Please help! Clamped fins, lethargic, won't eat, staying on bottom!

[savmom]

My daughters Betta has been very active until the last couple days. He won't eat, he stays on the bottom of the tank only coming up to get air and his eyes look sort of cloudy. His left fin is clamped but it does not look damaged (he does swim with it occasionally). He does not appear to be bloated but he does swim kind of sideways (I'm guessing because he is only swimming with his right fin).

The only changes I have made was to turn on the heater about a week ago because it was getting cooler and the temp was dipping below 70 at night. I did try giving him some freeze-dried blood worms a couple days ago but he refused to eat them lol (I removed them after a few minutes).


I can take a picture when I get home, if necessary.

Any help is greatly appreciated because my daughter is very upset (and for once mom is clueless how to fix something).

Answers in bold


Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 74-76
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes but it is off to slow the current while he is sick
Is your tank heated? yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? mystery snail, fiddler crab, moss ball (not quite a tank mate but it's a new addition in the last month)

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 pellets twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? usually 1-2 gallons
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? start right (I think that's what its called)

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

Ammonia: unknown
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:10
pH:7.6
Hardness:100
Alkalinity: 120

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Clamped fins only on one side, paler, some gold coloring but only near his gills
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? stays on bottom, swims sideways with only one fin, won't eat,
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 days ago but much worse today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Not sure what is wrong so have not started treatment
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? unknown

[Alcemistnv]

I do believe the water is too cold. Try to bring it up to 80 or so and he might look better...

[savmom]

Originally Posted by Alcemistnv

I do believe the water is too cold. Try to bring it up to 80 or so and he might look better...

Will do. Thanks for the quick response.

[Alcemistnv]

If possible, can you tell me if his pectoral fin is being used? OR maybe does he look swollen on his side...?

[savmom]

Originally Posted by Alcemistnv

If possible, can you tell me if his pectoral fin is being used? OR maybe does he look swollen on his side...?

His sides do not look swollen but he rarely uses his left pectoral fin (the small fin by his gills right?).

[Silverfang]

I'm not sure what's wrong with your betta, but I would like to point out that fiddler crabs need brackish water and some land. Just in case you were told they are safe in freshwater. Most pet store employees are pretty bad with advice.

You mentioned gold,does it look like dust? Is he darting or look like he's trying to scratch?

[savmom]

I had the ammonia levels checked & they were ok (.15).

He looks miserable but I am not sure what I should do. I spent hours perusing the web but there are so many conflicting opinions!

[savmom]

Originally Posted by Silverfang

I'm not sure what's wrong with your betta, but I would like to point out that fiddler crabs need brackish water and some land. Just in case you were told they are safe in freshwater. Most pet store employees are pretty bad with advice.

You mentioned gold,does it look like dust? Is he darting or look like he's trying to scratch?

The crab spends most of his time hanging out on the ledge at the top of the tank. Should I return him? He seems content enough and yes, the Petsmart employee told me he would be fine

The gold does not look like "dust" per se, more like a golden sheen right along his body next to his gills. They are tiny little patches, one on each side, that looks like someone painted him with gold enamel or something. I can try & capture a picture, if I can get him to move around a little. I looked at some pics of velvet and it does not look quite like that but online pics are not always very revealing.

He is not darting or scratching or rubbing against things. He just lies on the bottom behind the little house.

Who knew a tiny little creature could be so complicated?

[Silverfang]

I know! Simple they said, easy to care for... heh.

[savmom]

Originally Posted by Silverfang

I know! Simple they said, easy to care for... heh.