Fish jumped out of tank and dried....now moving in water?

[afinch]

We have 3 year old female Betta that we found on the floor this evening! When we found her, she must have been out of the tank for a while because she was dried and stiff. We put her back in the tank and after about 5 minutes she started moving again! Is it possible that she'll make it through the night??? Can betta's come back to life after being out of water for several hours? She's not moving on her own, but when we nudge her she'll dart a little bit. I understand that betta's are known for jumping out of tanks, but my question is, how long can a betta live out of water, and is it possible for them to successfully survive after several hours of being out of the water? Any suggestions on what we can do to help her?

Thanks!

[iamntbatman]

I wouldn't be surprised if she made it. Bettas have a labyrinth organ that allows them to breath atmospheric oxygen, so one surviving after being out of the water for so long makes some sense. Just keep an eye on her, especially since her protective slime coat that prevents her from getting a lot of diseases was probably completely destroyed by being out of water for so long. There's a good chance she may come down with something like fin rot, so keep an eye out for it. One of the products designed to help build the slime coat (like Stress Coat) might be helpful.

[beetlebz]

ive had the same thing happen a few times. the most recent time, a few months ago, I was on my way outside to give her a proper funeral like when she twitched in the net O.o

still going strong, btw :)

[Meatpuppet]

i also reccomend stress coat. it will calm him down too.
and also (if you hav'nt alread ran out and got one) a hood for your tank. because it can happen again

[okiemavis]

They're incredibly hardy fish, so you have a good chance of her surviving. Females in particular are jumpers, so a lid is definitely needed.

[nav2008]

I have heard that as long as the inside of their gills are still wet they should be fine... yes get some stress coat, and make sure you have a lid with AIR holes. their organ that allows them to breath out of water makes them need air, if they cant get to the surface for fresh air they can drown... yes your fish can drown from lack of oxygen.

keep us posted :) hope shes ok.


I have also read somewhere about somone finding a betta still alive in a trash can and the betta lived more than 5 years after that.