Betta Can't Swim

[DJAinKY]

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 80 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? yes
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? top fin betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1x per day, 3-5 pellets, 1 fast day per week

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every other week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 20-25%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? dechlorinator

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

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Slightly bloated gut
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lays on the bottom, can't swim well
When did you start noticing the symptoms? last night
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? In a small container with aquarium salt, temperature at 84
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? 6 months

It almost looks like he forgot how to swim. The container he is in is very shallow, and he swims in erratic circles to breathe. His gills were gasping when he was in the aquarium, but now they are puffed open in the container. I don't know how long he'll survive, but he looks pretty bad.

I moved 3 weeks ago and he transitioned fine with no issues until yesterday. His tank-mates didn't survive the move, but they never had a problem before that. My previous betta had a similar sudden illness, but he died in less than 24 hours. I don't know if this is a bloat issue or what, but any help is appreciated. Tank is planted, btw.

[shellieca]

Your test results do not appear correct, do you use strips or a liquid test? IMO you are not doing the proper water changes & it sounds like ammonia poisoning. When you moved the tank did you also change the filter? Your tank is probably going through a new cycle which means water changes of 50% or more should have been done quite frequently. He needs fresh clean water immediately & unfortunately it may not work at this point but it's worth a shot. If he's the only tank inhabitant there's no reason to move him. Do about a 90% water change. You need a reliable liquid water test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. Once the tank has cycled completely you should be doing a weekly 50% water change & really good vacuum.

[DJAinKY]

Originally Posted by shellieca

Your test results do not appear correct, do you use strips or a liquid test? IMO you are not doing the proper water changes & it sounds like ammonia poisoning. When you moved the tank did you also change the filter? Your tank is probably going through a new cycle which means water changes of 50% or more should have been done quite frequently. He needs fresh clean water immediately & unfortunately it may not work at this point but it's worth a shot. If he's the only tank inhabitant there's no reason to move him. Do about a 90% water change. You need a reliable liquid water test kit that tests for ammonia, nitrites & nitrates. Once the tank has cycled completely you should be doing a weekly 50% water change & really good vacuum.

No sure what you mean by that. It's a fully planted tank, and weekly water changes are not required to keep ammonia levels down. The filter was the same filter I've always used on this tank, and it stayed in tank water while I moved it. All my levels have been fine since I moved. I moved him because everything I've read about planted tanks says no aquarium salt, so moving to a separate container was the only option. Ammonia poisoning wouldn't explain the previous betta's death, either.

[shellieca]

Originally Posted by DJAinKY

No sure what you mean by that. It's a fully planted tank, and weekly water changes are not required to keep ammonia levels down. The filter was the same filter I've always used on this tank, and it stayed in tank water while I moved it. All my levels have been fine since I moved. I moved him because everything I've read about planted tanks says no aquarium salt, so moving to a separate container was the only option. Ammonia poisoning wouldn't explain the previous betta's death, either.

IME, when a fish is gasping for air it is either too much ammonia or not enough oxygen in the water. If you are only doing water changes every two weeks & only changing 20-25% that, IMO, is not enough & that would be the opinion of MOST experienced aquarist. If your previous Betta had the same symptoms then it is possible it is a water issue. How well do you vacuum when you clean the tank? If you're not vacuuming well enough there could be a water issue, I know from personal experience. Again I ask what you are using to test your water, strips or liquid? IME & the opinion of most aquarist; strips are inaccurate. I appologize if you took offense to anything I have said, I'm trying to help & I can only go based on the information provided. I don't know your level of expertise so I start with basics & go from there.

[Canuck Fins]

Originally Posted by DJAinKY

It almost looks like he forgot how to swim. The container he is in is very shallow, and he swims in erratic circles to breathe. His gills were gasping when he was in the aquarium, but now they are puffed open in the container. I don't know how long he'll survive, but he looks pretty bad.

Is he pineconing? When you say his gills are puffed open, I'm trying to visualize that.

Did you read through this thread? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73333

[DJAinKY]

Originally Posted by shellieca

IME, when a fish is gasping for air it is either too much ammonia or not enough oxygen in the water. If you are only doing water changes every two weeks & only changing 20-25% that, IMO, is not enough & that would be the opinion of MOST experienced aquarist. If your previous Betta had the same symptoms then it is possible it is a water issue. How well do you vacuum when you clean the tank? If you're not vacuuming well enough there could be a water issue, I know from personal experience. Again I ask what you are using to test your water, strips or liquid? IME & the opinion of most aquarist; strips are inaccurate. I appologize if you took offense to anything I have said, I'm trying to help & I can only go based on the information provided. I don't know your level of expertise so I start with basics & go from there.

It's a liquid test kit. I've tested water straight from the tap, and the levels certainly aren't 0 across the board. I think that's a pretty good indicator that my tank is cycled. If I didn't have 6 other fish in the tank the last time I had a betta die, I'd be thinking the same things you are. But I did, and they were all perfectly fine. And it's not like ottos are the hardiest fish, either. So looking at all the variables, the bettas are the only fish affected here, and it seems random. I know you're trying to help, though. I apologize if I'm being snappy.

[DJAinKY]

Originally Posted by Canuck Fins

Is he pineconing? When you say his gills are puffed open, I'm trying to visualize that.

Did you read through this thread? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=73333

He didn't pinecone. The last betta did, but only after he died. The last one was extremely bloated and looked to have a visible prolapse of some sort, but he died so quickly I don't know if bloat could have been the only problem.

I read through that thread, and the only thing that fits my current betta is SBD based on symptoms. He went from active and normal to laying on the bottom in less than 24 hours and refusing food.