i've had my betta for nearly 3+ years now and had never seen my fish like this. he's just lying at the bottom of the tank and doesnt eat and last night i notice he was lying a little on his side, slightly tilted not completely on his side. i do regular water changes and add PRIME to the water, he's normally a spunky little guy just swimming about but this worries me, is he just old or what can i do to help him? on a side note i did feed him some bloodworms and he ate some.
If you can fill out this sticky, we may be able to help more(:
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?
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)?
housing: he's in a 2.5 gallon tank by himself. the temp is around 85-86 although he's in my room and i turn on the ac which lowers it to aroung 80 or so. the tank does have a filter and i took out the heater cuz at the time it doesnt need it.
food: i feed him pellets ( 4 a day ) fast him on Wednesdays and give him bloodworms on Sundays as treats.
maintenance: complete waterchange every week and add 5 drops of seachem prime with every new change.
water parameters: i have not tested the water.
symptoms and treatmen: i noticed his bahaviour last week, he's just lying in the corner then suddenly shoots up to the surface takes a breath then down again. my wife says she's noticed his color has changed he's red and she says he's turning a yellowish color, i honestly cant see it. i havent treated him because i dont know what to do. he's 3 or so years old and he has never been ill.
He might be too hot or he might just be dying of old age unfortunately. Maybe add a little AQ salt or try to keep the temperature lower if possible (i know how hard that can be><). I couldnt really tell you if he has some kind of disease or not, sorry i cant be of any more help to you :c good luck with your fish.
I agree with everyone above, it could just be old age getting to him. Perhaps do an extra 50% water change once a week for a while. See if the water changes perk him up a bit.
I had a similar situation with a betta. He would make a mad dash for the top of the water and then float (and sometimes just crash) back down to the bottom. He would flop over on his side and didn't really do much else. Never ate. Unfortunately, he developed a very serious case of fin rot and died a horrible death. I think he was sick when I purchased him. I never could figure out what happened to him. I know that really doesn't help, but at least you know you're not alone with the fish stress. : )
thanks guys, its unbearable to watch him like this and i honestly dont want him to suffer. i went home to check on him during my lunch break and he was lying a bit more on his side now and seemed to be breathing a bit faster. guess i'll have to wait and see.
Im sorry, hun. Thats very hard, it truly is. We've all lost a little friend, and it hurts.
Just do what you can, make him comfy cozies and happy.
If you would like, I can PM you about humane euthanasia options, seeing as how youre distressed. Please, though- no pressure or anything- I just want to give you the options some may be too sad to give.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
