Sick Betta?

[clarabear]

My betta seems to be sick... He cannot swim right, almost as if he struggles to do anything but float and it is clearly difficult for him to swim towards the bottom of the tank and just floats right back up if he doesn't swim under a leaf to keep him down. Today he's also started floating on the side when he's floating at the top. Any ideas? I'm testing the water right now so maybe that has something to do with it.

 

[Birdbabe]

@waterfaller1
Oh my. Poor guy, does he have a "pinecone" appearance?

 

[clarabear]

what do you mean by "pinecone" appearance?
also, I tested the water and everything came back perfect, which makes sense since I changed it a day or two ago anyways. So it's something else.

 

[KimKim]

Pinecone

When I had a betta it got sick and looked like above. I googled and found that putting Epsom salt in the water could help. I'm not sure the ratio anymore though, but you can google. Not being able to swim down sounds like swim bladder disease though... Hopefully @waterfaller1 will see the tags, good luck.

 

[waterfaller1]

Hi, I am sorry your betta is not feeling well. I will need some information to try to help.
How big is the tank and what kind of set up do you have; filter, heater, lighting, substrate, etc.
How long have you had him & what and how often do you feed him?
How often and how much water do you change, and what do you use in the water?
When you tested, did you use liquid test kits or strips, and what are your readings for ammonia,nitrite, and nitrate?

 

[clarabear]

I have had him for a few months (two or three?). he has a 2.5 gallon tank with small aquarium rocks at the bottom. I don't have a filter, and lighting is mostly natural (from windows and skylights). I have a heater but I haven't used it yet because it is still fairly warm. I feed him one little betta pellet every day. I change about half the water around once a week. I used test strips- the nitrate and nitrite levels were 'safe' but it did not test for ammonia.

 

[clarabear]

I forgot to mention- there are mostly live aquatic plants in the tank with him, as well.

 

[Yoshi&Reza]

Bettas * Fish Illness: Swim Bladder Disorder and Constipation Just found this website - had some good info

This is also a good place to start and for future reference. Just scroll down the page some until you get to the betta section. There is tons of useful info - Freshwater Livestock Articles and Qs 2: Gouramis, Bettas, Cichlids, FW Puffers... Invertebrates, Amphibians, Reptiles

 

[waterfaller1]

The floatiness could be from constipation as Alyssa has linked, or it could be dropsy. Dropsy is difficult to bring a betta around from, but not impossible. Dropsy is a condition that occurs when bettas are kept in overall poor conditions .
You need to get liquid test kits. API makes good ones and they should be available at your local petsmart. You can get a master kit, which will include a PH kit, which you should have as well as ammonia and the others mentioned.
You should not keep live plants in the tank without appropriate lighting. They will die off and as they do it will deplete the oxygen, especially without some sort of filter or airpump. I use sponge filters with an airpump on my betta tanks. Even with lighting, there is a normal amount of die off from plant life, and this must be removed.It can cause an ammonia spike, or even alter the PH.
One small pellet a day is not enough food. 3-4 is better, skip a day on occasion. Sometimes bettas can become sick and get infections from poor water quality. In such a small unfiltered tank you should change 50% of the tank or more per week or even twice, with water that has been left to sit a day inside, or insure that the temp of the change water is the same as the tank. When you change the water you should be siphoning out waste. This is very important. You should have a thermometer. Bettas do best at approx 78-80 degrees F. To keep the tank stable, use the heater. As the house warms and cools off at night, the tank fluctuates. It is the stability that will keep him healthy. Do you see any other outward signs, or just the lethargy and floatiness?

 

[clarabear]

I don't see any other symptoms, really, other than lethargy and floatiness. I guess he looks a bit bloated. I'll try and hitch a ride to Petsmart tomorrow to get the test kit, heater, and a better filter (my mom has one but it's old, gross, and I don't think it really works anymore). I have another tank that is a bit larger (I'd guess 5 gallons?) and I think I'll move him there tomorrow. I just cleaned it out, and I'll fill it and treat the water tonight so it should be ok for tomorrow.

 

[clarabear]

I read the links and I really think he has SBD. What I've gleaned from the website is that I should make sure the water is a bit warmer, not feed him for three days, and on the fourth day, feed him a quarter of a frozen-thawed pea, cut up into little bits. Does that sound about right? Is there anything else I should do?

 

[waterfaller1]

That and please get the test kits and monitor your water. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0, and nitrate should never be more than 20, less is better. If you move him to the 5 gallon and add a filter, you will most likely experience a new cycle, or at least a mini. Do you understand what it means to cycle the tank and how to do it?

 

[waterfaller1]

Another thing that helps is good quality Indian almond leaves. You would only be able to put the smallest amount in that volume of water, but it is very helpful to them. There is a mission in CA that sells them ..they are organic.

 

[clarabear]

yes, I know how to cycle the tank. I will look into getting some Indian almond leaves, and I will pick up the test kits, filter, and heater at petsmart.

 

[waterfaller1]

Very good. Keep us updated on your fish. I send good energy and wish you the best.

 

[wyrinth]

Ammonia and pH are the most important qualities to check because they can kill your fish the fastest when out of whack. A fish does better with a filter. I agree with @waterfaller1 in not keeping live plants in with fish. I had a problem with a planted tank when one of my light bulbs burnt out and two days later there was a huge plant die off and later I lost some fish.

Hope your fish gets better.

 

[ArowanaLover]

Since how bettas are anabantoids (labyrinth fish) it could also be their labyrinth organ. The filter will not make a difference,(betta fish come from rice fields where there is no filtration at all, the water is stagnant) what will is tank changes (for a betta i would recommend 1/2 the water every 2 days). Also what are you feeding him and how often?

 

[Jaguar]

Sorry, but you cannot compare a 2.5 gallon fish bowl to a massive, many-acre rice paddy. Bettas need filtered water, period. Stagnant, dirty water often leads to fin rot or other opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections. 2.5 gallons is also about the bare minimum for a betta - I find 5 gallon tanks the perfect size for a single one. They prefer warmer water temps, too - 76 to 80 degrees F. If you cannot put a filter in at this time, change the water more often, at least twice a week. You can use something like Seachem Prime to dechlorinate & deactivate ammonia and nitrites. A little of that stuff goes a long way.

Skip the salt. Change the water more often (even every day while he is sick), add filtration, up the temperature slowly, and do not feed him for now, as food in the stomach will just make the SBD issues worse. I would change up his diet a little with frozen or fresh foods as well - the pellets tend to have a lot of added soy, wheat, etc. which can cause bloat issues. Daphnia, bloodworms, and brine shrimp are favorites of my guys. Hold them in between a long pair of tweezers and wiggle it in front of the betta's face to get him interested

This guy is 4 years old and counting...