please help, my betta sick:(

[kait23]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank? Room temp- 67ish
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? No tank mates

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? A couple flakes every other day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Usually once a week but I hadn’t for a couple weeks:/
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? About half
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Ultimate water conditioner


Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Hasn’t changed much

How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He stays at the bottom of the tank, he would occasionally have these fits where he would dart around the tank and then settle back down on the bottom. Usually

When did you start noticing the symptoms? Yesterday 1/8/13

Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I lowered the water level so he could get to his food easier and made a water change

Does your fish have any history of being ill? Yes, he lost some of his tail a couple months ago to what I think was called “fin rot” so I’ve been putting this medication in the tank (API bettafix)

How old is your fish (approximately)? Almost a year old

[Perseusmom]

Sorry your fish is sick. To start with you need to do a water change for that size tank at least twice a week, one 50 percent and one 100 percent. Bettas are tropical fish and their water temp needs to be at least 76, so if you could find a small heater for your size tank it would help. The flakes are okay but Pellets would be best and feed a couple in the morning and at night. Bettafix has tree oil in it which is not good for Bettas because they breath air and it can clog up the organ they use on the top of their heads for that purpose. I would stop using that and try some AQ salt one teaspoon per gallon dissolved in warm water before adding it to his water. Right now do a water change off 100 percent and make the temp of the water as close to the same temp as it is now you can do that by just touching the water with your finger. Water changes are very important to the health of your Betta because fish release ammonia in their waste and ammonia is poison to your fish. Good luck !!!!

[xjenuhfur]

First of all, welcome to BF! Although I wish it was under better conditions.

Your fish is freezing! Bettas are tropical fishes are need to be heated. I would suggest getting a heater as well as a thermometer. (Not the pittle stick on ones) They need to be in water 76-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Since he has previously had finrot, that signals to me a water quality issue. In a one gallon bowl, I would suggest 3water changes a week. 2 50% and one 100% change. A one gallon in a minimum for a bettas, (in my opinion), although I do suggest upgrading to at least a 2.5, since they are easier to heat uniformly. I would also suggest upgrading to a high protein pellet for food. (:

Keep us updating on your little guy!

[kait23]

okay, I'll let you know how he is:( thanks so much!

[ANHEL123]

Hey guys i agree with recommendations. My fear that it can be ich because he is darting. Is he also trying to scratch his body against walls,floor etc...?
You can treat ich with aquarium salt but you need temper at least 78-8* the ideal temp to treat external parasites is 84*. So if you can try to get heater it will really help. The heat help to speed the cycle of the ich and it will help make them fall off the fish faster so you can manually remove the ich from the tank/container. Temp over 86* and the ich is said to stop reproducing and some even say it will kill the ich.
Also with aquarium salt you need to do daily water changes. When you will do water changes you need to acclimate your betta to the new water temperature so you don't shock him with the temp difference. Just have him in his changing cup with 1/4 his original water and add small amount of the new pre mixed water about every 5 minutes . Do it for about 5-6 times . This way he will get used to the temp so you can release him in to the tank.
Also wash with hot water and completely dry out all changing equipment (a net, cup etc..). When you dry out parasites dies.

Take everything out of his tank. Wash it with hot water and completely dry out which will kill parasites if he has ones. Do not put it back until you sure that you get rid of the parasites on the fish.
If he will not get better with salt for the next 3-4 days you will need medications. You can buy Seachem Paraguardl,Hikari Health Aid PraziPro,and API General Cure. Only API i think oyu can find in the stores thoughl. The others usually can be found at small independent fish stores. When dealing with ext parasites,meds with praziquantel,malachite green,methlyene blue,or acriflavine are helpful. For that matter,even Hikari Betta Revive can be very effective for ext parasites



The heater brands are best recommended
Penn Plax Cascade 25w
Hagen Elite Mini Submersible 25w
Hydor Theo 25w
Marineland Visitherm 25w

Most of, if not all of these heaters have to be ordered online or found in a local fish shop. Petsmart and Petco generally don't carry them. Good places to order are www.amazon.com and www.drsfostersmith.com


I even bought for someone who has 1 gall not adjustable heater and it keeps temp at 78*. I have to check what brand i bought for her.

[xjenuhfur]

If it was ich she would have said he looks like he's got white spots. Ich looks like the fish was salted...

[ANHEL123]

Not always it can be beginning and symptoms didn't show yet. Sometimes it takes time symptoms onset. If kate don't have salt i would do daily water changes until she can get aquarium salt , see if it helps. And then i would use aq salt with daily 100% water changes.