Dying Betta?

[StickyTuba]

Hey all,
usually I am on the SW side but I have a friend who has a Betta and it is being very lethargic. He is in a bowl but has been around for over a year. Is he nearing the end of his life expectancy?
Sorry, I don't have any water parameters.
I am not able to do the testing and my friend has never.
He is very lethargic and just sits in one spot.
If you attempt to feed him he doesn't seem interested..
He will puff up and swim towards you if you get too close to his bowl.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I will try to provide as much info as possible, but, like I said, it isn't my fish and my friend is not available at the moment.
(I just don't want him to return and find a dead fish in the bowl).

 

[RoK]

Well, from what I've heard a betta's average lifespan is about 3 years and they are usually over a year old when in the stores so it could just be old and nearing its death soon.
Do you know how often he does water changes though?
My brother has a betta in either a 1/2 gal or 1 gal bowl and when the betta gets some new water he'll swim around more and seems happier.

 

[Devilishturtles]

Agreed. The betta could just be nearing the end of it's life span. Also, can you find out how often your friend feeds the fish? When they do feed it, do they take out the food he doesn't eat? This could be causing a problem. A water change might be a cure of your friends problem, if it's been a while, just make sure he does it carefully. Bettas don't like temp changes of too many degrees.

Good luck.

 

[rubysoho]

Lots of bettas have a shortened life span because they are kept in bowls without heaters so the temp changes all the time and the amount of toxins can easily stress the fish because that little amount of water doesn't need much to become bad. Unfortunatly this is probably the case with your friend's betta. The same thing happened to my friend as well. Sorry!

 

[An t-iasg]

Yes, I agree with everyone else. Bettas are just not room temperature "bowl fish" and it is terrible that they are sold that way at most lfs.

The betta could be nearing the end of its lifespan, or being in the bowl could have stressed him and made him sick; for example, I have never once needed to treat my bettas that are in a heated, filtered tank, for finrot.

To help your friend. I would try small water changes (because big ones are stressful) every day for 4-5 days and see if this perks him up. Make sure to use a dechlorinator and match the replacement water to the right temperature. Try some live blackworms or brine shrimp to entice him to eat. Brine shrimp are like "potato chips" to fish -- no real nutritional value, so don't give him too many, or make them his main food.

The best way to fix this, if your friend is willing, is to get the betta into a better environment. There are pics in my gallery of bettas in 5 gallon tanks. It's very easy to set up a 5 gallon tank for a betta. Another option is a 2.5 gallon All-Glass Minibow aquarium. It's All-Glass brand but the aquarium itself is acrylic. I have this aquarium as my betta QT tank. If space or money is limited, it would be a better home for a betta than a bowl, because it comes with a filter, and you can add a 25-watt heater.

 

[StickyTuba]

Ok, thanks for the help.
I will not see him until tomorrow so I will let him know.
Unfortunately I cannot get a hold of him until then either because he is on the road today and tonight.

Thanks for your help.
I will keep my fingers crossed for him.

 

[FishLover14]

Hope it all works out ok.


Fishlover14

 

[youronlysin]

I've had several that act lethargic and uninterested in food due to poor water conditions. I acquired a betta in a 2 gallon hex not long ago. This guy was very pale in color, sat on the bottom of the tank and wouldnt eat. Today, he is still in the 2 gallon hex container, but Ive since changed the substrate. The original substrate was marine sand! The smell of the water and the sand I removed was almost sickening. I cleaned the tank, replaced the substrate with quartz sand, added a submersible filter (SandShark) with carbon insert, replaced the light with a cooler burning CF light, and perform water changes regularly. The tank sits on my desk and stays a pretty constant temperature, albeit a little warm (82 degrees), but I think thats a little better than the temp changing on a regular basis. The fish has become quite lively and his colors have really become vibrant. I feed him betta pellets daily and frozen bloodworms weekly. He eats very well and seems to be a lot happier. I cant say as this would work in your freinds case, but it surely wouldnt hurt to clean up his living conditions and see if that sparks some life into him. He still deserves quality of life even if he is in his last days.

 

[An t-iasg]

Youronlysin, that's a wonderful story! StickyTuba, I hope your friend's betta perks up also!

 

[frog girl]

For a quick fix to suck up some of the nasty water conditions you might try throwing in some hornwort. It would also provide some interest in the bowl (maybe he is just terminally bored - kidding of course).

 

[youronlysin]

Thats funny! The more bored I get, the more I eat!!