help sick betta

[jade71301]

I did a water change 2 days ago and now my betta is sick. He is lying around and won't eat. His red skin is a strange grayish color and he is breathing rapidly with his gills while lying down. I put eliminator for 2 days now and no change it seems he is getting worse. Any other meds u know of to cure this? He is housed in a round fish bowl and water changes done every 3 weeks since i got him in march. Anyway please let me know what i can do. Thanks

 

[Big Vine]

Water changes done every 3 weeks on a bowl is not sufficient.
In a bowl with no filtration, I would think that daily (or at least every other day) water changes would be required.

That being said, it is likely that your betta has been exposed to ammonia, nitrItes, and elevated levels of nitrAtes ever since you've had him. Over time, this has led to damage to internal organs, which is now resulting in visible symptoms; likely signifying organ failure. There is probably not much you can do.

Another thing to keep in mind with housing a fish in a bowl (or any small quarters, for that matter) is the effect that any disparity between bowl/tankwater and tapwater will have on the fish. Temperature, pH, nitrAtes and ammonia (yes, ammonia can be present in tapwater treated with chloramine) are all of concern here.

BV

 

[skratikans]

i would suggest a simple 10g setup with some filtration and a heater..the temp could be far to cold for him, he is a freshwater fish after all...the older they get the more prone they are to getting illness and death in cold water..especially now since its getting colder this time of year...not using a de-chlorinator could be another problem as well..a bowl whether it be for a betta or any fish is not sufficient..no fish should live in a bowl

 

[echoofformless]

Bowls are sufficient if well maintained. Many people (including myself) have had great success with bettas in decent sized bowls. Bettas aren't particularly active fish and spend most of their time lounging anyway. They are evolved to live in still, often shallow waters with high amounts of dissolved organics just by their very nature. That is why they can so easily tolerate those conditions more than other fish.

I understand that people always want the best for their fish but that doesn't mean the fish really require all the extra stuff. Take for example two dog breeds: Siberian husky and pug. If you plan to keep a husky, you should really have some serious backyard action and also be ready to take them for brisk walks, even jogs almost every day. A pug? They can be more than happy living in an apartment and wouldn't care much whether or not they get vigorous exercise. But that is not to say I would suggest a lifetime for a betta in a bowl. Just because it's nicer for them to have some tank with a few plants, a nice substrate, etc. They will certainly be happier - just as a pug would enjoy a big backyard. But it isn't needed.

Back on topic - I think your betta is on the way out. And it may not be from anything you did (yes three weeks is a long time between water changes in a bowl but that doesn't always mean it's the culprit) but sorry, he is probably dying.

Why didn't you house him in your ten gallon tank? He would have likely gotten along with those other fish.

 

[jade71301]

No need to worry bout him he is gone. His gills were swollen and had trouble breathing or going up to the top to breath and eventually kept falling to his side near the end so i flushed and i don't care about what u think about flushing fish thats the way i do it and have since i was young. Dead fish go down the toilet. Anyway with that said, I couldn't put him in with my other fish for 2 reasons. 1 my tank has fancy guppies in it, and 2 my tank is infested with some disease. Lost 4 fsh in the big tank in one week out of nowhere, and the ones remaining are scratching on everything. I now took the snail out and am using aquasol and hopefully it will make them better. Also in my opion having a betta in a 10 gal is not a good idea to me cause u can't really put much fish with them. If u could put more than one betta i would consider that idea but u can't. I am so fed up of having my aquarium now cause it is nothing but problems for me. Baby Snail infestations over and over again and when i think there are no more SURPRISE another baby snail out of the blue. I thought an aquarium was an enjoyment but i am not enjoying it one bit. Also figured out that my algae problem starts every time baby snails are found. I am so annoyed and am ready to throw it out the window and to top it off found more baby snails last night after just finishing using the stuff had a snail for the 3rd time and letting the aquarium dry for 3 days about a month ago. WHAT CAN I DO TO GET RID OF THESE PESTS??? The tank was new with new everything in it but because i vacumed the snail must have been in the vacume from my 5 gal and thats how i probably got the snail problem again. HELP

Thanks in advance for ur inputs.

