Dying Betta

[RedCassette]

After Halogen passed away, we purchased a new betta friend Monday afternoon. The first day he was very shy and lethargic, sitting at the bottom of the tank.

The second day I couldn't find him. He hid almost the whole day. When I finally saw him, his tail was horribly clenched up, worse than when we had brought him home.

Today, he's no better. His gills are opening and closing erratically as though he's gasping for oxygen. He won't eat anything. I'm confident he's going to die.

Is there anything I can do? Or anyway I could... put him down? I feel so bad that he's suffering...

[xjenuhfur]

Did you clean the tank that your previous fish died in? Water change/changing gravel/cleaning decor?

[shellieca]

Sorry your Betta is ill. More information is needed to advise you. What size tank? When was your last water change? Are you using a water conditioner? Is the tank heated? Is the tank filtered & if so have you tested your water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates & Ph?

[Imgarde]

There could be various things going on. First try to make him as comfortable as possible - heater, clean water, conditioner, etc. Give him a chance. If it is environment issue he might spring back.
The second possibility is that he might have parasites. It is hard to tell from your description what it could be but gasping and lethargy could indicate gill flukes, which is a bad news.

[MoonShadow]

Could you please give us more information? Tank size? Temperature? How often is the water changed? Etc. Did you clean out the tank after the first fish died?

[RedCassette]

Sorry.


Yes, the tank was cleaned after the first fish died.

Tank is a 5.5 gallon. Filtered and heated. I don't know the water parameters, but it was a fresh water change (with conditioned water). It's at about 75 degrees.

He was in bad shape when we got him, but I was hoping all he needed was some clean, warm water to start feeling better.

[shellieca]

If the tank is not cycled it will need frequent water changes to keep the water safe for him. How long have you had him? How long has the tank been running? Its important to test the water so we can eliminate water parameters contributing to his current state. I understand he wasn't 100% when you got him but he may not be improving because of a number of factors.

[Imgarde]

Yeah, sorry... I know it is hard to get all the water parameters correct if you don't have a 30+ dollars worth water testing kit. But most fish/petstores will do the testing for free if you bring them water sample.

[Perry the platypus]

Fill this out: 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)?

[RedCassette]

Would like to just update and say that we took him back to the store and they put him into the sick bay. Hopefully he'll recover. Thanks for the help.