this is my first betta please hepl

[rentforever06]

I just purchased my first betta fish last thursday. he seemed fine except that he spit out some of his food. then monday night i noticed he started acting funny. he swam weird and he would float on his side at the top of his tank. his gills were also a red color like his insides are coming out of them. he was also breathing very heavy. we took him out of his water and transfered him into the container he came in and he made it through the night. he is now swimming normally, but i am concerned about his gills. he is breathing fine, but they are still red. i have been changing his water regularly, but i don't know what else to do? i went to the petstore and they said it could be an infection so they suggested lifeguard all in one treatment. i am concerned about using them though because i have my betta in a half gallon tank and it is suggested that 1 tablet go into a 5 gallon tank. cutting the pill into ten pieces sounds tricky. i was also considering giving him a salt bath using aquarium salt. is this a good idea and if so how would i go about this?

also do you think my betta will die because of this? he never stopped eating even though he spits out some food. i feed him freeze dried blood worms. thanks for the help.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

Do you feed him freeze dried blood worms as his regular meal? They should only be given as a treat now and than. I recommend pellets over flakes because it's easier to ration the food and it's not as messy. Is his stomach protruding at all? (Does it look like he's swallowed a small ball?) I think his gills are normal, they're usually pinkish. Could you take a picture of him? I wouldn't use the medication right now. I tend to stay away from medication unless the salt doesn't work because some bettas are sensitive to it. How often do you clean the 1/2G? They need at least 2Gs of water and since they live in warm climates, the water needs to be 76-80 degrees F.

[rentforever06]

i tried everything elase, but he refuses to eat anything but bloodworms. his stomach is not protruding. the temperature is at 78 degrees and i switch half the water every other day with a full water change once a week. i attempted to upload a picture. i don't know if it worked or not.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

He'll eat the pellets. You can't keep giving him blood worms all the time. He'll eventually get that the pellets are his food and he'll start eating them. Blood worms are tastier than pellets so of course he wants to eat them over pellets. That's like humans eating sweets all of the time. It isn't good for us all of the time, but in rations it's fine.

[BrucesFriend]

Sorry if this isn't "kosher" to start another topic on another person;s thread, but I am in need of immediate help, I believe

Ok, so, I have one Betta fish. A very pretty blue betta fish named Bruce. I recieved him as part of a secret Santa game, so it was kinda unexpected. Nonetheless, I decided that I would try my best to care for my newly adopted Betta. I've had him for about a month now, and he has been a perfect little fish, always lively and healthy. Anyway, upon re-entry into his tank after I had performed a regular cleaning, he has been acting kinda strange...

Sometimes, he will go into these "spasms" where he will swim rapidly around his tank and sorta squirm around on the bottom of his tank. This isn't an everyday thing, though. However, when I turned his light on, I realized that his filter seemed to be pumping a bit faster than it normally did (at least it seemed like it to me). I looked behind the tank to find that the air tube that led to the filter had come up from behind the dresser that the tank sits on. I put the tube back behind the dresser and the pump slowed back down because the back of the dresser pinched the tuba against the wall. Immediately, Bruce ceased his spasm and resumed swimming around normally. I am wondering if his recovery is temporary, or if I've been lulled into a false sense of security. I am really worried that he has hurt himself on the rocks when he thrashes against them. Like I previously stated, I am 15 and pretty new to the fish-thing. I have read a lot though, and thought that I've been doing a pretty good job until this occurred. I have heard that this may be ick, but he stopped when I turned his filter down. Could the heavier water flow be stressing him out? Is this a more serious illness? If so, how do I treat it? Please, I really want to give my poor fish the best life I can

Some (Possibly) useful info:

-He is in a 1.5 Gallon tank kept heated at:
-approximately 77-78 degrees by a small heater with a
-whisper-brand filter and pump

He eats :

-Betta Min Tropical Medley fish flakes by Tetra

I condition the water with Aquasafe by Tetra after EVERY cleaning/water change.

[veganchick]

Originally Posted by rentforever06

i tried everything elase, but he refuses to eat anything but bloodworms. his stomach is not protruding. the temperature is at 78 degrees and i switch half the water every other day with a full water change once a week. i attempted to upload a picture. i don't know if it worked or not.

try some aquarium salt and a 100% change every day. Remove the plastic plant and replace it with something supple and soft so he can't get sick, or have his fins torn.