Sick Betta

[MaineBetta]

I have had my betta fish for 5 months or so, and a week or so ago he stopped eating and became very sluggish. He stays on the bottom and as of late has a very hard time swimming. He just stays on bottom with his gills moving and his head higher than the rest of the body, and sometimes lays on his side. It just doesn't look natural. He does have slight discoloration around his gills and face along with like silverish stripes there that I don't remember being there before. I got Jungle Fungus Guard and Bettafix as they were the only things the pet store really had available. I also got some aquarium salt. I have done one treatment of the Fungus Guard so far, and plan to do another one tonight, but I guess my question is can I use the Fungus Guard with the aquarium salt. I want to start putting aquarium salt in the tank regularly, but should I wait to see if he gets better before doing so and mixing the two products?

He is in a 1 gal tank, with an Amazon Sword, with no filter.

Any help would be great.

Thanks

[youlovegnats]

Take him off bettafix ASAP.- It's bad for them.
Also, please fill out the sticky at the top of the section.

[earthworm88]

If you could fill out the questionnaires below, the experts can help you more accurately and quickly:

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)?

Personally, I would not jump into using medications immediately. Sounds like he is stressed or threatened and possibly having a SBD issue which could be easily remedied if treated appropriately and quickly.

Good luck!

[MaineBetta]

Housing
What size is your tank? 1gal
What temperature is your tank? Room (72 F)
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? BettaMin
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once at night

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Weekly
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 80%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? PH Down

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH: 7
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Paleness, silver around face and gills.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Lazy, lays on bottom on its side, doesn't eat, doesn't swim around,
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 weeks
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Started Jungle Fungus Guard (1 treatment)
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? 5 months

[MaineBetta]

Originally Posted by youlovegnats

Take him off bettafix ASAP.- It's bad for them.
Also, please fill out the sticky at the top of the section.

I didn't use the bettafix yet, just the Jungle Fungus Guard.

[Myates]

For a 1g, 100% water changes every other day is highly recommended. Also would help out with the water temp, they like higher temps, try to aim for 78-82. Cold water makes them lethargic.
Also, if you're medicating the water, should be doing 100% water changes daily.

[MaineBetta]

The instructions on the jar of fungus guard say to only do 25% change between treatments.

[MaineBetta]

He has also had pretty clamped fins during this time, and really hasn't eaten at all. I am worried that he is going to starve before long if he doesn't eat anything.

[Aven]

1 gallon tank with a water change weekly is far too infrequent. Living like that for long will probably cause health problems. Also he seems lethargic which is most likely from the cold water. Change his water, and keep him warm. That should defintely help, but im no expert. Also may I ask how the amazon sword is doing? I just got one and was wondering how much light and such it would need.

[MaineBetta]

The sword is doing decently. I just ordered some fertilizer for it to help it out, but all in all I would recommend it. I realize the colder water makes him more lazy, but he was very actuve before this sickness came up in the same temperature water he is in now.