[plegian]

Hello everyone! First post here, mostly because I'm really panicking about the fact I think my betta is sick. His name is Moose, and I rescued him from Walmart around Christmas time. I found Moose behind the rest of the bettas with cereal poured into his cup. I'm sure he wouldn't have survived much longer if I hadn't taken him out of there. Anyways, it's been about six months since I've had him. He's usually very active and eats well, but I've been noticing a change in his behavior for the last few days. He stays at the bottom of his tank and only comes up when I approach him or to breathe at the top. He also has a lump on his chest, though I suspect this to be from overfeeding.

Here are the questions I've answered to seek help:

Housing
What size is your tank? 5 Gallon
What temperature is your tank? Unsure, room temperature
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? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? TetraBetta Mini Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? Everyday (only two pellets)... which I see now could be a mistake

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Every few months, the filter does most of the job
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All water
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? I can't remember??? I know there's something, though

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? Haven't tested his water

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Clamped fins, lump on his chest
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Doesn't swim as much as he used to, stays on the bottom only to greet me
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A few days ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I haven't engaged in treatment yet due to not knowing exactly whats happening
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No? I don't think so unless you count the condition I found him in.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Unsure, bought six months ago

Here are some pictures of him. You can see the small lump on his chest.

I'm really worried about him. He is my sweet boy and I just want to know what's going on.

 

[plegian]

His tank actually may be bigger. Like ten or fifteen gallon, excuse my mistake!!

 

[AudaxViator]

Okay it would be helpful if you could answer some of your questions with more information. You said your tank was heated but the temperature is the same as your room? Does this mean your room is 78 degrees F? Or the heater you have in your tank is only heating to the temperature of your room, which is less than 78F? That is the optimum temperature for their water.

To find out how many gallons your tank holds, you can measure the dimensions of your tank. Go to this link and match up the dimensions to the closest one.

For water additives we mean water conditioner and the like. Do you have the bottle? Unfortunately "something" isn't a brand of conditioner Some are better than others which is why it's in the questions chart.

You also may need to do more water changes. This is a good link that tells you approximately how often and how much water you should change each time you do it.

I can't see your fish that well but it looks like his tummy is very big. Here is an example of a betta who is bloated, does it look like that?

 

[plegian]

Oh I'm sorry, his tank is around 79 °F.

His tank is indeed fifteen gallons. And haha, I know something isn't an additive, my bad! I went to go check and I use Tetra Bettasafe.

I'm going to change his tank today, so hopefully he'll show some improvement then... I'm sorry for the unclear pictures, but yes, his tummy looks that way and seems to have only gotten worse today. He won't even swim up to greet me when I go check on him.