Hope needs help!

[Aquarianblue]

Hello everyone,

I was really, really hoping I'd never have to come to this section of the forum, but sadly at some time or another we all have to. Long story short, I rescued my first ever HM from his cup at Petsmart that got overlooked. I thought he was dead, and when I seen he was alive, he seemed to look at me, full of despair. I promised him a home, and he got it. Along with a CT for my gf. (whose fine) Anyways, got him home, into the new tank/warm water, and I see his mouth is slightly deformed. he has no interest in food. he looks at it, and seems to shrug it off. I've got him to eat a bloodworm, and crushed up some pellets, and he took a small bite. is he gonna be ok? and here's the form..to help you guys, help Hope.

Housing
What size is your tank? 10g divided.
What temperature is your tank? 78-working up to 80
Does your tank have a filter? yes, with baffle. only run occasionally, a few hours a day.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yea...has a heater.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? on his own now

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? he won't eat.
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice daily

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? my 10g, 50% once every week or so
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% once a week, 100% the next week.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Just betta conditioner.

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

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? well, he's new and shiny. weird mouth..
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? n/a
When did you start noticing the symptoms? when I saved him
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? 100% water change, heated, cycled water.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? idk
How old is your fish (approximately)? seems young.

[Pataflafla]

It would probably be best to run your filter all the time. Without the circulation, ammonia isn't taken care of by the bacteria in the filter, and when you next run it it is poured back into the tank.

He may still be adjusting to the new tank and surroundings as far as not eating goes.

Does he have any trouble swimming up or down? Or does he float on his sides?

[Aquarianblue]

Originally Posted by Pataflafla

It would probably be best to run your filter all the time. Without the circulation, ammonia isn't taken care of by the bacteria in the filter, and when you next run it it is poured back into the tank.

He may still be adjusting to the new tank and surroundings as far as not eating goes.

Does he have any trouble swimming up or down? Or does he float on his sides?

He has no trouble swimming at all. In fact, since I got him lastnight, he is quite lively, and happy. It's just he won't eat, and I noticed his mouth is abit deformed, or something happened to him. It's not horribly disfigured, but it's not normal. I'm afraid this keeps him from being able/wanting to eat.

[Pataflafla]

I'd say give him a week to settle in before expecting him to eat everything.

You could try soaking pellets before giving them to him to make it softer for him too. soaking in garlic juice will help stimulate his appetite and boost him immune system too.

[Aquarianblue]

Wait, he can go a full week of not eating? That's crazy. And thanks, I will try the garlic method.

[Pataflafla]

If a betta is healthy, they can go up to 2 weeks without eating, but they'll lose a lot of weight and be at great risk for becoming ill.

It's normal for new bettas to not eat for up to a week since it's stressful being moved from a cup to a tank in a completely new place. He'll eat when he's hungry, so there shouldn't be too much worry.

If he displays signs of sickness like bloating without food and white stringy poop, then you'll have a problem, but if not, then he just needs a little time to settle in.

[Aquarianblue]

Thank you for the help, and advice. I did get him to eat abit. I was just freaked out about his mouth, and the way he acted. I think I was more worried then the fish was. XD

[Pataflafla]

That's alright. sometimes they get hurt in shipping or were just born with the deformity. you'll just have to make sure he can eat what you give him and everything should be good.