I feed him regularly but he seems not too interested in that activity. Bettas should be veracious eaters, so yeah. I am worried. All he does when I drop the food in is listlessly and lethargically swims around a little bit, but never towards the food. I worry about him. Then again, he is a few years old now. Around 3 to be exact. I got him in the fall of 2009 and he was 5 months old then.
Can you fill this out? it would provide us with more information: 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?
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)?
You need to do weekly water changes. And mixing Conditioners isn't really a good idea. Maybe he's getting old. Sometimes old Betta Fish have these symptoms.
Oops. Didn't think to check back to this thread. Anyways, I ran out of the old and started using the new, hence the reason I got the new. I had no idea I needed to acclimate Gabe to it.
Also, when I fed Gabe today he seemed more lively and actually interested in the food, which was tropical fish flakes. He actually swam up to the flakes and ate some. He seemed kind of hungry, like a betta should. I also got a good look at his tail fins and noticed that it was looking quite raggidy. Could that be a case of fin rot? What do you suggest I do? I have Maracyn II I could treat him with.
I managed to snap a few pictures too. I am shocked honestly (and a little embarrassed and ashamed that I let him get this bad). I never noticed his redness til now. It definitely looks to be bacterial.
Hi CrabbyTabby and welcome to the forum. So Gabe is an older betta, huh? He's getting up there, actually ancient by betta standards. :)
A large part of Gabe's problem is going to be due to his age. Just like us, as bettas get older, their ability to fight off illness weakens.
My best and first advice is any time a betta gets listless or lethargic, do a water change. 9/10 this remedies any problem. If it doesn't, then there's usually something more serious wrong with them.
Looking at the pics, I see that he has either some cloudy eye or possibly old-age cataracts. He's a halfmoon, right?
For his fins . . . first, he doesn't have any history of fin biting or of ripped fins before? If not, then he most likely does have a mild case of fin rot. I don't see a lot of black edging in the tears so I think it's possible we can contain it before it gets worse. I'd suggest putting him in a small hospital tank (for ease of treatment) and adding 1 tsp of aquarium salt per gallon.
You must be doing something right if even your nitrates or 0. Ideally, I'd suggest weekly water changes of 25% but since your levels are so good, I assume your tank is planted? If that is the case, then continue with the water schedule you've been keeping. Although, while he is ill, you may want to change it every other week just to make sure he can't get an infection.
If he continues to show some decline or his fins deteriorate at an even faster rate, then let me know. If that is the case, he might need some medication.
Otherwise, for a betta his age, he looks pretty good. :)
Okay. I have him in a 3 gallon hospital tank, nearly full with water and with 3 teaspoons of aquarium salt added.
Yes, he's a halfmoon. An OHM to be exact. I got him off of Ebay actually. I noticed that cloudiness in his eyes too. Would halfmoons be prone to cataracts as they get old?
No he's not a tail bitter, but yes, he's had fin rot before. It was cured with a bigger tank and a good water change. I am ashamed to admit that I kept him in one of those Hagen Marina betta keepers for a while until I could get the ten gallon all fixed up and cycled for him.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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