Betta Fish Forum banner

so heartbroken

681 views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  Myates 
#1 ·
I just got a new halfmoon (?) beta. He was swimming, seemingly happy, eating and now he's not moving at all. He was whitish, with some dark speckles towards the back when adopted. and NOW he's pink up front and his fins are COMPLETELY turquoise. I have him in a quart globe with the l.e.d. arm, a mini aquarium plant and aqua glass pebbles and i fear he may be dying. I rinsed everything for about 10 minutes. He ate well and was doing great but after a bit, stopped moving. He's not belly up but his forehead is at the top the water line. I added betta bowl plus while he was temperature acclimating in his cup and he ate probably 8 "aqueon" betta food pebbles. My VERY expensive thermometer is measuring 74.6 degrees and i'm in Florida with no AC. What am I doing wrong? The guy at the store said they get them in every Wednesday; was the shock just too much? Is he just too cold? He's not dead yet and I hope to bring him back but he looks bleak. HELP!
 
#2 ·
Hi Princessrachel,
Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear your betta is having some problem. If you can fill out the sticky below as detail as you can, we can try to figure out what's happening.

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)?
 
#3 ·
I'm not convinced you're doing anything wrong. The fact that his colors came out would lead me to believe that he's a happy fish.

Bettas take time to adjust. If he's not belly up and his color is good and he's eating, give him a break! They breathe surface air, so it's not unusual that he's hovering near the surface. Are his fins clamped? He's probably just adjusting. Do you have hiding spots for him? Plants? A cave? Give him at least a week to adjust before blaming yourself.

I will say that your "tank" for him is wayyyyyyyyyy to small. I'm not one of those people who thinks a betta needs 5 gallons to be happy, but I am an "over a gallon" thinker. They need room to swim. Maybe he's not moving because there's no where to go. If by "quart globe" you mean that your tank holds maximum a quart of water, that is barely an upgrade from the tiny cup he was in at the store.
 
#4 ·
It sounds to me like his true colours are showing. When I first got my admiral, his body was pinkish/white and his tail pale pink and blue. Now his body and tail are bright red with some blue on his tail. They change color once in clean, warm water sometimes. Means they are doing better. I would still post a pic just so we can see.

And I have to agree with the post above. You ''tank'' sounds way too small. I definitly recommend at least 2 gallons per betta with a heater.
 
#5 ·
I just got a new halfmoon (?) beta. He was swimming, seemingly happy, eating and now he's not moving at all. He was whitish, with some dark speckles towards the back when adopted. and NOW he's pink up front and his fins are COMPLETELY turquoise.
Bettas change colors often after being brought home- sounds to me as if his true colors have come out.. completely normal.

I have him in a quart globe with the l.e.d. arm, a mini aquarium plant and aqua glass pebbles and i fear he may be dying.
I am unsure of this setup.. is it a quart in size?

I rinsed everything for about 10 minutes. He ate well and was doing great but after a bit, stopped moving.
He's not belly up but his forehead is at the top the water line.
Are his fins clamped up close to his body? Is he gasping for air at the surface?

I added betta bowl plus while he was temperature acclimating in his cup and he ate probably 8 "aqueon" betta food pebbles.
8 in one setting is way too much- it will cause bloating, SBD issues, constipation, etc etc.. for pellet feeding you will want to feed twice a day, 2-3 pellets per meal, so a total of 4-6 pellets a day. Over feeding can be dangerous and deadly.

My VERY expensive thermometer is measuring 74.6 degrees and i'm in Florida with no AC.
All internal thermometers are the same and will reach the same temp- 74 is low for a betta, as they are tropical fish and require a heater and a constant temp of 78-80.. fluctuations can be deadly for them.. too cold of water will in turn cause lethargy, slower metabolism (eating so much and not properly burning the intake), and lowered immunity. If your tank isn't a gallon and up- highly recommend getting a gallon or larger to properly and safely heat.. anything less then a gallon can't be safely heated.

What am I doing wrong? The guy at the store said they get them in every Wednesday; was the shock just too much? Is he just too cold? He's not dead yet and I hope to bring him back but he looks bleak. HELP!
How often are you changing the water? And what is the % of the water change you are doing?
And again, what size is the tank, as the only thing I can think of is a bowl that is a quart in measurement.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top