Worried about my Betta!

[lucy277]

Hello all! I really need some advice/help. My little Betta, Harriet, is sick. I was so worried last night, that I sat up with her until 4am. I was sure she was dying. (even cried a little ) She was still with me today, but something is wrong...

I must let you all know, that this is my first Betta (my first fish ever) and I have no idea what some of these questions mean, but I will do my best.

1. What is the size of your tank?

About 1 1/2 - 2 gallons

2. What are your water parameters? State the brand of test kit used.

?

3. Is your aquarium set up freshwater or brackish water?

Freshwater

4. How long the aquarium has been set up?

year and a half

5. What fish do you have? How many are in your tank? How big are they? How long have you had them?

Female Betta. No other fish or live objects in the tank. She is quite small. She is about a Year and a Half old. We got her in Sept 09, and she was a baby.

6. Were the fish placed under quarantine period (minus the first batch from the point wherein the tank is ready to accommodate the inhabitants)?

?

7. What temperature is the tank water currently?

Low 70's.

8. Are there live plants in the aquarium?

No

9. What filter are you using? State brand, maintenance routine and power capacity.

None (I didn't know I was supposed to)

10. Any other equipment used (aside from heater and filter which are two very important components of the tank)?

No.

11. Does your aquarium receive natural sunlight at any given part of the day? What is your lighting schedule (assuming you do not rely on sunlight for our viewing pleasure)?

No. We put her tank on the counter (bar part) of our kitchen because she LOVES to watch and interact with us.

12. When did you perform your last water change and how much water was changed? How often do you change your water? Do you vacuum the substrate?

I changed it today, thinking that was the problem. I changed almost all of it (about 75%).

13. What foods do you provide your fish? What is the feeding schedule?

She eats Betta food (4 pellets twice a day) and we give her a few Blood Worms before we go to bed.

14. What unusual signs have you observed in your fish?

She went from being a VERY happy little fish, swimming everywhere and blowing her bubbles....to laying on the bottom of her tank, and showing no interest in us or food at all. Her color is great, and her fins are still perfect. She has no obvious signs of physical problems.

15. Have you treated your fish ahead of diagnosis? If so, what treatments did you use? State your reasons for planning ahead of proper diagnosis.

I changed her water.

I took this picture of Harriet last night. She was "laying" on her "coral". That is where she stayed all night.

[lucy277]

I should mention one more thing. She seems to be having trouble swimming up to the surface, where she usually likes to be. It's almost like she is struggling to get up there, and then she "sinks" back-fin first, to the bottom. I feel so bad for her right now.

[truthequalslies]

well her water needs to be 78-80 degrees and 4 pellets twice a day is way too mutch she looks a bit bloated 2 pellets twice a day is a good amount and bloodworms should be a once a week treat you can fast her a few days to clean out her digestive tract,,,did you condition her water? and how often do you change her water? it should be atleast 50% twice a week but 100% is even better other than that she looks very healthy

[lucy277]

Thank-you for your quick reply! I change her water every 2 weeks, and always change all of the water. I only changed about 75% last night because I didn't want to stress her out.

I will definitely feed her less. I just followed the directions on the bottle of Betta food. She hasn't eaten at all since yesterday morning. The strange thing is, I haven't changed her "routine" in the year and a half I have had her.

I don't have a heater, but her water stays in the low 70's because her tank is right under our cabinet lights. I will be buying a heater tomorrow.

EDIT: I do condition her water every time I clean her tank.

Thank-you for your help!

[lucy277]

I just did a little research, and I think she may be constipated. Something called "swim bladder"? Those are her exact symptoms. They recommend feeding her a pea, but I know she won't eat that. They also mentioned Epsom salt? Has anyone tried this? I'm scared to put her in the salt because I don't want her to stress...

[truthequalslies]

peas are bad for bettas they cannot digest peas but ive been told that daphnia are the better alternative,,a swimbladder is a part inside her that regulates her swimming and wether she may go up or down

[lucy277]

I had never heard of daphnia before. I had to look that one up. Where do you buy them? Thanks for the advice...no peas for Harriet! She just has absolutely no appetite at all, and I am worried she won't eat them. :(

By the way, your kitty is adorable!

[truthequalslies]

well i've never bought daphnia but im sure that petco or petsmart carries daphnia but i would fast her first and if she dosent eat after maybe try the daphnia

thankyou =} that's my lil wisky she seems to be chronicly jealous of my fish =P

[lucy277]

Originally Posted by truthequalslies

thankyou =} that's my lil wisky she seems to be chronicly jealous of my fish =P

Mine is the same way! The second I go near the fish tank, my cat is right there.


Roxi spends much of her time "guarding" the tank.

[truthequalslies]

cats can be so funny sometimes