He seems to be sick, but I cannot figure out what is wrong! He got into a fight with a rosey red minnow a week ago. I think that this is what caused his behavior. He lays on his side for minutes at a time, see sideways photo. In his fight, the anal fin was torn, all extended rays on front half were torn off. he has been healing nicely, but then he started acting like this! He eats Tropical fish flakes, with the other fish, 1 pellet a day, just so he gets his nutrition, the other fish can't eat it but he eventually notices at snaggs it up. He eats a little letuce when i give it to the apple snails, pig... and he eats, rarely, the algea pelets intendet to be given to the snails. All this is of course not during the same day. i only feed the snails the letuce and algea pellets once a week. fish flakes are given to the other fish 1 time a day, morning. 1 pellet at night. I thought he had velvet, he looked dirty, but that was just the light playing cruel tricks on me. I am not the best of spellers, most especially when i, and the fish, am stressed. here's a photo, i cannot get it to turn over.
Try fasting him for a few days, it sounds like he's getting too much to eat & may have a swim bladder problem. What size tank, filtered, heated? Water change schedule, how much water is changed? Can you move him to a QT tank?
Okay... 29 gallon heated to 76*F. Filtered by a rather strong filter unfortuanitly. 50% water changes every saturday and twice monthly 100%water change. And yes i can put him in a 1 gallon bowl but have no filter or heater for it.
You do a 100% water change on a 29g? Is there a specific reason for that? On a properly cycled tank there shouldn't be a need for a 100% water change, just the weekly 50% or so water change which essentially gives you a monthly 100% water change. In any case, I would do my best to fast him. My Bettas get 2-3 pellets (depending on the Betta) per day, fasting once or twice a week, frozen food substituted for a couple days. I feed algae wafers for my CAE's & snail 2-3 times a week one of my females CANNOT help but gorge herself on them even though she's already had 2 pellets, fortunately she's not had any problems except an exceptionally bulging belly. Can you put him in a tuperware bowl & float it in the tank so the temp stays up?
I can and thanks to your help he now is. i stole the heater from my cousins tank, which is close to her bedroom space heater so she willingly let me take it. i took him to a vet to see if he could give any advice, he said what you said and charged me 50 bucks for it. but he also added that i should dump him down a toilet but i told him to f off and that i refuse to subject Red to that treatment. if he dies, he will be buried like any christian fish ought to be. thank you shellieca. your a blessing!
Ahh, sorry the vet was such a jerk. I hope your Betta makes a recovery, I know its frustrating when you can't quite figure out the problem is so you don't know for sure how to treat. Keep us posted as to how he's doing.
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