At my wits end with fish! HELP!

[Shadyr]

Prime and Stresscoat+ both condition your water, stresscoat just has the extra stuff to help with slime coat production in it. Maybe use it next water change?

Someone had a thread recently where their fish had fins that were getting shreddy, and they eventually determined it was the filter - if you have a power filter, is the water intake baffled with some aquarium sponge? (I took the filters out of my 2.5 and 3.5 cause they were too strong)

[Enkil]

Hmm... I doubt adding stresscoat to the water will hurt any. I've done it for my tail biters to try to help keep away any chance of infection.

Hump in the back sounds like a deformity. Most likely a cull that wasn't culled. Just keep an eye on him. If he seems to be having too much trouble swimming, he may need shallower water.

Do you have a filter in the tank? What kind of decorations do you have in there?

[Withered]

Housing
What size is your tank? 3.5 gal
What temperature is your tank? Stays between 82-78.
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Nutrafin Max Flakes. I tried to feed him the Tetra Betta Pellets but it seems like he can't swallow them for some reason. I feed him once daily and just a small sprinkle of one or two flakes crunched up.
How often do you feed your betta fish?
I feed him once daily and just a small sprinkle of one or two flakes crunched up.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Twice a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? One 50% and one 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime and a small pinch of AQ salt.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He looks bloated, fins look rugged and shreddy.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He seemed to be swimming fine when I first got him. He flared alot at his new surroundings for the first day or two...but he's stopped flaring and it seems like he's gotten used to things, but that might just be because he's sick? I'm not sure.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About a week after I got him. I've had him for almost 2 weeks.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I added a little bit of stresscoat to the water, otherwise I haven't done anything.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? I'm not sure?
How old is your fish (approximately)? I got him from Walmart 2 weeks ago. I know Walmart is a horrible place to get fish, but I wanted to try to save one since they have like a million sitting in cups. :(

Also,
Is his spine straight or does it have an "s" shape? I'm not too sure. It looks like he has a humpback to me.
Is his poo (if you've seen it) stringy and clear? I haven't seen any. I'm worried he may be constipated so I did fast him for a day or two, but still haven't seen him poop. That may also be a problem.
Are his scales raised, like a pinecone? No...his scales look fine to me.


The only decorations I have in the tank are one small Pirate skull and a Pirate Skeleton man. I know I need to get him a plant or a cave to hide in, I just haven't found any good ones around here that look like they won't snag his fins.

[Enkil]

If you have a PetSmart close, they usually carry a barrel decoration. I have this in several tanks with no ill effects.

It sounds as though the Tetra Betta Pellets were too big. New Life Spectrum pellets are smaller. Makes them easier for the betta to eat. Personally, I don't like flakes because they dirty the water.

The "s" shape is when looking from above. The hump sounds like a birth defect. There isn't anything you can really do about that. If he looks like he's having too much trouble swimming, you can either use decorations/plants to make him a sort of series of steps to the serface or you can lower the water level. If he doesn't seem to be having too much trouble, I wouldn't worry too much bit keep an eye on him.

For bloating, if he hasn't pooped, it could very well be constipation. A good natural remedy for constipation in bettas is daphnia. I keep frozen daphnia on hand in case any of mine get constipated. I also use them as treats from time to time.

Check his decorations to make sure they aren't tearing his fins.