Are you sure he's alive...? Also, how old is he?

If it's not SBD which would cause him to lie on the gravel and there's nothing obviously wrong as you mentioned, chances are that his time is just approaching and there's not much you can do.
Keep in mind that I could be wrong on this, so don't lose hope!

I would lower the water level to make it easier for him to get to the surface and float some plants so he can rest on them. You could also try decreasing the current of the filter if it's possible to do so, and turn off the tank lights to keep him relaxed. Has he eaten recently?

 

He's breathing, definitely alive. about 1-2 yrs old, I doubt it'd be his time. He was (other than those 3 months) kept in a perfect environment and he blew nests and seemed like a very happy fish. right now hes hanging out at the top, still looks off, but at least he's not laying down. I'm not going to keep him for a few days because I think over feeding may be attributed to the problem.

How often was the tank cleaned while you were away?

I gave them specific instructions, so should have been once a week, 30%.

 

How often was the tank cleaned while you were away?

 

You need to find out if they actually stuck to those instructions. I didn't ask what you told them to do, I asked how often the water was changed.

 

You could see if he recovers by himself or try him in some methylene blue. It's possible the extra food caused a small ammonia / nitrite spike in the tank and he's suffering the ill effects.

 

This morning he is still lying on his side looking very ill. It looks as if he has a very hard time keeping balance. All the other fish seem fine, so if it were a spike in ammonia/nitrite wouldn't the other fish (being much more sensitive to water quality than a betta) be acting odd/drop dead? The only advice I've gotten so far was to try some methylene blue, any else? Please and thank you

 

I'm by far and away not one of the experts here, but if you aren't seeing any other physical injury or issue, I would FIRST check your water parameters. That's #1. If there was food sitting in the tank, there could certainly be an issue. Depending on the issue, it might be bothering some fish more than others.

If the other fish are doing well (though I wonder since you've clearly lost a few due to whatever's been going on the last three months), you could simply keep the water pristine and keep an eye on him.

If you suspect he is sick, I think I'd ask the experts here but would probably put him in QT and keep him warm and comfortable. Doesn't sound like he needs any food for a bit. With good water, he might just perk up!

Sorry about your situation. I hope you can get it sorted out and don't have to lose any more.

 

Yes, I agree with the water quality test (Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate). If these are high you need to bring those down. Do frequent small water changes so you don't shock him.

Instead of Aquarium Salt you can use unscented Epsom salts. I'd be worried about the possibility of him developing dropsy so if you can treat him before the signs of dropsy appear that would be best.

Improving the quality of his water and treating with Epsom Salts is all I can think of. Good luck, I hope he feels better soon.

 

Netti (or others) - is it ok to Epsom salts with cory cats in the tank? I'm not familiar with cories but looking into maybe getting some.

 

I've treated cories for ich with salt before so I think it would be safe to treat them with Epsom salt if they needed it (dropsy).

Although when you need to treat a fish for illnesses you should remove the sick fish from the community and place him in his own tank. You will need less medication and won't subject healthy fish to unnecessary treatments.

Exceptions are illnesses like ich, where the whole tank is infected even if only a few fish show signs of it. Make sure to quarantine any new additions to your tank or you might be needing to do treat your tank for ich like I had to! :-?

 

Removed post....getting Flynn and another member mixed up.

 

He is literally laying in the tank upside down not moving

if I bug him, he bolts around very awkwardly and then just stops

Although I don't see a bloated belly, he still shows many signs of swim bladder disorder (not being able to swim normally)

Should I feed him pees? or go with the Epsom/aquarium salt? How would I go about the salt? I simply don't have the time and resources to move him into a hospital tank, but I would honestly rather try to save his life even if it meant the lives of the other fish.

I want to use some treatment by tonight as I would like to see him healthy again before I leave.

 

No, don't feed him peas. Bettas are insectivores and cannot digest plant matter, so the whole pea piece could damage his digestive tract.

As for salt, pour some aquarium water into a cup, measure out however much salt you need and put it in the cup. Take a spoon, stir really well until the salt dissolves and leave it there for a few minutes just to make sure. After you're absolutely 100% sure that all the salt had dissolved, you can slowly pour it into the tank.

 

No, don't feed him peas. Bettas are insectivores and cannot digest plant matter, so the whole pea piece could damage his digestive tract.

Well not the whole pea, but I thought it was a well known remedy to thaw frozen peas, cut them up, and feed them to clear up their digestive tract and that only using this method when needed won't be damaging.

 

Poor guy! At this point, if you don't have resources for a separate tank, and aren't sure of your water parameters, I would do some big daily water changes... maybe 50% for a few days? Hopefully some of the experts will chime in.

 

I actually use just a little pin head sized piece of thawed pea (not the shell, the inside mushy stuff) for my bettas swim bladder disorders. I've never had a problem with it, and it usually helps the betta within 24 hours.

Also, if he's darting around, that's a classic sign of ich. Try giving him salt baths. One of my bettas (RIP Amir) used to get Ich all the time for some unknown reason. Everytime he got it, i had to put him in a little quarantine half gallon tank with a teaspoon of epsom salt in it. I'd change the water and salt everyday for a week or two depending on how bad it was. Everyday i'd see yucky brown stuff on the bottom. he'd be good as new after it all cleared up.

 

No, that's not entirely true. While you can get lucky and not do any harm to your betta by feeding him peas, I personally don't think it's worth the risk. If you're looking to clear his digestive tract, you can either fast for a day or two or feed him some frozen daphnia which is a natural laxative.

Krys, darting around doesn't always mean ich. If there are no visible white spots on the betta's body/fins, it's not ich.

 

Stick with Epsom salt I would get a very clean food storage container rinse it well with very hot water fill it with enough aquarium water to cover his body and float him at the top. In that position at the bottom he will drown. Put in a pinch of Epsom salt for the small container.

 

Darting means that something is irritating the fish. Diseases, parasites, poor water quality all can cause this. Epsom salts can be used 3 tsp per gallon.

 

I would not use Epsom Salt at that large of a dose. Just stick to 1 teaspoon per gallon.