Very VERY sick betta!!! Please help!!! D:

[pinkcupid765]

Okay so i helped rescue a tiny little betta 2 days ago and he wont eat, he wont move, and he's not responding. He's the skinniest betta i've ever seen! I've tried everything! Flakes, pellets, peas, and for pete's sake, even brine shrimp!!! He's not even interested! That's why i think he has a parasite which i have just treated. (btw. It's my mom's fish)

Housing
What size is your tank? 1gal vase
What temperature is your tank? 79.1
Does your tank have a filter? nope
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? nope
Is your tank heated? nope
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Well he wont eat
How often do you feed your betta fish? Well i try to feed him all the time

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? The usual and if need medicine

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

Ammonia:-
Nitrite:-
Nitrate:-
pH:-
Hard-ness:
Alkali-nity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Well he's very very skinny and transparent
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's not moving and wont eat
When did you start noticing the symptoms? er when i got him
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? i gave him parasite medicine and some stress coat
Does your fish have any history of being ill? idk
How old is your fish (approximately)? Very young


Please help! :(

[LittleBettas]

You may want to put him back in the cup you got him in....

Best thing I can think of right now:

1 tsp of AQ salt per gallon with TANNIS (Tannis can be obtined from crushed oak leaves), also, try soaking a pellet in garlic juice (I dice up a small pieve of garlic, add a bit of water and toss in a few pellets, let them soak for about 5 mins then put one in the water)

Hopefully someone will come on ho can hlp more

[Zappity]

Oh my, he is very skinny!

First of all, bettas are carnivores, so he wouldn't be interested in a pea, well or ill. Second, he should be in a tank or bowl, not a vase.
Try some frozen daphnia or bloodworms, he may like those. Or dip a pellet in garlic juice and see if he will eat that. Try doing daily 100% water changes, and epsom salt may be helpful as well. 1tsp per gallon, I believe is correct.
Tannins would help sooth him, too.
Maybe get a heater, although it seems to be at a good temperature right now. Perhaps 80-82F would help him feel better.
Good luck, I hope he starts eating :)

[LittleBettas]

Oh, add on to what Zappity said
If you can, try to find LIVE mosquito larva.... bettas LOVE them and even the pickiest eater will eat them (instinct)
they will also help him gain weight faster

[caitic10]

+1 to what everyone has said.

In a 1 gallon vase his water should be changed about three times a week. Once a week is not enough.

[LittleBettas]

I have a few bettas in 1.5 gallon tanks (most are in QT)
I change water everyday.... like Caitic said... once a week is NOT enough...

[pinkcupid765]

Thanks for all your comments! I know, i know! He's my mom's betta, not mine! All MY tanks are filtered and changed every 4-5 days :/ Anyways he wont even LOOK at the food i give him sigh... And is there anyway that brine shrimp could make a betta less active, because i fed some brine shrimp to my betta and now he's all blech and not all hyper.. could it be that i used the same utensils to place them shrimp in his tank that i used for the sick one??? Im going to change the water...

[Bombalurina]

I think heating would go a long way to making him perk up. :) Raising the temperature by 2F an hour til it's at a nice toasty 80 would help his immune system and speed up his metabolism, hopefully making him more keen to eat.

If your family don't mind, leave a bucket of still water outside for a few days. It should attract mosquitos, which will lay their babies in it. They look like little wriggly worms. I've never met a betta that didn't go crazy for them. :)

Even though it's your mum's fish, I would take over care to try and save him. :) More water changes and warmer water should be good.

Btw, Zappity: bettas may be carnivores, but all of mine enjoy peas as an occasional treat. :)

[LittleBettas]

Peas can cause bloating... which is why most people dont reccomend it..but yup, what Bombalurina said

[Gamma]

I had betta that wouldn't eat. try soaking a pellet in a spoon full of room tempter water before giving it to him. I found that the problem was he couldn't eat because his mouth was to small, as he got older he could eat whole foods. salt is a good idea. I also sugest up grading to a 5 gallon heated tank the extra space and heat should perk him up a bit.