I started this in a different thread, but I think it might be more appropriate here now. I thought I was having problems with pH, but it turns out we were using aquarium salt too often. Yesterday we changed out 25% of the water, and the new water was aquarium salt-free. He appeared to gain a little energy for some time, and actually came up to eat. However today, he's back on the bottom, and seems to have a hard time coming up to eat. He sits on the bottom A LOT, which I know is ok if it is their normal behavior, but this is out of the ordinary for him. Sometimes he even rolls over a little, and it almost looks like he's dead.
Today we did another water change, and while he was in his cup, he was quite active. We were able to get him to eat also. He has now been moved to his original tank, which is smaller. My reason for doing this is that he seems to have trouble getting to the top, so I figured less water would help him with that. It is about 1.5g.
Housing
What size is your tank? Was in 2.5g when problems began. Has been moved to 1.5g.
What temperature is your tank? between 78-80 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other 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? BettaMin Tropical Crisps
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 times daily
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 5-6 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Full
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime and Top fin water conditioner (was adding aq. salt, but have stopped this)
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: Safe, according to color wheel
Nitrite: Unknown
Nitrate: Unknown
pH: >8.0
Hardness: Unknown
Alkalinity: Unknown
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Color Fade
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Severe lethargy, trouble swimming
When did you start noticing the symptoms? at least a week, maybe 2
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? daily 25% water changes, starting 1/2/13
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not really
How old is your fish (approximately)? Owned for ~1 year. Age unknown.
Today we did another water change, and while he was in his cup, he was quite active. We were able to get him to eat also. He has now been moved to his original tank, which is smaller. My reason for doing this is that he seems to have trouble getting to the top, so I figured less water would help him with that. It is about 1.5g.
Housing
What size is your tank? Was in 2.5g when problems began. Has been moved to 1.5g.
What temperature is your tank? between 78-80 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other 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? BettaMin Tropical Crisps
How often do you feed your betta fish? 1-2 times daily
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every 5-6 days
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? Full
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Prime and Top fin water conditioner (was adding aq. salt, but have stopped this)
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: Safe, according to color wheel
Nitrite: Unknown
Nitrate: Unknown
pH: >8.0
Hardness: Unknown
Alkalinity: Unknown
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Color Fade
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Severe lethargy, trouble swimming
When did you start noticing the symptoms? at least a week, maybe 2
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? daily 25% water changes, starting 1/2/13
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not really
How old is your fish (approximately)? Owned for ~1 year. Age unknown.