Dying Betta Fish?

[rjramer06]

I think a car ride has traumatized our betta fish.

STORY: We were going out of town and took our betta fish to a friend's house. After the car ride there, the fish acted really scared and would hide from us (whereas he used to always come up for food and be eager to eat). Our friend had a hard time getting him to eat anything during the week we were gone, and when we got back and brought him home, his behavior didn't change. I thought he may have gotten scared by the movement in the car ride and that he'd be ok after being re-settled back home. It's been nearly a month now, and we still can not get him to eat. He just hides and swims away, letting the food float down to the bottom. We've kept the tank clean and everything. Any suggestions on how to get his mood back up?

PS - If it helps, he was a Wal-Mart fish. I doubt he was in the best of shape when we first got him but we've had him since probably March 2009.

I've also recently noticed a few small holes in his top fin, but I don't see anything else wrong with him.

[princesspoppy]

Question,is he swimming normal or slightly lob sided ?

[rjramer06]

Originally Posted by princesspoppy

Question,is he swimming normal or slightly lob sided ?

I'd say normally, but a bit lethargic.

[JD In Van]

Lethargic is pretty normal for Betta actually. Your betta also only needs to eat once every 1 to 2 weeks if you're using high quality fish food(and his water will be cleaner the less you feed him). If you're using cheep, or old stale flakes they can starve to death even eatting them because they loose their nutriants fairly rapidly. (Storing excess in the freezer helps).

Do a 50% water change for him and add a bit of Melafix to his water (do NOT over dose). Make sure the water change water is the same temp as his tank water.

Also how big is the Beta's home. If he's in lewss then a gallon you may want to upgrade (I keep mine in 2G) and he needs a fake or real plant to 'roost' in preferably that goes all the way to the surface of the water.

Also small holes is a sign of fin rot (which the Melafix helps with). It means the ammonia/nitrite is building up in his tank. THat means 1. the tank isn't properly cycled or 2. that it's polluted (probably from the uneatten food rotting in it) or 3. that it's not being changed frequently enough. Fish tanks need a 20-50% water change weekly (unless they're heavily planted then things are quite differant) and to be syphoned to clean up any gunk at the bottom.

[Froggirl009]

Do you have a heater for it? If not I would sugest that you get one. Bettas need the water to be between 79 and 82 and you normaly need a heater for that (and a thermometer. I would sugest a digital one because they aren't as hard to read). They are more active if they are in the right temperature. My betta used to be like this and I got him a heater and he started to become more active. Also, what size is your tank?

[princesspoppy]

How often do you change the water ? i wouldn't do a 30% water change more than once a month. I keep my fish at a temp of 80

[Wodentoad]

JD, I must respectfully disagree. Bettas CAN go 1-2 weeks without food, but feeding them every day results in a healthier fish with brighter colors.

We have had several bettas through the years, and all live very long lives. We feed Betamin every day (just a pinch) and bloodworms three times a week. He lives alone in a 1 gal bowl with no aerator. He has gravel, several rocks, and a plant to rest against.

If he has holes in his fins it may be fin rot, there are treatments, that could help, so treat the fish if needs be, make sure you keep feeding him, and best of luck. I hope he's alright.

[rahunter]

Don't know much about betta's but I have a 12" Oscar that did that when we brought him home (he was much smaller then). It turned out to be the water quality was not good. I added a bit of stress coat and he/she has been normal ever since. Each time I change the water I have to add stress coat. It's has something to do w/ their slime coat that get stripped w/ water changes. At lease that seems to be what happens to "Rose".

[JD In Van]

Originally Posted by Wodentoad

JD, I must respectfully disagree. Bettas CAN go 1-2 weeks without food, but feeding them every day results in a healthier fish with brighter colors.
.

If you feed them high quality foods like New Life Spectrum they really really don't. I have 4 and 5 year old Betas (which is way way surpassing their expected life span) that I've raised on once a week feedings of new life with a water change the next day and once a month on blood worms. I raise ciclids and follow the same feeding pattern.

Fish in the wild can go months with out eatting, in our homes once a week is more then sufficent (again if you're feeding high quality food anything else is a lot of filler and nothing). Much more then that particularly in small tanks only leads to more pollutants in the tank which in the long term is far more detrimental to their heath.

Link removed - contains breeding information, you may PM poster for link if you wish ... is a forum full of a wealth of experienced fish keepers basically the aquarist equivelant of here.

If you can get a picture of your Betta's tail and post it over there I'm certain some one should be able to give you a suggestion for how to treat it but I still stand by my suggestion, water change and some Melafix to start.

[gooberific]

Originally Posted by JD In Van

If you feed them high quality foods like New Life Spectrum they really really don't. I have 4 and 5 year old Betas (which is way way surpassing their expected life span) that I've raised on once a week feedings of new life with a water change the next day and once a month on blood worms. I raise ciclids and follow the same feeding pattern.

Bettas' expected lifespan is 3-5 years, and can definitely be longer if housed and cared for properly. You also have to balance the diet with how active the fish is, no matter how high of a quality of food you're giving them.

I can't find a good resource that does not include breeding information, sorry, but there are plenty of places out there for fish lovers.

[1frankie7]

how big is his tank?
I had mine in a 5 g with a heater but the heater went haywire and the tank got to be more than 90 degrees and I was trying to fix the heater but I burnt my finger in the process. he died.

