Please help me asap!

[ceceliaxpisces]

My betta Pisces has been sick lately. He lays on the bottom of the tank, I haven't seen him eat in days, his fins are frayed, and he won't swim. He has tried to swim around, but he fails and goes back to laying at the bottom of the tank. I woke up this morning and it appeared that an air bubble was on the side of his body, what is this?


pleeeeease help!

[DragonFish]

What size tank is he in? Does he have a heater? Filter? Whats the temp? Readings for PH, ammonia, ex.? When did you last change his water? How much?
Its sounds a bit like he has SBD(swim bladder disorder) and the frayed fins could be finrot, or he could have ripped them on something. I believe fasting for a few days is whats recommended for SBD, but you say he hasn't been eating.....so I'll let someone more experienced with SBD answer that one.
Finrot is another matter, but easily treatable with warm, clean water and aquarium salt. However, it seems there are bigger problems to tackle first....the bubble on his side doesn't sound good.
A picture would help a lot, if you can get one.

[ceceliaxpisces]

I believe he's in a two and a half to three gallon tank. He doesn't have a heater, but I make sure to keep the temp around 70 degrees. He has a filter. I don't have any readings for PH or ammonia :[ I do small water changes every month, but haven't changed his water fully since August. :/ thanks for the help

[DragonFish]

Hmm.....once a month is certainly not enough, especially if they're just small PWCs. Ammonia from fish waste and uneaten food will build and can cause devastating affects. Is this tank filtered and cycled? Do you have a gravel siphon? If so, vacuum the gravel and do a big PWC of at least 50%. If its not cycled or filtered, break down the tank and clean everything well.
Depending on if you tank is cycled or not, PWCs with gravel vacuuming or full water changes should be done at least once weekly to keep ammonia in check and levels stable, any level of ammonia can be toxic.

I find 70 to be a tad too cold for my guys, they seem to be far less active if the temp goes bellow 75, though its good your not letting it drop too low. If you can, pick up a heater and see if you can get the temp up to around 80, this is especially important if hes sick. Theres the Hydor mini heater for 2-5 gallon tanks, though I'm not fond of them because they're not adjustable....but, for the most part, they do their job.

Happy to help I really hope your little guy pulls though!

[ceceliaxpisces]

by the way, this is what he's looking like right now :[

http://tinypic.com/r/34zdowh/4
http://tinypic.com/r/121vcex/4


not gooood :[

[BakaMandy]

Water changes must be done MUCH more frequently. For a tank of that size, perhaps two 25% or one 50% water change per week. I seriously recommend you doinga 100% water change immediately, clean any ornaments in his tank, and rinse any gravel with water of the same temperature as that kept in the tank to not destroy any beneficial bacteria (basically just to clean the gravel of any poop, leftover food, etc.)

I HIGHLY recommend you get a heater, especially with winter coming up. He should be kept at at least 80 degrees, 70 is way too cold.

Also, do you have plastic plants in his tank? They could be partly to blame for the torn fins. Anything with pointed leaves or bits of excess plastic sticking out can tear betta fish's fins. I suggest taking them out if you have them.

If the case of fin rot, if salt baths don't help, I'd recommend treating it with Maracyn + Maracyn-two. Do a full week of treatment, preferably in a hospital tank.

What I did with my 3 gallon was fill it with 1 gallon of water without any gravel or plants and only left a little cave in to give my betta some shelter (helps relieve stress). Dissolved 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in the 1 gallon (before I put the fish in), and I put like a pinch of Maracyn and Maracyn-two every day for 5 days. I also added 1/2 a teaspoon of bettafix every day to helped promote fin regrowth, but I don't know if it really helped or not. After the 5th day, do a 100% water change, and wait two days without adding any medicine and if the fin rot acts up again, do another week of treatment.

Also, it sounds like he might possibly have air bubble disease.

[edit:] OH MAN, how could you let it get that bad?! No wonder he has a hard time swimming! If you let his tail completely rot away, he's going to drown (YES he can drown! Betta fish have a special organ that lets them breath oxygen, and they NEED to breath air)! Lower your water levels ASAP to help him be able to reach the water surface easier. Forget salt baths, go to medicine NOW. ): It looks like something my friend's fish had, if he still has any salvageable finage he might be able to make it, otherwise, if his fin looks like a swollen stump, you'll have no luck growing it back ):