not sure what, but something is wrong :(

[vballchick2025]

my betta fish, fred, isnt acting like himself. he doesnt swim around and "explore" like he used to. he just kinda floats around and sometimes wont even move his little fins. i know hes alive because i can see his gills moving. he doesnt seem very excited to eat anymore... and i know this is gonna sound strange, but he looks crooked. from his midsection to his tail, he almost resembles a snake, like an "s" figure. he just kinda curves... and he stays relatively vertical. he'll swim around but his tail hangs out at the surface, almost like his head outweighs him and its too heavy or something... i dont know whats wrong :(

[Crazykat]

I'm sorry you're having trouble. Could you please answer these questions so we can help you?

Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

[vballchick2025]

the tank is probably about a gallon big, which i have just discovered is too small

i do not have a heater therefore the tank is probably too cold for him. i buy him bottled spring water so there is no chlorine in it and i leave it sitting at room temperature

my betta fish lives alone since he is a male

i feed him top fin color enhancing pellets and i feed him once a day, 5 pellets, in the morning

i perform a water change maybe once a week, ive been slipping on that lately and when i water change i change 100% of the water

ive never tested the water

his color hasnt really changed, he does look slightly lighter in color around the "root" of his fin

i noticed this just today when i went to clean out his tank

i havent treated him except for heating up the bottled water and slowly trying to adapt him to the warmer water

i have no idea if he has a history of being ill or how old he is- i got him from petsmart

[Crazykat]

I'm not sure specifically what's wrong, but it might be swim bladder related.

Here are some pointers that will definitely help his situation:
A 1 gallon tank is small, but it can be fine IF you do the water changes. And in that size tank I would be doing 100% water changes every other day. Once a week is not enough. In addition, make sure you add a dechlorinator to the water, even though it's bottled. Bottled water is often just tap water, so there's a chance that it does have chlorine in it.

It's very important that the temperature remains constant, so I would stop heating up his water because it is going to cool down dramatically without a heater in his tank. Bettas like temps between 76-80 degrees, so it would be really good if you could get him a 10 watt heater.

5 pellets all at once is a bad idea. 3 in the morning, 2 at night would be better. By putting all that food into him at once, there's a good chance he could suffer from bloat and constipation, which in turn could be affecting his swim bladder..

A few questions: Does your betta's stomach look big, like he swallowed a marble? Are his scales sticking out like a pinecone?

Tl;dr version:
Change the water every other day.
Use a dechlorinator, even if you use bottle water.
Split up his feedings, 2 pellets in the morning, 3 at night.
Try to get a little heater.

[vballchick2025]

i went out and bought a bigger tank, its now 2.5 gallons.

i will still perform water changes more often

the tank that i bought has a lamp on it, can that help with heating?

i also bought a thermometer so i would know what the temperature of the water is

and the tank also came with a pack of dechlorinator but i will definitely buy more

his stomach doesnt look big and his scales arent sticking out, he just floats around alot. like he doesnt feel good

[Luimeril]

get him a heater, and bump the water changes up to twice weekly, since he's in a bigger tank, and i'm sure he'll perk back up.

bettas actually don't like alot of light, so the lamp on the tank won't do much, other than stress him out. i know they kinda cost a bit more than most other tank stuff, but an adjustable heater is better for him, and won't stress him out, since you keep the temp steady.

[turtle10]

Yes a heater is really necessary.

[vballchick2025]

his color completely returned to normal and he swims around and isnt crooked looking anymore

i didnt know they dont like a lot of light so i will go out and get a heater instead. it is definitely an easier way to regulate temperature

all in all he is 95% better and i appreciate everyones advice :)

[turtle10]

Not only is it easier, but it is safer too.

I am so happy to hear of his improvements! Keep us updated and post some pics when he is all better :)