Hey guys,
I think perhaps my betta is just old and dying, but I wanted to run everything by you guys and get your comments/suggestions. I would prefer he lives longer of course, but I guess if it's his time to go then I can't do anything.
Anyway, for about a month and a half my betta lies on the bottom of the tank, barely swims or anything. I can get him to eat about 3 of the 7 days of the week. His gills seem like they're permanently stuck out, but laying flat.
He lives in a filtered ten gallon, by himself. I do 90% changes every week, and clean out any uneaten food every day.
His parameters are:
Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:5
Temperate: 80 degrees F
The ten gallon was planted with about 5 smaller java fern, but I removed them to do a salt treatment about a week ago. The tank is 100% fresh water (no table salt, now) but I left the plants and substrate out to see if it helped anything.
Thanks so much for any help in advance, guys.
Sick Betta
Forum rules
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
Read this before posting!!
Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.
1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.
2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.
3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)
4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.
5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.
We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.
While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.
Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
-
Nuclear_Glitter
- Fahaka Puffer
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Sick Betta
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford
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LilGreenPuffer
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- Location: Kentucky
Re: Sick Betta
How long have you had this betta?
Does he struggle to come up for air, or do so less often than before?
Can you get a picture of the gills?
The plants and substrate won't hurt anything.
Does he struggle to come up for air, or do so less often than before?
Can you get a picture of the gills?
The plants and substrate won't hurt anything.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
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Nuclear_Glitter
- Fahaka Puffer
- Posts: 971
- Joined: Sun May 29, 2011 1:03 am
- Gender: Female
- Location (country): North Carolina, USA
- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Sick Betta
I got him February of 2011, so a little over a year now. Yes, he definitely comes up for air a lot less now. I got him from petco and he was originally placed in a fully cycled 5 gallon, for 4 months, then moved to the ten gallon.
I will be putting the plants and substrate back either tonight or tomorrow. i removed the plants mostly for the salt treatment I did on him.
He refuses to let me get any sort of picture of him. He just keep moving himself into a corner where it's impossible to see his gills. However, what it looks like is the gills they use for "flaming up" is stuck out, laying flat against his body, partially. It's the symptoms of inflamed gills really, but I have always been very tight about his water change schedule and I test his water often.
I will be putting the plants and substrate back either tonight or tomorrow. i removed the plants mostly for the salt treatment I did on him.
He refuses to let me get any sort of picture of him. He just keep moving himself into a corner where it's impossible to see his gills. However, what it looks like is the gills they use for "flaming up" is stuck out, laying flat against his body, partially. It's the symptoms of inflamed gills really, but I have always been very tight about his water change schedule and I test his water often.
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford
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bertie 83
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Re: Sick Betta
It's probably just one of those things. We know you care for your fish and tend to them well. The thing is we don't know what damage is done to these fish before we get them in our care, they are bred to exhaustion and kept poorly, then shipped to a fish shop who only care about profit. We can only do what we can do.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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Nuclear_Glitter
- Fahaka Puffer
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- Location: North Carolina, USA
Re: Sick Betta
Yeah,I just feel so bad. He pretty much just lays on his side all day now. I can't really get him to eat a whole lot. I keep watching for something that could be causing it all, but I can't find anything.
"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." -- Henry Ford
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LilGreenPuffer
- Former Staff Member
- Posts: 5301
- Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 11:26 pm
- Gender: Female
- My Puffers: Dwarf puffer - Thumbelina (only mine in my heart now; she lives in CT with my friend)
RIP Inigo Montoya, Fezzik, and Vizinni.
RIP James Bond. - Location (country): United States
- Location: Kentucky
Re: Sick Betta
Normal betta lifespan is 2-5 years, with a little more or less not being unheard of for natural deaths. Male bettas from pet stores can be as old as a year if they're kept back for breeding before sale. Old age is definitely a possibility.
Lowering the water level will help him get to the surface more easily.
Lowering the water level will help him get to the surface more easily.
"I will give you a talisman. Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test. Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself, if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him or her. Will she gain anything by it? Will it restore her to a control over her own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away."
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!
Found among the papers of Mohatma Gandhi
Come and visit http://www.thetriopsforum.com!
I AM A DUDETTE!
NEED NITRIFYING BACTERIA FOR YOUR NEW TANK? PM ME!