Lethargic Betta

[tromboneplaya]

My crowntail betta, Sprinkles, has suddenly started acting very lethargic. He used to swim up to the front of the tank and act all excited when I came into the room and now he does nothing. He is also acting uninterested in food which is unlike him. He only eats one or two of his three pellets and that takes some convincing on my part. I also noticed some clearish white stuff hanging off his fins this morning, but nothing else on the rest of his body. Also here are all the questions about his tank and stuff:

Housing
What size is your tank? 10 gallon divided
What temperature is your tank? ~76
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? Hikari Betta Bio Gold
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets twice a day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once per week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 25-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? water conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate: NA
pH: 7.6
Hardness: NA
Alkalinity: NA

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? colors are normal but has white string stuff hanging from his fins (not really present tonight but was this morning)
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's being very lethargic
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 days ago
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)? I've had him about a month

Any help or advice you could give me would be very much appreciated! I'm really worried about him!

[moonsand0wls]

He is sick, and I think the "clearish white stuff" you are talking about it actually fin rot. Use the appropriate treatments, which you can get from most pet or aquarium stores, and move him into an emergency tank (if you have one) to treat him.

:( I hope he gets better!

[tromboneplaya]

I thought dark edges on the fins was customary of fin rot...not white....but what do I know! I'm definitely thinking about taking him out tonight and putting him in something by himself with aq salt at least...

[moonsand0wls]

It's called Cotton Tail lol, I'm half asleep sorry. I'm pretty sure they're the same/similar treatments though! It's a fungus, I think. But just go to your pet store and ask :) I can't say definately without a picture

[tromboneplaya]

Oh ok....thanks! I'm going to keep a close eye on him and go to the pet store to get something for him tomorrow!

[moonsand0wls]

That's good :) Remember, the earlier the treatment the better! Good luck :)

**Also because he's got that, you may want to keep an eye on the water levels, and is there things he tries to get over that may have cut him etc? Try smooth them down :)

[tromboneplaya]

One more question, I have have another betta in the divided tank so I'm wondering if I have to worry about him too? Since it hasn't been that long since he started to get sick and I'm going to get him out tonight will my other fish be ok? I have live plants or else I would just treat the whole tank...

[moonsand0wls]

Originally Posted by tromboneplaya

One more question, I have have another betta in the divided tank so I'm wondering if I have to worry about him too? Since it hasn't been that long since he started to get sick and I'm going to get him out tonight will my other fish be ok? I have live plants or else I would just treat the whole tank...

He should be fine, but keep an eye on him. Unless he's starting to show symptoms I'd just watch him :) Feel free to add me and ask questions, I'm no expert but I have genera ideas

[tromboneplaya]

I actually found some fungus clear stuff in my box of fish stuff so I got him in a 2.5 gallon with a heater and medicine. Should I put some aquarium salt in as well or just the medicine? I really appreciate your help! (and so does sprinkles!) :)

[moonsand0wls]

Maybe just the treatment, I'm not sure, I've never used salt! I'd say go for the treatment. Thanks, I try my best :)