Is my fish okay?

[crowntaillove3]

Hey guys. My betta Spikefin has been acting bezerk. He swims around real fast, shaking his fins and flaring at nothing, goes up and blows a bubble (he has a pretty good sized bubble nest now) and plays dead for a couple of seconds. Then he does it again. Is there something wrong? Thanks.

[bryanacute]

Please answer as many as possible...
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)?

[crowntaillove3]

My bowl is about 2 gallons, I don't know the temp, I don't have a filter, no aeration, it is not heated, no tank mates, Aqueon, three pellets twice a day, 100% water change once a week, I add conditioner, I haven't tested, his appearance is the same, I already said the changes and I noticed them yesterday, I have not treated him, I don't know his history AT ALL, and he is about 7-10 months old.

[callistra]

In a bowl his size you need two water changes a week - one 50% and one 100%. Ammonia will be high at week's end.

Check the expiration date of your conditioner.

Bettas are tropical fish. You really need to get an in tank thermometer like this: http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Floatin...na+thermometer And unless you keep your house a constant 80F plus he also needs a heater. A 2 gallon is large enough to accommodate a good adjustable 25w heater. Make sure to only slowly increase the temp of his water - a degree or two per hour and no more than 5 degrees per day until he's at about 78-79ish, according to your thermometer.

6 pellets a day is a ton, especially in wheat based pellets Try cutting back to 4 a day. He also needs one fast day a week.

Can you take a little video on your phone or something and share it?

[crowntaillove3]

Silly fish! He is acting normal, but for two days he was crazy. False alarm. I overreacted!

[bryanacute]

I told her 2...... And 2 fast.

[crowntaillove3]

But thanks for the advise. I'll cut back on his food. And the expiration date is September 25, 2015 for the conditioner.

[crowntaillove3]

I'll be sure to keep a close eye on him...

[callistra]

Glad to hear he's ok now.

2 and 2 fast might be okay but it's on the low side, and I'd feed more personally.

He definitely needs that thermometer and heater too. Bettas are tropical fish and if you keep them cold their immune system wears down and they will become sick.. just a matter of time.

[crowntaillove3]

Believe me. You are preaching to the choir about the heaters. My parents won't believe that a heater is necessary.