Can anyone help?

[bettalover01]

I have had my Betta fish for quite a few months now, he has been living in a smaller bowl fish tank. I have been noticing these last few days that he has been not moving around the bowl much and kinda floating around the bowl. Tonight I noticed that when I tried to feed him it took him the longest time to find the food. he acted like he was blind and could not see anything. He finally found the food because I directed him to it by tapping lightly on the bowl. Besides these odd behavior changes, I have also notived a chance in his front fins. I believe they are called the Ventral or Pelvic fins. They hang from the front of the Betta. These fins have changes to a yellowish color over the last few days. Does anyone have any idea's on what's wrong with him? There has really been no huge change to his diet. Thank you so much!

[wystearya]

Most likely he needs a bigger tank, but we need more information to help you.

Please answer as many of the following questions as possible:

Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

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?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

--------------

Once you post this information the members here should be able to help you out.

[bettalover01]

Alright I can try to answer as many of these as possible. :) Thanks for your help.

Housing

1. A small bowl that you can buy from a pet store(2-5 gallons?)
2. Not sure, but it was a little warmer then normal
3. No
4. No
5. No but we will be putting in a heater over the winter
6. None

Food
1. Top Fin Enchanting Betta Bites and on occasion Top Fin Freaze Dried Bloodworms.
2. I feel 2 of the Top Fin Enchanting Betta Bites 2-3 times a day

Maintenance
1. Every Other day due to the size of the small tank
2.100%
3. None but where we live we do not need to use the purifiers


Water Parameters
1. No I have not tested my water so I do not have any of this information.

Symptoms and Treatment
1. His Ventral or Pelvic Fins changed color from a reddish color to a sickly looking yellow last night.
2. He was acting very lethargic, not wanting to move much, he acted like he could not see as well. I had to help him find his food.
3. Last night, when I woke up today he seemed a lot better but in case it happens again I would like to know what happened.
4. No, because when I woke up he acted a lot better
5. No
6. I have had him for a few months after bringing him to the pet store so he is young.

Thank you all for your assistance here in suggesting what could have been wrong with him. Although all the color has returned to him and he seems just fine this morning, in case it happens again I would like to have an idea in what's wrong. Thank you all so much. :)

[Capricorn]

Well it's good to see that you change the water often.. my guess is that he's probably chilled because he has no heater.

Though are you sure you don't need to use a water conditioner? I have my own well water and I condition it just to be safe. Hopefully someone else will offer an opinion as well?

[wystearya]

Chlorine isn't the only thing that the water treatment does to the water. Most of them also remove any heavy metals (which can be toxic to fish) from the water as well.

[bettalover01]

Thank you for your help! I will be getting a Heater if possible, before the winter time. And as far as the water purifiers go, in the beginning when I got my Betta I used some of a sample that came with the tank and have not had the chance to buy some more. So thank you all! How can I keep the water warmer if I can not buy a heater?

[Capricorn]

You can try keeping his tank/bowl away from windows or drafty areas, maybe underneath a lamp that emits heat? It's not really recommended to do that, but f it means keeping him warm until you can get a heater you may want to try it.

How does he look right now?

[bettalover01]

Well this morning when I looked at him, he was just fine. Then after going out of the house and recently coming back and looking at him, the beginning part of his Vectral or Pelvic funs have started to turn yellow again after I left the house and came back. It seems to be happening somewhere around the night time. He is acting perfectly normal besides the odd yellowish coloring in his fins there in the front.

[Adastra]

It's great that you're keeping the water clean. Some fish do change color when they sleep at night, although it could be temperature fluctuations as the house changes temperature when the sun goes down that could be stressing him out a bit.

Getting a heater would be an excellent idea. You might want to invest in a tank that is at least two gallons--there are many cheap ones out there and if you're really strapped for cash, you can temporarily keep him in a sterilite/rubbermaid plastic storage bin. These storage bins are easy to clean, safe to use with any heater, and they're completely safe for fish. The best part is that a 4 gallon bin is only about $3, so you can use it for a few days or a few months and then repurpose it somewhere else in your house, or even throw it away. I use mine for hospital/quarantine containers and for dipping/sanitizing live plants. They are very useful to have around.

When picking a heater, try to find a 25 watt heater with an adjustable temperature dial. Non-adjustable pads and preset heaters are cheaply made and won't keep the temperature stable. They may overheat or underheat the water based on the ambient temperature of the room--which kind of makes them rather worthless, in my opinion. Adjustable heaters are a few dollars more, but they will last longer and give you more security, stability, and control. I use and recommend this heater: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...8&pcatid=11368

Your fish may also have been bloated from what you've been feeding him. Often that can cause inactivity and can make the fish float around a lot. I recommend pre-soaking all of the dry food you're giving him in a bit of tank water until it is completely hydrated. Freeze-dried foods especially can cause terrible constipation/bloating issues--so use those sparingly and always let them hydrate completely and break them into smaller pieces to help avoid digestive stress.

The reason why this causes problems is because fish weren't really made to eat dry, bready, air-filled processed foods. What happens to them when they eat dry food is comparable to what happens to us when we eat uncooked rice or noodles--the food expands in the gut as it takes on moisture and causes bloating and constipation. Bloating in fish puts pressure on the swim bladder--the organ responsible for controlling the fish's depth in the water, causing it malfunction. The resulting swim bladder disorder can make the fish unable to sink or unable to rise until the pressure is removed.

[bettalover01]

Thank you so much for this advice, I will try pre-soaking the food before feeding him awhile and see if that helps any. He only did that one time so I will keep an eye on him to make sure he does not do it again. :) I actually think you hit it on the nail. It must be the temperature changes that happen in the tank during the night time that causes him to change color. I'm not sure if I will be able to get a heater anytime soon but I will look into it. Thank you for the advice!