Betta acting weird, not sure what's wrong

[ImaFishNoob]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to this website and taking care of Bettas. I've had my Veiltail Male Betta for about 2-3 months now. His name is Bieber (I didn't name him, the girl who gave him to me named him). He was in a small bowl up until today. I know it was a bad thing to do to have him in there! Now he's in a 1.5 gallon tank because about 2 weeks ago he started acting strange and he doesn't look very happy or healthy. I've looked all over the place to see what was wrong with him but I couldn't find anything. His tail and fins look shriveled and aren't as broad as they used to be and he used to swim straight but now his tail sags a bit. Also his head has something on it. I don't think it's Ich but it looks like a bunch of air bubbles. He's been sitting in the bottom or top corner a lot and hasn't been moving around and yesterday he started spitting out pellets. I got his water checked and his ammonia was high but I put him in a new tank with fresh water. Please help me!

[Bettanewbie60]

There is a form at the top of this section..if you fill it out it may be easier for folks to help you. Do you know your water temp? PH and ammonia levels? With a small container like the previous one, and the 1.5g you will need to change the water every other day at least to keep him healthy. Are you using a water conditioner or just tap water? Conditioner is necessary to remove chemicals from the water. Fill out the form and let us know okay? There are a lot of great people here who can help you!

[prodrumernate]

as Bettanewbie60 said,having the form info would help us out a lot.here is a link to the form...u can copy and post it in a reply here and just fill in the info...

from what i can understand and what i know about bettas.(im no expert,but learn fast,have many resources,and have had great help and still do from the experts on here) my guess is he is stressed.since u just moved him into a new tank.he might be stressed.could be from the water parameter difference,water temperature,the size of tank.the area.amount of light.so on and so on.correct me any1 if im wrong..

i would cover him up.put a towel or something over him to block out a lot of light and and distractions(people walking by,pets.etc) but allow there to be a little opening for air circulation.since he is in a 1.5 gallon im sure u dont have a filter,bettas like calm placid water.like in a bowl.having a bubbler is fine.i turn my bubbler off my 2 gallon sometimes to feed my girl.though she dont care.infact i have to put my finger over the water and let her bite it before i can actually give food.or she will jump out of the water onto the floor.as it has happened several times..

im not sure about the bubbles on the head.but staying at the bottom,and clamped fins can be stress or sick..

do try to fill out the inform.other info i want to ask and need to know to help is on that form.just incase ill go ahead and copy the form and paste it here in a separate reply.u can just quote it and fill the info out there..

[prodrumernate]

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)?

[ImaFishNoob]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? n/a
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
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? n/a

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? I can't remember the brand but Betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 1-2 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50% or 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Aqueon BettaBowl Plus

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? No

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Clamped fins and tail, white air bubble-like specks on head
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Spits out food, lays in one corner
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About a week ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Moved to bigger tank, more water changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? 1st time
How old is your fish (approximately)? Had it for about 2 months but was grown when I got it

[prodrumernate]

what is the temperature inside the room or house/apartment the fish is kept in?he could be cold as well..in a 1.5 gallon i would change the water about 3 times a week.in my 2 gallon i change it about 3 times a week.

i would try to get some Freeze Dried Bloodworms.pellets are ok.but from what i read the bloodworms are a great source of vitamins etc it needs...

oh when u do the water changes.i actually change about 50% everytime.i know some may read this and say i need to change more.but i do a 100% change monthly.

i was going to ask if he is eating but as i see he spits it out..

since u have a 1 gallon.i would try adding a little aquarium salt for a few days.it helps reduce stress and helps prevent against diseases.i think its like 1 teaspoon for 10 gallons of water.i usually put in a little less than 1/4 teaspoon in my 10 gallon if i need too..

is their any way of getting more light on the picture to see the white bubbles on his head?ill try to do some research about that online and see what i can find..

[prodrumernate]

is this what it look like ?

[jCo72]

Originally Posted by prodrumernate

i would try to get some Freeze Dried Bloodworms.pellets are ok.but from what i read the bloodworms are a great source of vitamins etc it needs...

I've heard that freeze dried bloodworms don't actually contribute anything to a betta's diet and they should be given frozen bloodworms instead. (Not sure if this is true?)

[prodrumernate]

Originally Posted by jCo72

I've heard that freeze dried bloodworms don't actually contribute anything to a betta's diet and they should be given frozen bloodworms instead. (Not sure if this is true?)

ive heard the samething.then i read elsewhere its ok.its safer than frozen bloodworms.as frozen bloodworms are thought to be linked to ICH...and frozen dont last as long..things like that.but i did research online and read bettas can survive on just bloodworms alone.i think its more matter of opinion.its better than pellets and flakes.. :)

my 2 females and male seem to be happy with the FD bloodworms.i tried changing their diet to get more nutrients.but had no luck.they wont eat anything else.but also mixing the bloodworms with brine shrimp is a great idea.and maybe adding like a small piece of apple or lettuce for nutrients and vitamins.of u can buy a bottle of vitamins as well from a LPS or LFS.

[ImaFishNoob]

Thank you everyone for the advice! He is looking a lot better and has been swimming around more. His fins have also unclamped a lot! He still has the weird fuzzy stuff on his head though. My house is usually kept around 80 degrees. Also, I had aquarium salt left over from a few years ago when I had tropical fish so I'll have to look for that. Does one 50% and one 100% change a week sound ok or should I do 2 50%'s and one 100%? What's the proper way to acclimate a Betta to new water? I never really learned. I'll also try to change his diet and get some freeze dried bloodworms.