them, as they like places to rest. Right now, there is no place to rest near the surface, so what you may be seeing is him surfacing for air and then sinking.
Faster gill movement or exaggerated movements are signs of distress, but he seems lethargic.
That being said, you are on the right track. Doing a salt bath or lowering the water level to allow him to surface more easily is an option.