Dora is Dull and Vertical, Help!

[Stap]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum and hoping someone can help me. I live in Australia so I am going to great lengths hehehe.

Anyway, my daughter has a male betta which she has called Dora (she's only 3 so she doesn't get the boy girl thing). He was doing great for a few months but has now changed. He has lost a lot of colour (used to be dark orange/red) and also no longer swims around just stays vertical. When he does move he makes a rolling move. I have no idea what is wrong. I have just been to my pet store and told them about the colour issue and they gave me bettafix (medication) but I forgot to mention the verticl part. Do you think this will still help??

Any help would be great.

Oh yeah, I feed him frozen blood worms usually every second day. It used to be more but it was being eaten. He no longer eats very often.

[dramaqueen]

Hello and welcome to the forum. We will need some more info before we can help you. What is your tank size and do you have a heater and filter? What is your water change schedule and do you use a dechlorinator? You need to feed him a staple diet of either pellets or a tropical flake food and feed him twice a day. Frozen bloodworms should be fed only once or twice a week as a treat.

[Stap]

Ok, first thing.... I have no idea about this stuff so I was really relying on my pet store. All they did was sell me the fish!! No info at all. I had to ask about what tank, gravel etc. All they kept saying was "It's up to you". At first I bought (what they recommended) about a 3lt (1gallon) tank. I also got some pretty gravel. No filters no heaters, just a water conditioner.
Now that Dora is sick I put her in something smaller as I honestly thought she was going to die. I had packed up the rest, but she lives on....for now.
After doing my own research on the internet I have found out about water temps etc. I also noticed that you are all using filters and heaters.
This might sound harsh but if Dora is going to die I don't really want to go to the expense of getting all these things.

Ok feeding. First I was given Betta Food, tiny pebbly stuff which they never ate. I was then given the frozen blood worm and told to feed every second day. I feel so bad that I have done it all wrong now. Sorry for the long post.

Stacey

[dramaqueen]

Actually, I don't have heaters and filters for my fish and mine are in gallon containers. I keep mine in a warm room upstairs and they have done alright. I don't have the money or space for all that stuff.
People at petstores really don't tell you much of anything.
About the food.: bettas often won't eat the first few days after you get them. It takes them awhile to adjust sometimes. Bettas can also be picky eaters. Keep trying what you have and hopefully he'll eat them when he gets good and hungry.I don't blame you for not wanting to invest in a lot of stuff only to see your fish die a few days later.Is your fish floating at the top of the bowl? If so, it could be swimbladder disorder. Please don't feel bad. Petstores ought to let people who buy bettas know what they need to take care of their fish. I didn't know anything either until I did research online and found this forum. I hope this iinfo helps you.

[Kim]

When you say he's floating vertically, do you mean with his nose to the surface? Is he gasping for air? Is he able to swim down, or does he seem to be stuck at the top? Also, do you have a thermometer and a liquid test kit? I really don't know what your climate is like right now, but most sick bettas will just not get better if it is too cold. You said you put him in a smaller container, what is your water change schedule on it? Personally, I would move him back into his original container because a larger container means less frequent water changes because the increased water volume takes longer to build up waste. This means less stress for your already compromised betta.

As for feeding him, he really needs a good staple of betta pellets or flakes, but being sick he may not ever eat them. At any rate, whatever you are feeding him needs to be fed every day. If however, he does seem bloated fasting him for a day will probably help.

The answers to the questions above, along with your water test readings (if you don't have a test kit you can bring some water to the pet store and ask them to test it for you, just make sure they give you actual numbers not just "fine") will help us to diagnose the problem.

[Stap]

Thanks for all your help and suggestions. Unfortunately Dora passed away this morning. My little was quite sad for a bit but is ok now. We might look into a different breed of fish next week.

Thanks again

Stacey

[dramaqueen]

Awww, I'm so sorry about Dora. I wish we could have done more to help you. I'm sorry for your little girl, too. Don't give up on bettas yet. Maybe the next one will be healthier.

[Kim]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear :( The key to getting bettas is to go to a reputable store, and if you don't have one you may be lucky and find a breeder willing to sell the lesser quality bettas as pets at a reduced price. Also, I would suggest reading up about fish diseases and finding as many pictures of them as possible to give you the best chances of recognizing any problems and steering clear of those that you can't or don't want to treat. Again, I'm so sorry your little guy passed away. Better luck in the future.