I think he's sick. what should I do?

[antwaan]

I've had him for a little over 4 weeks and until last night he's been very active, swimming around a lot, eating up his food and always greeting me. well sometime during yesterday he started getting very lazy looking and just sitting at the bottom of the tank. He wont eat or move much. Also, I don't know if it's me or not but he looks pale. All he's done today is hide behind the filter. I have a 2gal tank with a whisper filter and heater set at 76-78 and I do full water changes with tap water and conditioner ever 5-7 days. This is my first fish so I'm new.

[kelly528]

pH?
ammonia?
what is the lighting like?
does he have lots of caves and plants to hide in?
is it possible to control the flow of the filter?
does he look like he swallowed a marble?
any tankmates?

A 2g should be cleaned out every 4-5 days if it isn't cycled. Since 100% water changes can prove stressful to fish, I recommend you cycle the tank. That way you would only have to change maybe 20% of the water twice a week.

[antwaan]

So this town I go to school in stinks. there is only 1 pet store within 60 miles (that i found) and they had nothing. The walmart didnt even much compared to the others ive been in back home. All I could find for testers was a set of "everything" testers that had ph and alkalinity and such but no ammonia testers. just ammonia decreasers. all I got was some salt(which I hadnt used) and some jugged water. I have a feeling the water here is filled with chemicals that my water treatment didnt get rid of anyways. Also, when I just got him out just now to stick him in his temp cup, i could tell he has lost some color. could this be stress?

[kelly528]

Try googling pet stores in your area. Department stores like Wal Mart will also have a fish section. Google Petco's and PetSmarts. If you find a pet store, they will usually run a complimentary test on a water sample if you bring it in.

Still need to know these:
what is the lighting like?
does he have lots of caves and plants to hide in?
is it possible to control the flow of the filter?
does he look like he swallowed a marble?
any tankmates?

Putting him in the cup will only stress him out more. Does he have any tank mates?

[antwaan]

no tank mates. I dont have very many spots for him with it being a small tank(I'm getting myself a 5 or 10 once i get back home and have the room for it). Theres a plant in one area that he can go behind and the filter cover is in another corner and he goes back there a lot. There is a low power led light over top. I cannot control the filter. He looks bigger but does not appear to be bloated.

[kelly528]

Try baffling his filter.

Grab a bag of silk plants from the dollar store and make his tank into a frikkin' jungle. He's probably just stressed from being 'overexposed'. Wild bettas come from what is practically underwater lawns! They really like dense planting.

If the plant is fake, turn the light on only for observation. If the plant is real, keep the light on for only about 5 hours per day. Bettas are darkwater fish and like their shade. Bright lights make them a little flaked out.

If you cycle your tank, you should be able to get away with changing perhaps 20% of his water 3 times per week or 30% of his water 2 times per week. This is less stressful than 100% water changes.

Baffle your filter. If you show me the model I'll tell you how. Your betta's unusually large fins catch filter currents like sails, blowing them around the tank exactly like a stagnant rice paddy wouldn't.

[antwaan]

thank you for the information. I got him in a new tank of water with some salt in it and turned the light off. I will look into some silk plants tomorrow to jungle up his tank. I haven't tried to feed him since he refused it last night. How long should he without food? HERE is the filter I have.

[kelly528]

Ahh I had a feeling it would be one of those 3i's. You may be able to baffle it by covering the intake with a nylon, If not you will have to get crafty and put a spin on the old classic, the 'DIY water bottle baffle'.

Your betta can easily go a week without food, but refusing to eat will not help anything at this point... you can either soak his pellets in garlic juice or invest in a packet of frozen (not freeze-dried) bloodworms. Bloodworms are definitely the better route...tons of protein, plus bettas LOVE them. A pack will last you close to a year i you only have one betta.

[Grant83]

most betta's like bloodworms... mine... if they dont float he doesnt go after them! hopefully your betta isnt like mine.

[antwaan]

So i was gone for the past 24 hours and when i got back he's even worse. I thought he was dead but i tapped the glass and he started moving around violently. He seems to be stuck on his side, like there is a weight in his nose or something. He keeps laying on that side and when he moves around he just flips around and stuff. then he seems to take a break then tries to move around again. I know this is not good because he needs air, i took some water out to lower the level but i dont know what to do. i'm fearing the worst. He was acting perfect a couple of days ago