SICK BETTA, PLEASE HELP

[steph5]

My betta has been eating for a few days, thought he was acting weird but wasnt too concerned. He is now in an upright position, wont move but is still breathing... but barely. please help me soon

[Meatpuppet]

hi
sorry to hear about your situation. can you read the first post in the link below and answer the questions here
http://www.fishforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=882

make sure you get #15

[steph5]

the tank is 1 gallon, i know youre going to say thats too small but hes been surviving there for a couple of months. the tank has been set up for about 4 months and there are no other fish or plants in the tank. i tried giving him a pea but he didnt eat it. hes now at the bottom of the tank, barely breathing. i feed him the tropical fish pellets

[Meatpuppet]

do you know the water parameters. its helpful to test it regularly (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and ph) it could be that the ammonia and nitrite levels are high
have you cycled your tank?
i would really recomend getting a bigger tank so you can put a filter and heater in there. plus more swimming room= happy betta= longer life
how often do you do water changes?

[ErinBBC]

I agree with Meatpuppet, even if your betta has survived a couple of months that could just be because bettas are hardy fish. I would go out ASAP and get a tank of at least 2.5 gallons, a heater, a filter, and a good water test kit.

If you keep up with the partial water changes (remember to use water conditioner or the chlorine in tap or bottled water will poison your fish) a 2.5 gallon tank will do fine and they are not very expensive. In fact you can buy a 3 gallon set up from a variety of companies that includes everything but the heater!

Don't feel bad that you didn't know all this before you came here, neither did I...pet store workers usually have no clue and that's why so many bettas live only a few months or a year.