[kavwilson]

Hi everyone. I am new to owning a Crowntail Betta and he seemed fine the first day I brought him home. But on day two, he started acting lethargic and had lost his appetite. Now he has gone from a stunning blue and red to a very dull, flat color. He just floats at the top of the tank, with his dorsal fin actually sticking out of the water most of the time. He keeps his fins closed up and doesn't show off at all. When he does open them, I've noticed tiny holes throughout them. Can I please get some advice on what to do to save him? Thank you all!

 

[Oldfishlady]

Sorry your Betta isn't well....we need some more info and a pic....

How did you acclimate him to the new tank, what is the water temp, how much and what kind of additive did you use, is the tank filtered, tank size, any live plants, any tank mates, has he eaten.......

 

[kavwilson]

Sorry I forgot to list all of that...

5 gallon tank. Yes, it has a filter. The tank is decorated but with fake plants. His tank mates were an algae eater and a few goldfish. We have hard water here so I added a neutralizer. Tank temp is 74.

I made sure everything was clean, filled the tank and let him float in a cup in the filled tank until he became used to the temperature.

 

[kavwilson]

Oh, and yes, he ate at first but has since lost his appetite.

 

[kavwilson]

He also seems swollen on his underside.

 

[Oldfishlady]

Oh my.....I would get him out of that tank and in a small QT container and look for another tank/container at least 1gal in size-

Bettas and goldfish should not be kept together due to one being a coldwater species and the Betta a tropical species-especially in a 5gal tank-sadly 5gals is not suited for goldfish or the algae eater-depending on what type they are you are going to need a much bigger tank or a pond if the goldfish are the common type...not sure on the algae eater until we know what specie it is, however, most likely it will need a 20gal at the very least......

Get the Bettas water temp up to 76F at the least-slowly-IMO this species doesn't need filtration-it optional.....but water temp is important along with water quality....

It is important to properly acclimate new fish to both the water temp and chemistry of the new source water by adding small amount of the new dechlorinated source water to the holding container over 15-20min or to their tolerance-then net and add to the new tank without any of the pet shop water......

Good luck......