Am I just paranoid?

[cadi731]

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal.
What temperature is your tank? About 76/77 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
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? Aqua Culture Betta Pellet Food
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 pellets every morning

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? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Jungle brand Start Right water conditioner and Jungle brand Clear Water when it's needed

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Not yet

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? I'm not sure if he's been tail nipping, or if it's fin rot. His tail (and tail only) is a bit shredded just on the end. It's not short or anything. His head looks a bit darker than usual too, but his body and fins are still bright.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? His attitude has been fluctuating a lot lately. Sometimes he can be really calm and relaxed, just swimmin' around his tank all happily, and sometimes he'll be hanging around the bottom of his tank, or resting inside this little rock house thing I have for him.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About a week or so ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I don't really know what to do, so no.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I'm aware of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? About... 7 months?

Am I just being paranoid, or is he sick? I don't know how to tell if his mood fluctuations are just part of his personality, or if he really is ill with something. D: Help, please?

[wanabegoodmom]

I've found that with Sammy, my betta, whenever I've had that paranoid feeling, I wasn't paranoid at all. There is a reason. You've noticed a change and I would guess it's fin rot and treat accordingly. I'm not an expert, but I've been able to nurse my betta back to health on 3 or 4 occasions. Every time something happens, I spend hours on the internet searching for symptoms and cures. I'd rather start medication that wasn't necessary rather than withhold medication that could make him better. My guy had fish rot and unfortunately, his bottom fin was half gone before I realized it. Don't wait until you're that sure!

[PewPewPew]

Originally Posted by cadi731

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal.
What temperature is your tank? About 76/77 degrees
This is a fine temp, though it is on the lower end of the spectrum for temp.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
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? Aqua Culture Betta Pellet Food
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 pellets every morning

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every week
This is not frequent enough for your tank! You should be doing a 50% change twice a week to ensure an ammonia level under .5ppm. I have a 5 gallon, too.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Jungle brand Start Right water conditioner and Jungle brand Clear Water when it's needed

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Not yet

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? I'm not sure if he's been tail nipping, or if it's fin rot. His tail (and tail only) is a bit shredded just on the end. It's not short or anything. His head looks a bit darker than usual too, but his body and fins are still bright.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? His attitude has been fluctuating a lot lately. Sometimes he can be really calm and relaxed, just swimmin' around his tank all happily, and sometimes he'll be hanging around the bottom of his tank, or resting inside this little rock house thing I have for him.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? About a week or so ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I don't really know what to do, so no.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I'm aware of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? About... 7 months?

Am I just being paranoid, or is he sick? I don't know how to tell if his mood fluctuations are just part of his personality, or if he really is ill with something. D: Help, please?

Id say he isnt feeling well because your tank's ammonia level is probably a little high. Try doing more frequent water changes as stated and see if he perks up.
Too infrequent of changes can lead to fin degradation, which could turn to fin rot. If you post a pic, that will be very helpful.

To ward off the chance of getting an infection in his ripped fins, keep the tank at its current temp (good for keeping bacteria at bay), add 1tsp/gallon of aquarium salt to the tank (5 tsp), and do either a 100% change with a redose each time or a 50% one day, 100% the next with a redose.

Treat for no more than 10 days with AQ, as it can be harmful when prolonged.

[cadi731]

I can't really get any good pictures with my phone. My camera broke. :( I did a 75% water change the other day, and he's already much happier. He even has a huge bubble nest going. I filled the tank a bit higher than I did last time, and the filter outflow isn't as strong as before. I think that might have been why he wasn't building them too often, like he used to. And now that the house is warmer, his tank is warmer too. It's like, 78 degrees now.

[PewPewPew]

Thats good. Keep up with the changes, its very important. It will dramatically improve your fish's quality of life and prevent stress, which prevents disease.

If youre still worried about his fins (are they better?), add in 1tsp/gallon of AQ salt for about a week, but no more than 10 days.

[cadi731]

He was flaring a little while ago, and when I looked at his fins, they didn't really look that bad. When his fins are just normal, flowing along behind him, they look more... shredded-y? But I think he's fine.
How often should I do water changes? 50% twice weekly and 100% monthly?

[roadrunner]

I think it's important to get to know your betta. If there is something out of ordinary it's a sign something is not right. It is always better to start checking what could be wrong and start taking care of the problem right away before it gets worse. Usually it's as simple as couple of regular water changes, adjusting temperature or the filter current.....

[cadi731]

Oh! I had a question regarding water. With everything going on in Japan, scientists have found radioactive stuff in our water here in NJ. Is it safe to do water changes with that water, or what?

[Silverfang]

do his fins look feathery? that could be a symptom of fin biting. However if they look black it could be rot. I noticed my Scuzi had rather feathery looking tips on his fins after he freaked out and chewed on them.

[cadi731]

Nope, no black. But they don't really look feathery either.