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Help My Fish Is Sick

2K views 49 replies 5 participants last post by  Hadoken Kitty 
#1 ·
I Think He's Depressed He Stays At The Bottom Of the Tank and opens his mouth over and over :cry: :roll: :oops: :-?
 
#4 ·
Please fill out as much of this as possible. Also, pictures would be helpful.

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)?
 
#5 ·
Please fill out as much of this as possible. Also, pictures would be helpful.

Housing
What size is your tank? 2 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 68 f
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or others type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? food Pelets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every Week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 97% about
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? None

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? None

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? No
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? 6 weeks
I
 
#7 ·
Woahhhh!!! That temperature is more than likely why your fishy is at the bottom of the tank. He's probably feeling quite lethargic from the cold. You say that you have a heater in your tank, but it isn't going above 68*F? It might be faulty/busted. :( It should stay at about 79*F (I only say this, because in my experience, even my non-adjustables have never gone below 75*F). I would go buy another submersible heater for you fish, if I were you. Until then, try putting a towel around the tank. I would put one in the dryer for a little bit to heat it up, then wrap the tank in it. Also, if you can get the tank to a higher spot, then that will help as well. The reason is that bettas are tropical fish and like warm water. 80*F is usually agreed to be the perfect temperature, but they can survive anywhere from 78*F(minimum)-86*F(maximum).

How often do you clean your tank and how many pellets do you feed him a day?
 
#10 ·
And I can't believe I missed this when I read the first time. You need conditioner for your fish. API sells some water conditioner, but any brand will do. Just read the directions on the bottle for usage.
 
#15 ·
You absolutely need to be using a conditioner with the water, and with every change. It should be a liquid and it should say it removes chlorine, choramines and heavy metals - make sure it says all three. Tap water is toxic to bettas without it.

In a tank/bowl of this size two water changes a week are needed.. 50% and 100%. He should be scooped in a little plastic solo type cup and not use a net. New water should be the exact same temp as old water - matched using his in tank thermometer. Water and conditioner should also be premixed (you can use fresh water jugs from the grocery store - rinsed well in hot water but not chems).

He is also freezing at that temp, and the swings are hard on him. They can even be lethal. What heater are you using? It's not working properly. You need one that can keep a constant unchanging temp between 78-80F. With a tank this size you can get a 25w adjustable heater. Make sure any heater you get is tested 24hours in similar size container to make sure it will maintain a constant appropriate temp. You must always use an in tank thermometer to monitor the temp. He must be acclimated to the water water either by floating in a cup inside the already fully warmed water for a hour, or by adjusting the heater to increase no more than 1 degree per hour and 5 degrees per day.

He should be getting two small meals a day, at least a couple at a time and one fast day a week. You should look for a pellet whose first two or three ingredients are whole fish and not fish meal or wheat. How many you feed depends on the pellet you choose.
 
#20 ·
What is it called? It sounds like conditioner, but a name would help. Put your fish in a cup before adding anything in the tank's water. The changes can make your fish go into convulsions when he isn't being properly acclimated.
 
#22 ·
Conditioner should say all three I listed. Go read the bottle and say. you need to add it at each water change, not once a month. Doesn't sound like a conditioner at all.
 
#27 ·
I believe it would say once a month because they are assuming you are only changing your water once a month or not changing it at all. If you are changing it weekly or more often like you should be, then you need to add it every time to keep him healthy, otherwise, the chemicals will still poison your fish.
 
#24 ·
What exactly is the brand/name?

The instructions are wrong. You need to add it with every water change. Just think about it logically.. how is it helping your fish if you change all the water weekly but only put it in monthly?
 
#25 ·
I would do it with each water change. It wouldn't make sense to only add it to some water changes and not all water changes.

Also, you need to edit your albums to be public so that we can see the pictures. I believe that is why they are not showing up.
 
#30 ·
Are you using the crystals to remove the chemicals?
 
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