Jumping for air?

[AyalaCookiejar]

So my CT hasn't been eating and has been sort of lethargic. Today, when I woke up, he ha moments where he was just sitting at the top of the tank not moving, even when I lightly tapped the tank or put my finger right in front of him. When I open the lid, though, he gets spooked from the water dripping off of it.

I finally got him to eat two pellets today, but now it seems like he is jumping out of the water for air? He kind of sits vertically near the surface just looking at it and he also tries to swim backwards a lot. Not sure if that's normal?

His tank is 5 gallons, 78 degrees, nitrites and ammonia are at 0 and nitrates are at 5 (just tested a few minutes ago). I have been fish-in cycling the tank. Do you think maybe there was an ammonia or nitrite spike that I didn't catch that caused this? I've been doing at least 2 50% changes a week, sometimes 3 when needed.

It scares me when he is lethargic because sometimes I think he's dead. Like I said, he has some moments when he is totally unresponsive.. I've had him now for about a month and use prime as the conditioner and now am also using stress coat.

Edit: he also seems like some of his fin rays have been broken off? Maybe I'm just paranoid. And my VT is recovering from internal parasites right now if that makes a difference (their symptoms are like, opposites, though). I'll get pictures after work!

[callistra]

Honestly, it looks like your tank is cycled.. I think you're good to go there.

Did you choose not to use epsoms on the CT as well? What's his poop look like? I'd definitely be doing epsoms on him at this point.

[AyalaCookiejar]

He hasn't pooped because he hasn't ate, but before it was the same color as his food and balled up. His poo looked like tiny snails. I'll watch for it now that I got him to eat something but I've been scared to treat him because I really don't know what it is.

The Epsom salt by itself did nothing for my VT.

[MattsBettas]

If your tank is heated, then I don't know what could be wrong. He may be stressed from moving?

[callistra]

How's he doing? I don't like to advocate antibiotics unnecessarily but whenever I've had a mystery case of a lethargic betta like this where I can physically see nothing wrong, and his water is good and clean and epsoms don't work I try Kanaplex and I've had 100% rally so far. Have you tried epsoms alone for the ct? That can work depending on what is his problem, even though it didn't for your VT. If a week on epsoms with good clean warm water don't help at all then go for the Kanaplex, treating every second day for a week and reevaluate.

I would also try running carbon in your filter for at least 24 hours to see if some toxin got in it, of if you can't do that cup him in some clean new water and see if a few days in that doesn't perk him up. In the meantime you can drop a couple pellets in the main tank to feed the bb but be aware you need to test and probably do a big if not complete water change to get it back under control before you put any fish back in.

[AyalaCookiejar]

Where do I get carbon? He's swimming around a bit more today but he still seems pretty slow. He also drifts along the bottom of the tank. He isn't laying at the bottom but he is kind of resting his tail on the substrate and he looks like he's sort of searching through the rocks. He's not digging in it or scratching on it, he's just... Looking through it. He's either swimming around slowly, drifting along the substrate or sitting at the top of the tank.

He also seems like he's running face first into decorations. Not scratching, just running into stuff slowly like he doesn't even see it there? Hmm.

[callistra]

Well what filter do you use? Carbon isn't an option for all filters.

I'd get him out of that water and into a new and see how he acts after a couple days. I'd also try lower doses of epsoms around 1/4 to no more than a full tsp per gallon. How long has it been since he's refused food.

[AyalaCookiejar]

1-2 weeks he has not been eating, or flaring at my other Betta, or moving around as much. I wonder if he could be going blind for some reason since he keeps bumping into things? His eyes glow red in the light.

He seems like he will eat sometimes if he bumps his mouth into the food. He's eaten like three pellets. I also suspect that he may eat a bit if he finds any food that has sunk to the bottom of the tank because it seems like some of the food disappears at times.

It's a tetra whisper filter with a bio bag that came in the aqua culture (I think) five gallon kit from Walmart. It's not exactly the same as the tetra whisper filters you'd find at petsmart because it has a high/low flow adjustment switch on it. It's the internal filter and not the HOB one.

I've been doing at least 2 50% changes a week, 3 if necessary. I don't know what would make him go blind unless he has parasites like my other Betta or a bacterial infection like you said.

[callistra]

Try some dethawed frozen brine shrimp or blood worms. You may need to almost hand feed and let him come to your finger.

I'd still get him out of the tank and try epsoms, just to be sure. You'll know if he perks up in a few days if that was the case.

[AyalaCookiejar]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SshCgak9HRo

He used to follow my finger...