[Pod]

Housing
What size is your tank?
1/2 gallon
What temperature is your tank?
The temp of my room, which is between 75 and 80 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?
Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
Freeze-dried blood worms
How often do you feed your betta fish?
Once every day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
Every friday
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
None; aged water

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
I have not, as I just removed her from her tank and into a quarantine cup

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
None as I could see on the outside
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
Upon preparing to feed her, as yesterday was fasting day, I noticed that she was spiraling around and having trouble swimming.
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
10 minutes ago
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Removed her from her tank and into a shallow cup, as she was having trouble reaching the surface for air
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
No. I got her 3 days ago, though, when she was in the sorority tank, she wasn't active and spent all her time at the surface.
How old is your fish (approximately)?
4-6 Months?

 

[LionCalie]

It is highly recommend that you stay away from Freeze-dried foods because of their tendency to cause constipation/bloat problems.

First off, freeze-dried bloodworms are not an appropriate staple food. Definitely switch to a high quality Betta specific pellet like New Life Spectrum Betta Formula or Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets and toss out the freeze-dried bloodworms. Both of the pelleted foods I mentioned are available at Petco.

Secondly, a 100% WC once a week is not enough for a 1/2 gallon. Every 2 days would be more appropriate for something so small. I highly recommend you upgrade to at least a 2.5 gallon, that way you will only need to do water changes twice a week.

Does she look bloated at all? It sounds like a Swim Bladder problem, which is not contagious and be be brought on by overfeeding, also possibility the freeze-dried bloodworms. Keep her water level low so it isn't as difficult to get air. Try feeding a more balanced diet (the brands I suggested) and hopefully she will improve.

 

[Pod]

She isn't bloated. And, I don't have the money to obtain a 2.5 gallon tank. The only betta's that have a tank is my 6 females, and they live quite fine and happy inside a 6 gallon tank. The bloodworms have never posed a problem before, and my betta's refuse to eat anything else.

The female ate at the store she was in, and, hasn't eaten since. So, I was preparing to feed her today, when I noticed the strange behavior.

I have pellets and flakes for my betta's, but, they can't stand them. The bloodworms have never posed a problem for them before, and I made sure they were top quality brand bloodworms.

 

[LionCalie]

You cannot do anything about the size of the bowl now, but you can improve the water quality. You really need to do more frequent water changes on a 1/2 gallon, like I mentioned above.

Bloodworms are not the problem, the fact they are freeze-dried could be. Many people have encountered problems with them, which is why I mentioned that it could be a culprit. You never have a problem until the day you do. The problem with freeze-dried is they are so dry and have a tendency to swell/absorb water, leading to swim bladder problems and constipation. Obviously if you properly pre-soak them then you are unlikely to encounter such problems.

What brand of pellets do you have and what brands have you tried? They are not all created equal.

 

[Pod]

I have no idea the pellet kind.

And yes, I pre-soak the bloodworms before feeding them to my betta's.

The female is sort of curled up in the cup, and her gills are clamped a bit, but, still moving. When she swims, she spirals around and then just floats back to the bottom. . .

It should also be noted; I went to the store where I got her and the majority of her siblings were gone, either sold or died.