 

[echoofformless]

Patience, Jade. You're jumping the gun a little bit.

Nothing worth doing is easy to do. Okay well aside from sounding like my grandmother I will offer you these opinions:

First and foremost, snails are not pests. They have a ridiculously undeserved reputation as such. The fact is that they rarely if ever eat plants - very very sensitive plants if that. Having some snails in the tank is actually kind of welcome as far as I am concerned. I add them to new tanks on purpose. So long as feeding is kept to its standard amount, you will never have a crazy population explosion of snails. They do a lot more good than harm. So try to accept them as a beneficial clean up crew and added biodiversity/interest to your setup.

Algae is another that gets a bad rap. Here so many of us are, trying as we claim to replicate nature and yet the first sign of algae is some sort of panic attack. Why? Certain types of algae could be seen as a welcome thing. For example in my Amazon tank, a very beautiful bright green algae has begun to grow on my driftwood that I have come to adore. I would actually be sad to see it go as it has naturalized my setup. True there are mostly nuisance algaes - but that doesn't mean a little careful planning and thought can't stave it off.

There are many fish who will more than happily live with a betta and likewise. You're good to know the guppies and the betta might be a little rough on each other, but the platys, corys and otocinclus will do fine. You could also have neon tetras, white cloud minnows, lemon tetras, and harlequin rasboras.



I know this is a lot of babbling but I get sad to see people get frustrated to a point of wanting to quit what can be a very rewarding hobby. It's just all about weathering the storms and learning from the experiences.

 

[jade71301]

I love snails, but when there are like 20 or + they become a pest cause they won't stop reproducing. About the algae its fine when on my ornaments but when dried on the glass and so hard to get off that is a pain and plain ugly in my opinion. Also like i said before the algae only seems to form when i start seeing the baby snails again. Don't know but i haven't had anymore snails since i killed the tiny ones i found on top and no algae yet. However my fish always seem to be getting sick and dying its not funny and a waste of money in my opinion. anyway thanks for ur response. guess patience is a virtue, but I never have known anyone with as many problems as i have been having in keeping fish. Maybe i am not supposed to keep them and let them stay in nature lol.

 

[echoofformless]

Truthfully though, what is the pest aspect of it? Just because there are many in sight? That doesn't really constitute a pest. A pest is a creature who destroys and damages things we need. They spread disease, destroy plants, dwellings, etc.

The algae and snail thing may seem chicken/egg but it's really simple - the algae bloom causes the snail bloom. Like any other creature, more food source equals more population growth.

Livebearers are not often as hardy as we want them to be. I suspect you're getting low grade stock.

Try just having a new betta alone in the ten gallon. With proper care I guarantee success.

 

[jade71301]

I plan on not getting anymore fish right now, I have one betta in a 1 gal bowl who's water i change weekly or every second week. I have only one fancy guppy in my 10 gal and one small orange or red platy that won't get bigger and one normal platy with 2 sword platy.One sword platy is however very agressive chasing the other sword all the time. The the bottom feeders one otocinclus and a cute cory, along with a golden apple snail. Do you think I can house a betta in it now? How about feeding time? I feed my fish using two feeding rings and its always a fight how will the betta eat and what will i give him to eat the powdered guppy food as well? Also i find everytime i put a snail in my betta's tank they seemed to die is it coincident or are they alergic to snail goo? Question now about my betta. He is always on his side everytime i go to see him, but he is not ill he pops up and eats like a piggy. He is a crowntail but it is his tail is too heavy for him cause he always falls backwards or sideways and when he eats he sometimes falls to his side and stops moving and he makes me freak cause i think he is dead but then he goes to the top to get air and continued chewing. been like this for a week now. Is there something wrong. Hope not cause he is my prized possesion. Got him as a baby and haven't seen anymore crowntails anywhere since him. He is one year old this month so i think.

 

[echoofformless]

I can't speak for entire broad truths about things - but bettas can be so lazy and listless. I had one who lived like a couch potato for three years. Perfect health; just liked to be lazy. Java moss makes a great betta daybed.