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Help!

457 views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  dramaqueen 
#1 ·
My betta fish used to eat and swim around but now he sometimes eats and mostly sits on the bottom of his bowl. He seems to have trouble staying straight, he falls back and ends up with his nose upwards. I don't know what to do! Does anyone know what might be wrong with him??
 
#2 ·
Hey, would you mind answering as many of these questions as you can? It would help the members determine what's going on. His symptoms could be the product of several different things.

Thanks :)

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 ·
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? It hasn't changed very much.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He doesn't swim around like he used to and he has a hard time staying level, he floats backward and I think he has trouble using his back fin.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A month or so ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No, we don't know how.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that we know of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? 1 yearish.
 
#4 ·
If you could answer the other questions, those are really important. Water temp, water quality, food, etc all play an important roll in a betta's health.

Thanks ^^
 
#6 ·
Housing
What size is your tank? I'm not sure, it's my roommate's bowl. Average size, I think.
What temperature is your tank? Room temp.
Does your tank have a filter? No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Is your tank heated? No.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqua Culture betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? once every day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? I'm not sure. My roommate slacks off a lot in the pet care department which frustrates me. I changed the water two days ago, but before that I think she hadn't changed it for a week or two.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All but a small amount.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Just a bowl buddy to make the water safe for the fish.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? N/A
 
#7 ·
Housing
What size is your tank? I'm not sure, it's my roommate's bowl. Average size, I think.
Bettas should have at least 2.5 gallons. It is important to know the size so you can dose dechlorinator and medication.
What temperature is your tank? Room temp.
What is room temp? Bettas need temps in the 76-80 range. Remember, the water is always colder than the room temp, so if room temp if 76, the water is closer to 72 or so.
Does your tank have a filter? No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Is your tank heated? No.
I recommend getting an adjustable heater and thermometer.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqua Culture betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? once every day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? I'm not sure. My roommate slacks off a lot in the pet care department which frustrates me. I changed the water two days ago, but before that I think she hadn't changed it for a week or two.
Water changes depend on the size. I am going to guess this tank is close to a gallon, which means 100% water changes basically every other day.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All but a small amount.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Just a bowl buddy to make the water safe for the fish.
I recommend Prime Water dechlorinator.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? N/A
He seems like he is having some SBD issues as well as water quality issues.
 
#9 ·
Swim Bladder Disorder. This can show up with the betta sinking if he stops swimming, or floating.

Tell your room mate than if she gets a heater and starts doing proper water changes he will most likely improve, I am 99% sure of it.

Water changes are necessary to remove invisible toxins such as ammonia and other dissolved organic compounds that can turn deadly if left in the tank.
 
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