Betta fish being lethargic

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AJ_117

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Jan 31, 2015
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My Betta is my 10g planted has been very lethargic lately and laying on its side in one spot of the tank. It used to be very active but not so much right now. I do regular 50% water changes every week, but this past week I was on vacation and unable to change it (I changed it today).

Current water parameters;

NO3 - 20ppm
NO2 - .5ppm
GH - 75ppm
KH - 40ppm
pH - 6.8
Ammonia - 0ppm
 
My Betta is my 10g planted has been very lethargic lately and laying on its side in one spot of the tank. It used to be very active but not so much right now. I do regular 50% water changes every week, but this past week I was on vacation and unable to change it (I changed it today).

Current water parameters;

NO3 - 20ppm
NO2 - .5ppm
GH - 75ppm
KH - 40ppm
pH - 6.8
Ammonia - 0ppm

NO2 should be zero. This may be the issue. Try a water change and add some prime to protect the fish. It might also be a parasite issue. Does he scratch himself on the rocks? Do you have good aeration?
 
NO2 should be zero. This may be the issue. Try a water change and add some prime to protect the fish. It might also be a parasite issue. Does he scratch himself on the rocks? Do you have good aeration?
What steps can I take to reduce that number then? He does not scratch himself, he just seems to lay on his side and stay there for a while. He seems to eat when I put food in the tank, but doesn't move around other than that. The aeration comes from my filter output, as I removed my air stone due to the current bothering my betta.
 
What steps can I take to reduce that number then? He does not scratch himself, he just seems to lay on his side and stay there for a while. He seems to eat when I put food in the tank, but doesn't move around other than that. The aeration comes from my filter output, as I removed my air stone due to the current bothering my betta.

That laying on the side thing is bad. Because he is a Betta he can gulp air at the surface. See if you can get enough water to replace 100% of his water and dechlorinate/aerate it for 10 minutes then change his water. Assuming he is the only fish.

Is there sand or gravel? Tank or Bowl? Aeration? Bio media in a filter?

The nitrites will go away over time on there own if you have bio media or enough sand/gravel. The water change is just temporary for immediate relief. Salt can be used to help your fish relax but I need to know how much water there is first.

What I think you are seeing is nitrite poisoning. The nitrite changes the hemoglobin to methemoglobin. Salt can reverse this. However, we have not ruled out something like gill flukes etc. Do you see any stingy things hanging from his gills? Any white spots? Does his skin look Dull and not as colorful? White splotches on his body?
 
I use FloraMax gravel, and it is a 10g tank with proper filtration abd heat. I am unable to use salt because I have a snail in the same tank. Should I put my air stone back in for a bit?

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Defiantly put the air stone back in. Do you have a container you could use as a hospital tank for the betta? You could put the air stone in that as well as salt.
Don't forget to dechlorinate it first.
 
I do have a 3g that I can set up temporarily. Im assuming 1/4 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water?

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Add 1 rounded tablespoon for every 5 U.S. gallons or ½ rounded teaspoon for every U.S. gallon of aquarium water.

This comes from the aquarium salt package from API. Regular table salt should be the same. Try to use un iodized salt if you have it. In an emergency just use what you have.

Please let us know how the little guy does.
 
That laying on the side thing is bad. Because he is a Betta he can gulp air at the surface. See if you can get enough water to replace 100% of his water and dechlorinate/aerate it for 10 minutes then change his water. Assuming he is the only fish.

Is there sand or gravel? Tank or Bowl? Aeration? Bio media in a filter?

The nitrites will go away over time on there own if you have bio media or enough sand/gravel. The water change is just temporary for immediate relief. Salt can be used to help your fish relax but I need to know how much water there is first.

What I think you are seeing is nitrite poisoning. The nitrite changes the hemoglobin to methemoglobin. Salt can reverse this. However, we have not ruled out something like gill flukes etc. Do you see any stingy things hanging from his gills? Any white spots? Does his skin look Dull and not as colorful? White splotches on his body?


That's fascinating about the nitrite poisoning and salt reversing it. Do you have more info on that? Really interesting!!!


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Update; betta has been placed in 3g hospital tank, still alive but staying in one spot. Salt has been added yesterday when I set the tank up. Filter and heater are going but had to shut off the air stone (too strong of a current for him)

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Do you have a small waterfall filter maybe? If it is nitrite poisoning then aeration is important imo.
 
Do you have a small waterfall filter maybe? If it is nitrite poisoning then aeration is important imo.
Yes, its a small tetra waterfall filter I have running

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Yes, its a small tetra waterfall filter I have running

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That should be just fine for aeration then. Don't worry about the air stone. Keep an eye out for signs of parasite infections. I mentioned them before. Is Betta still laying on his side?
 
No, he is just sitting in one spot. He was staying at the top of the tank but now he's near the bottom; not laying down just hovering. If its a case of parasites I have coppersafe, should I try dosing some of that?

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An update to my last post; he seemed to be hovering but he is in fact still laying on his side.

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Don't try too many different things, adding a lot to the water brings on concern of osmotic stress. Sounds like you're getting good advice here, I hope it turns things around for you.


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Don't try too many different things, adding a lot to the water brings on concern of osmotic stress. Sounds like you're getting good advice here, I hope it turns things around for you.


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I just add salt, abd Melafix (after reading a betta care website, and looking at the symptoms, I've determined its a bacterial infection)

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Melafix is going to spur some debate here. The evidence is inconclusive and the anecdotal experience is conflicted.

I have used it during fin rot at a half dose but not with salt. That betta recovered and is still a pretty happy dude 18 months later. Hard to say what helped.

The tea tree oil is very well researched for infections and other ailments, the tiny dose in Melafix is appropriate, but possibly not with salt and possibly not for bettas. It's a gentle oil (one of 3 commonly approved for babies) but is still intense. And all natural medicines are unpredictable.

What evidence do you see if bacterial infection?


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Loss of color, fish lethargic, stays near bottom, and swims kinda lopsided. Those symptoms led me to believe it was bacterial

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