[wesleythebetta]

i have a veil tail betta in a 5 gal aquarium. i went on vacation for a few days (left in a dissolving betta feeder) and when i returned my betta was hardly moving he either sits at the bottom or floats at the top and moves his gills but nothing else. i fed him a little and he ate some. i did a water change and it did not help so i changed even a little bit more because it did seem a little dirty. anything else i could do? i am worried he won't make it. no other bad symptoms.

 

[wesleythebetta]

additional details:
Housing
What size is your tank? 5 gal
What temperature is your tank? around 80
Does your tank have a filter? yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? he eats betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? every other day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every 2 weeks
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? ADI betta water conditioner.

Water Parameters:
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? none
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? he is lethargic, does not eat very much, he wants to stay in one position
When did you start noticing the symptoms? today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? water changes
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately)? i got him just over a year ago

 

[wesleythebetta]

just got my water tested and all the levels are fine and i added some aquarium salt to see if that improves his condition

 

[thekoimaiden]

Well I can tell you right from the start that doing a water change once every two weeks is not good for the tank. Water needs to be changed weekly to remove nitrate, hormones, and other dissolved organics. There is no other way to remove these other than a water change.

When you say, the levels are "fine" what does that mean? We need numbers to know if something is wrong.

What I think happened is that adding the "dissolving feeder" caused an ammonia spike and your fish has ammonia poisoning. Those weekend feeders are actually gimicks by the aquarium companies. Fish rarely eat them, and they usually decompose in the bottom of your tank causing an ammonia spike.

 

[wesleythebetta]

okay i will be sure to continue cleaning my betta's tank on a more regular basis. i took a water sample into the pet store and was told that my levels were okay. i did not do the test myself.

he seems better today since adding the aquarium salt. if it were ammonia poisoning, what else could i do to improve his health?

 

[thekoimaiden]

The best thing for ammonia poisoning is clean water. Daily water changes (but never a 100% change) will help him a lot. Salt isn't going to do much in this case. You should really only use it when you see a problem that needs it.

 

[wesleythebetta]

thanks for your help!