Hi all,
Thanks for taking the time to read.
I've had my betta Patrick around 6 months. He lives in a 40L (10 us galon?) tank which is heated to 80 degrees and filtered with a sponge filter which has a plastic bottle cap over to reduce current in the water. The tank was completely cycled before he moved in.
About a week ago I suspected he was bloated, so I did not feed him for a day, fed him some pea (as per advice from other forum posts), then waited another day. He seemed to pass through whatever was stuck and everything seemed normal - eating, swimming around happily etc.
A couple of days ago I noticed that he was very inactive compared to usual, so after some research and not jumping to conclusions I changed his water, although test levels showed no ammonia/nitrate and only ~15ppm nitrate. I also swapped out some of the decor in his tank incase he was just bored. Alas, yesterday evening and this morning he has been swimming around - chasing my finger etc.
Now, (this is the last part) I have noticed today he is quite pale compared to usual (on one side more than the other) and is glancing off objects in his tank - in a way which suggests from what I have read to be itching himself. I'm worried this is some kind of bacterial infection and would really appreciate any advice on how to proceed.
I've added a couple of photos, one shows him mid-dart against a leaf and the other shows his side which is usually nice and blue with a greeny/goldy tint.
Further info:
Housing
What size is your tank? 40 litres
What temperature is your tank? 80 F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 2 bristlenose plecos
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Hikari Micro Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once per day, 3-5 pellets (and pea instead once per week)
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 40% once per week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 40%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Tetra Aqua Safe
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5-10ppm
pH: 7
Hardness: I dont know these two but living in Yorkshire, UK our water is pretty soft!
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Paler colour, slightly clamped fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Glancing off objects in tank
When did you start noticing the symptoms? See earlier description
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No treatment
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Nope
How old is your fish (approximately)? ~6 months
Thanks for taking the time to read.
I've had my betta Patrick around 6 months. He lives in a 40L (10 us galon?) tank which is heated to 80 degrees and filtered with a sponge filter which has a plastic bottle cap over to reduce current in the water. The tank was completely cycled before he moved in.
About a week ago I suspected he was bloated, so I did not feed him for a day, fed him some pea (as per advice from other forum posts), then waited another day. He seemed to pass through whatever was stuck and everything seemed normal - eating, swimming around happily etc.
A couple of days ago I noticed that he was very inactive compared to usual, so after some research and not jumping to conclusions I changed his water, although test levels showed no ammonia/nitrate and only ~15ppm nitrate. I also swapped out some of the decor in his tank incase he was just bored. Alas, yesterday evening and this morning he has been swimming around - chasing my finger etc.
Now, (this is the last part) I have noticed today he is quite pale compared to usual (on one side more than the other) and is glancing off objects in his tank - in a way which suggests from what I have read to be itching himself. I'm worried this is some kind of bacterial infection and would really appreciate any advice on how to proceed.
I've added a couple of photos, one shows him mid-dart against a leaf and the other shows his side which is usually nice and blue with a greeny/goldy tint.
Further info:
Housing
What size is your tank? 40 litres
What temperature is your tank? 80 F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 2 bristlenose plecos
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Hikari Micro Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once per day, 3-5 pellets (and pea instead once per week)
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 40% once per week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 40%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Tetra Aqua Safe
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrite: 0ppm
Nitrate: 5-10ppm
pH: 7
Hardness: I dont know these two but living in Yorkshire, UK our water is pretty soft!
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Paler colour, slightly clamped fins
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Glancing off objects in tank
When did you start noticing the symptoms? See earlier description
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No treatment
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Nope
How old is your fish (approximately)? ~6 months