[rjramer06]

Ok, to answer everyone's questions:

He's in a 2 gallon tank, undergravel filter, 2 fake plants (not hard ones), gravel
We have a small heater but it's not one you can gauge. We just have to watch the temp and either plug it in/unplug if it gets too cold/hot. We do a water change every 2 weeks and use Top Fin Betta Water Conditioner in the water (from the tap).

I've tried putting some BettaFix in for a while, but I couldn't tell if it was helping. Is it the same as Melafix?

We have a different "conditioner" from API called Stress Zyme. Would this be better than the one from Top Fin?

I may have to do a 100% water change. I've noticed some orange "stuff" growing on the thermometer and I'm not sure what it is. Anyone had this happen before?

[JD In Van]

Personally I wouldn't bother with any of the stress coat and stuff I never used it. Just Prime which is a dechlorinator and personally I only use that when there actually is chlorine in the water (I check the local hydro web site to find out).

Melafix is a tea tree oil based medication that's a natural antibiotic/antiparasidic. It's a handy first like medication for fish keepers.

Undergravel water filters do not work in the long run as they trap debris in the tank rather then pull it out which is majorly problematic if you're feeding daily. I wouldn't do a 100% water change though as that will remove the good bacteria from your tank. 50% max. Do not let your gravel get dry. Take the thermometer out and clean it, use a turkey baster (you will never be able to use it for human food again though so make sure you mark it some how) to clean debris from the bottom of the tank and a small aquarium sponge (they're cheap at a fish shop, they have something rough on one side and spongie on the other) to clean up the inside of the glass.

Do you have a test kit for your water perameters? Nitrites and Ammonia are the big concerns in such a small tank. If not you can take a sample in to your local fish shop and they should be willing to test it for you for free. Get them to write down the numbers don't let them tell you it's 'fine' and not tell you what that means.

[Froggirl009]

I would at least try a stress coat. I would also empty all the water from the tank and clean the gravel, plants, thermometer, and filter. Then put purified (bottled) water in it. What is the normal temperature of your tank?

[rjramer06]

UPDATE: Ok now I have a big dilemma. We cleaned the fish tank out fairly well to help with any parasite/whatever that would be causing his fin rot. While we were dealing with his tank, we transferred the fish into a small bowl. I figured to go ahead and try feeding him while he was in a small area where the food would be more visible, and THANK GOD he ate something! We've got him back in his normal tank now, been giving BettaFix and following directions for that, but he still just mostly sits near the bottom and won't come up to eat.

So, instead of waiting forever to try and feed him again, should I just put him in a smaller container for a while? I've heard it IS possible to keep Bettas in smaller bowls as long as you change the water more frequently and whatnot. I feel like he might do better "feeding-wise" in a smaller bowl where he can get to the food more easily. I need some help on this one, so any advice is GREATLY, GREATLY appreciated.

[JD In Van]

I really wouldn't use the Bettafix.
You also REALLY need to get your water tested for ammonia and nitrite.
That is like the most important thing especially cause now you've killed off all the good (read waste consuming) bacteria in the tank by scrubbing it all down.

[piggiewiggies]

You might want to try researching about the holes in his fin. One of smy goldfish has the same problem. Iv'e had him for six years, and I think it might be a sign that he is getting old. Also, what temperature is his tank? Betta fish don't like cold water , so you might want to get a sort of heating lamp or something. And mabey try a different type of food???

Hope this helps!!!!

[Ilovemypiggies1]

I'm not sure if you've answered these questions yet but how big of a fish tank do you have, did you cycle the tank before you put your betta in it, and is there a heater? Cycling your tank allows the beneficial bacteria to build up by adding pure ammonia so when you get fish they don't die of ammonia or nitrite spikes. Make sure you also condition your water after every water change. Never ever empty the tank 100% or scrub the decor and/or gravel because it destroys some of the bacteria. Melafix will help your better a lot because it seems as though he has fin rot.

[rjramer06]

Originally Posted by Ilovemypiggies1

I'm not sure if you've answered these questions yet but how big of a fish tank do you have, did you cycle the tank before you put your betta in it, and is there a heater? Cycling your tank allows the beneficial bacteria to build up by adding pure ammonia so when you get fish they don't die of ammonia or nitrite spikes. Make sure you also condition your water after every water change. Never ever empty the tank 100% or scrub the decor and/or gravel because it destroys some of the bacteria. Melafix will help your better a lot because it seems as though he has fin rot.

I actually already answered a few of these questions, yes. The tank is 2 gallon, it's been set up for at least half a year now. There is a heater, but it does not have a gauge so I can only plug it in or unplug it depending on what the thermometer reads.

I always use water conditioner.

I didn't "scrub it all down". I cleaned it out just enough to get whatever was growing on the thermometer/heater off. I made sure to also pour some of the old water back in to help with the beneficial bacteria.

I've been using BettaFix. I've asked before, but is this the same thing as Melafix?

[JD In Van]

The benificial bacteria does not live in the water, it resides largely in the gravel and on the decor of the aquarium. Which is why I told you do to a 50% water change and not to scrub anything but the thermometer.

Pouring clean (aka chlorinated, untreated) water all over everything destroys that.
You still haven't answered weather or not you've tested your water or have any idea what it's chemistry is. If you have ammonia present you have destroyed the benificial bacteria and need to be doing 50-30 percent water changes daily until it's completely gone (which will take several weeks).