[moonstar7834]

My roommate and I got a betta fish around 4 months ago. My fish has been very lethargic recently and stays at the bottom of the tank (or hides), and only comes up for air or if she sees me walk by (because I feed her). If you look at my previous discussion history, this happened to my previous betta fish as well which I had for a week (which unfortunately passed away soon after), but since I've had this fish for a while I thought that nothing was wrong, until now. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank?
2.5 gallons, definitely looking to upscale but restrained by college dorm for now
Does it have a filter?
Yes, a sponge filter
Does it have a heater?
Yes, has a heater
What temperature is your tank?
Preset to 78 degrees but temp floats around 78-80 according to the thermometer
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
I think the sponge filter provides aeration, not sure though
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind?
No tank mates

Food:
What food brand do you use?
- Reef Nutrition TDO ChromaBoost food for fish and invertebrates (pellets). Recommended to me by a fish store.
Sometimes as a treat:
Aqueon betta treat (dehydrated bloodworms)

How often do you feed your Betta? How much?
I feed her once a day, 5-7 pellets. Sometimes I give her an extra bloodworm.

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change?
Once per week
What percentage of water did you change?
30%
What is the source of your water?
Tap water
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water?
I vacuum the substrate
What additives do you use other than conditioner? What brand of conditioner?
We are using API stress coat+ (it removes chlorines and chloramines).

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you. Important: Test your water before the regular water change; not after one.

Haven't tested yet, but planning to test tomorrow

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms?
Around this weekend, she was hiding in a structure in her tank. Today, she's just laying on the substrate and coming up occasionally for air.
How has your Betta’s appearance changed?
Honestly not sure, I think she looks pretty similar but its possible her fins are smaller (she's a female so its a little harder to tell)
How has your Betta’s behavior changed?
She goes up to the surface of the tank for air and then floats back down to the substrate.
Is your Betta still eating?
Yes
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how?
Have not been treating my betta, unsure what is wrong.
Does your Betta have any history of being ill?
No, she seemed healthy when we first got her (we got her from a reputable fish store)
How long have you owned your Betta?
Around 4-5 months

Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased?
She seemed healthy when we got her.

 

[betta4ever!]

Sorry to hear that... Photos of the fish?

 

[Jefeaquatics]

Photos, please. You said they seem smaller, so it could be fin loss. It is only fin rot if they are jagged. Until we have pics though, we can't tell what's going on with your betta.

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Please include a photo from above. Thank you.

 

[moonstar7834]

Here are the after and before photos of the fish. Sorry for the delay, I didn’t receive notifications about this thread. We did get the water tested at a fish store today (strips). They told us the water was fine, and that they didn’t think it was fungal (was leaning toward a bacterial infection of some sort). They recommended me Kanaplex since it's been a couple of days since she was acting like this. What do you guys think?

Parameters:
0-20 Nitrate
0 Nitrite
Soft water
0 Chlorine
80 alkalinity
6.8ish pH (?)
No ammonia
This water is around a week old, strips included below if that helps.

 

[moonstar7834]

Top down photo

 

[moonstar7834]

She's also swimming erratically when she does swim (darts around really fast) and then goes back to hiding. It does seem like it takes her a lot of energy to go up to the surface. Also she lays on her side now and breathes really heavily

 

[Jefeaquatics]

It could be fin rot or loss. I am not an expert though. I think @RussellTheShihTzu and @betta4ever! would have better advice

 

[BettaloverSara]

She does not have fin rot but her fins are clamped. I cannot pin point why exactly. If she were mine I would add some Indian almond leaf as it helps calm them but otherwise I don't have much more to offer. Hopefully someone else can see something I don't.

 

[moonstar7834]

Thank you for the advice ! I did get Kanaplex and Indian almond leaves to try - she's still eating for now, which is good. I have one leaf floating on top but the water hasn’t changed color - should I brew some water with the leaves?