Sick or old betta fish?

[Claudia]

In early spring of 2006 my son brought home a betta fish in a bowl from a birthday party. I promptly bought a 2.5 gal aquarium with a filter, light, plants an something to hide under. He thrived. The fish is now well over 3 years old and can't stay upright anymore and has trouble floating up and is very lethargic. I had treated his water with betta remedy which helped him a little but then he became lethargic again. His water temp is always around 75-78 degrees, his water is treated with drops to balance ph and he gets betta fish flakes. Before he got "sick" he also received frozen bloodworms every 3 days. He is fed once a day. I clean his tank completely about every 8 weeks and he gets partial water changes in between when the water seems to need it. Is there anything else I can do or is he just coming to the end of his natural life span?
Claudia

[onekatietwo]

It could be either. There really is a great chance that he can pull through. What I would recommend is doing 30-50% water changes just about every day for a while. Some people think this will overly stress their Bettas, but the added comfort of REALLLY clean water will counter act any stress that it would induce.
It's sometimes incredible what clean water can do for them. You also might try slowly raising the water up to about 80 degrees. Others have said this has helped aid in recovery.

Also, how often do you do partial water changes? Apparently it's been good enough since he's been healthy for three years, but most people recommend a partial change AT LEAST once a week. The water doesn't usually get cloudy or antyhing when a water change is needed.

Good luck!

[Claudia]

Thank you for your comments. Water changes seem to stress him out but I will give it a try. How do I keep the water temp up? All the heaters I have seen are too big for his little 2.5 gal aquarium. I am not at all a fish expert.
Claudia

[dramaqueen]

There are little Mini heaters that work fine in small tanks/bowls. The Tetra whisper heaters and the Hydor mini heaters are non adjustible and will warm the water temp about 5-6 degrees. You may have to tilt them at an angle in the tank or bowl to get them to fit.