[shadowbetta1600]

its like he's a different fish

Yesterday I started noticing my fish wasn't coming up to get his food until I left the room and he is very skittish. His back has multiple white marks on it. If you have any suggestions on what it might be or how I can treat him, please let me know. Thanks.
Housing
What size is your tank? na
What temperature is your tank? About 73 74ish degrees
Does your tank have a filter?no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?no
Is your tank heated? I have a heater
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? I have two fish but they live in different tanks

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? About 2 times a day with 2-3 pellets

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? About 1 every couple of weeks
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? I do a 75% change
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Na

Water Parameters:na
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Yes
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes
When did you start noticing the symptoms? On June 27th
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Na
How old is your fish (approximately)? Na

 

[Rosebud975]

Ok thanks for the info. In an unfiltered tank you should be doing at least a big water change every couple of days depending on the tank size. Could you post a pic of the tank? Tank size is quite important and even if it's a big tank, an unfiltered tank, regardless of size, will need a lot of water changes. More than once every two weeks. I would invest in a filter as water quality could be making your betta ill, you would still need to do frequent water changes depending on the tank size. Can you give us some measurements? Because unfortunately we can't give you an accurate water change schedule without the tank measurements. I would raise the temp of the heater to preferably 78 Degrees and when you say you are not adding stuff to the water for a water change, Are you leaving it for a couple of days? Are you adding dechlorinator? Chlorine is harmful to any fish species and burns their gills. Leaving the water out for a few days will cause chlorine to disperse but other dangerous chemicals will linger. That's why I recommend getting dechlorinator. As for the betta can you post a pic? To me it sounds like a water quality issue.

 

[shadowbetta1600]

Ok the tank is a 5 gallon tank

 

[Rosebud975]

Thanks for the info in a 5 gallon unfiltered tank I suggest doing 75% water changes every other day or 100% water changes every three days. Or I suggest getting a filter and doing a fish-in cycle until the beneficial bacteria colonies have grown, this takes around a few weeks, after this your tank will be cycled and after it's cycled you can get away with a 50% water change twice a week. For more info I would research fish-in cycling.

Would you mind posting a pic of the betta and answering the questions I recently posted about dechlorinator? Thanks! Also I would raise the temp as a cooler temp can affect a bettas immune system. But remember to do it slowly as temperature fluctuations can seriously affect a betta. His skittish nature could be stress from water quality or/and temperature issues. Hope your betta improves, keep us posted!

 

[RussellTheShihTzu]

Immediately you need to start doing at least two 50% water changes per week and get his tank to at least 78 degrees.

Sounds as if he could have ammonia burn but it would be easier to help if you would give definite answers on the above form. "na" doesn't tell us anything; we know you have a heater but not if your Betta's tank is heated. Sorry to be so blunt but we can't help you until you help us.

 

[Taeanna]

While I agree with RussellTheShihTzu's recommendations for water I will also add that that we would appreciate if you could get a picture of his white markings for us to look over.
Instead of just the water quality we may be looking at an infection which is making him itchy and therefore skittish and unhappy.

 

[shadowbetta1600]

I can't get a picture due to the lack of a camera

 

[shadowbetta1600]

I'm thinking that it might be his new cave but I'm not sure