Clamped Fins?

[Dontpanic]

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 79 F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? The filter.
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon Betta Food
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice a day, 2 pellets at a time.

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 35%-50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner, liquid plant food.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? No.

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Very clamped fins.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lying on bottom or on a leaf, doesn't swim around much.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 1-2 days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I purchased him from Walmart about 1 1/2 weeks ago. He's still rather tiny. D:


I got him (Freddie) from Walmart about 1 1/2 weeks ago and he was healthy and had his tail all fanned out, and when I first put him in the tank he was fine, just swimming around and checking everything out. Then his fins got all clamped up and he started swimming around less. I've done a few water changes and they haven't helped at all. It's worse today, he isn't swimming around much, mostly just sitting at the bottom and coming up for air.

[Dontpanic]

Well, he's in pretty bad shape at the moment. I put him in a cup filled with about 1 1/2 inches of water and he can only go up to the surface for air, he is also breathing pretty heavily. So... please help?

[redbettagirl]

Based on your tank conditions, without ammonia/nitrate readings, I can't really tell what the problem is. It does sound like it could be a water issue. Are you sure that your liquid plant food is suitable for use with bettas?

Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in... But, I would quarantine him in fresh water with 1tsp/gallon aquarium salt to see if that perks him up a bit. If you could, you should put his cup inside the 5-gallon to keep the temperature constant for him. I hope he gets better!

[Dontpanic]

Ok, thanks! I'll try that.

[Dontpanic]

Ok, I added the salt a little while ago and he might be looking a little bit better.

[JKfish]

I need water params for a better understanding of his tank. Do a 50% water change, I have a feeling it is the water params...

[Dontpanic]

Alright, I did the water change and changed out some of the tank water in his cup and his fins have unclamped a bit. He's still breathing rather heavily though.

[redbettagirl]

If replacing the tank water in his cup is helping, that does suggest that the parameters in his tank are off. I would keep changing out the water in his cup until it's 100% new, freshly conditioned water. Also, keep up with the 1 tsp/gallon salt. Fin unclamping is a good sign though! If you never cycled his tank, I would consider more frequent water changes for the next little while. If you can, I would also invest in a water test kit to keep an eye on water parameters.

[JKfish]

If your tank is unfiltered, you definately need to be doing maybe one 50% a week with a 100% every other week.... also, with the salt, you should stop using it in 10 days. Do a large water change and replace with fresh (not salty) water on the 10th day. :)

[Dontpanic]

Ok, thank you guys! I have a filter and the tank was cycled for about 2-3 weeks before I got him.