He's sitting at the bottom of his tank :(

[Violeta]

My betta hasn't been swimming much at all for the last week. He is at the bottom of his tank and barely moving. He has a coat of white on the bottom of his belly which makes me think he has a fungal infection. He also has not been eating much.

Last night I changed his water and also put in a little bit of Stress Coat and Melafix. When I left for work, I saw him shoot up to the top of his tank (I was so happy) and then he seemingly fell to the bottom right away. My mother checked on him during the day & she said he was swimming a teensy bit but it's like he can't stay up, he goes to the bottom.

When I got home from work, he's sitting with his tail upwards and his face facing down in the tank. :(

I don't know what to do.

Should I feed him a pea? Should I add aquarium salt? More Stress coat? More Melafix?

He's about 2.5 years old and there was 1 time about a year and half ago that he was like this but I fed him a pea and gave him Stress Coat/Melafix and he was great the next day. (He didn't have the white stuff on his belly though). This time he's hardly moving.

Please offer me some advice on what to do about my little guy.

[Violeta]

Bumping this thread. Please help.

He is still at the bottom of his tank today.

[Oldfishlady]

Welcome to the forum and sorry your Betta isn't well....We need some more info and a pic...

How big is the tank, how long has it been setup, water temp, filter, live plants, additives used, how much and how often are the water changes, any tank mates and appetite/food/feeding.

[Violeta]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Welcome to the forum and sorry your Betta isn't well....We need some more info and a pic...

How big is the tank, how long has it been setup, water temp, filter, live plants, additives used, how much and how often are the water changes, any tank mates and appetite/food/feeding.

Hi OldFishlady. Thanks for responding.

I don't have a pic since I'm at work.

He is in a 2.5 gallon tank, no clue on the wate temp but I did a water change Sunday night, no filter, no live plants (gravel and rocks), no tank mates and I feed him about 2 pellets a day. yesterday I only gave him 1 since it seems hard for him to move around. he shot up immediately to move it around as he does but then went straight to the bottom of the tank. He usually eats very quickly.

He has some very little bit of white things on his head and back.

I know he is unwell and it breaks my heart. He's been with me about two and a half years now.

I put some aquarium salt in last night and stress coat.

[Oldfishlady]

What is your regular water change schedule...how much/how often...

You need a thermometer to monitor the water temp and the temp of the replacement water used for water changes. Your goal is to maintain a somewhat stable temp in the 76-80F range.

Without a pic-its hard to say what the white stuff could be, however, some of the issue IMO/E-might be related to aging out and compromised immune response and without more info in regards to husbandry and temp-its hard to say....Anyway...what I would recommend at this point-first stop the melafix......

Due to his age-I would treat him in his tank to limit stress, sadly, if it is aging out-not a lot you can do except to keep him comfy, however, you don't want to give up either-these guys can surprise you and bounce back....
It also might be as simple as him being too cold and that was all it took to compromise the immune response.

Make a 50% water change-then lower the water level to about 3-4 inches-Cover the top of the tank with plastic veggie wrap to retain heat/humidity over the water for his labyrinth organ.
Mix up some salt 2tsp in a half cup of hot dechlorinated water to dissolve-then top it off with his tank water and slowly add this to his tank over 15-20min-watch his tolerance and if he seems bothered by it-Stop-If you have a tannin source-either IAL or naturally dried and fallen from the tree Oak leaf-Add one of these to the tank and let them leach their tannins slowly-Turn out the light and keep him in a dim lit quiet location.

In the mean time-mix up some treatment water to use for water changes.
Use a 1gal jug of dechlorinated water-Add aquarium salt 2tsp/gal and the tannin source if you have one. Using this premixed treatment water make 50% water changes every other day for no longer than 10 days.

If he has any changes in symptoms or starts to have buoyancy issues-change to Epsom salt instead of aquarium salt.

Nutrition-If you have access to live mosquito larva-offer several rinsed a couple of times a day-If not, good quality varied diet fed in small frequent meals.

Good luck and keep us posted....

[Violeta]

Thanks for getting back to me!

I will get a thermometer so I can read the temp and do as you suggested w/ the epsom salt.

I know what you mean about these little guys bouncing back and being resilient! I saw him come back from this once and hope he can do it again!

[latriana465]

Hi Violeta,

I'm really sorry your betta is not doing well. My last betta acted the same way as yours was. She stopped swimming and stayed at the bottom of her tank and only came up to the top for air and then rested on her betta hammock. Her belly was pale but the only difference was that she was bloated. Is your betta bloated or have any bulges on him? My betta was three years old when she came down with this mysterious illness.

[Violeta]

Thanks Latriana and OldLady.

I am sad to tell you that my darling V has gone up to the big Fish Bowl in the sky. :( Last night when I came home from work he was laying lifeless.

I cried. He was my first fish and I really did love him so much. It's very sad to see him go but at th same time I'd glad he's resting and not struggling like he was the last week to even swim. I don't know what happened to him at all. Maybe he got an infection or maybe it was old age or maybe his water was contaminated. I'm' not sure.

My sister told me to get a new fish but I just want my old fish back. :( When I am ready I may get a new betta but I have no clue whether to get a heater or not this time. What do you guys think?

Should I toss his aquarium or keep it (2.5 gallon) in case it was contimated?

I am very sad today but also am appy to know my little guy is resting in peace and not struggling.

He really did bring me a lot of joy and was my buddy for over 2.5 years.

RIP little Vi.

Originally Posted by latriana465

My betta was three years old when she came down with this mysterious illness.

Did she survive?

What is the lifespan of betta fish?

[latriana465]

RIP Vi. Poor little guy, I'm sorry he didn't make it but he is resting in the big Fish Bowl in the sky. I had a feeling that might happen because my first betta had the same condition yours had and she pasted away two weeks ago. I had my betta for 3 years until she fell ill. I kept her tank and cleaned it out really well. I am going to clean it again before I put my new betta in there on Saturday.

[Violeta]

Oh gosh I am sorry for your loss, too, Latriana. Thanks for the kind words, too. Both of our fishies are better off now since they are no longer suffering.

It's amazing how attached we grow to our fish children. I really loved my little guy and always would talk to him and he'd perk up when he saw me. They have their own little personalities.

Did you already get a new fish? Do you have a heater and filter? If not, how often do you do water changes?