Lethargic Betta

[iggybelle]

I've noticed that for the past couple of days, my betta has been lethargic and doesn't want to eat. In addition, my betta seems to spend a lot more time in his cave rather than outside of it.

I've had my betta for around 8 months now, and he usually doesn't act like this. The last time I changed his water was around 2 weeks ago, and it was a full water change + gravel cleaning. (I now know this is something you're not supposed to do after looking through this forum and others; this could be a possible reason why my fish is acting weird.) I recently purchased him a heater since my room does get cold. However, it didn't come with a thermometer, so I have no clue how hot/cold it is.

I haven't changed his food recently. As mentioned before, he doesn't seem to want to eat whenever I present food to him, which isn't normal because he usually swims around very excitedly. I feed him pellets and freeze dried blood worms. Currently, he tends to go after the blood worms rather than the pellets (the pellets tend to not float and sink to the bottom.)

I've seen some possible solutions to my problem (partial water change, salts, etc.,) but I've seen so many that now I'm confused as to what I should do. I'm not able to buy much in order to help him at the moment, but I just want to try and help him as much as I can. Any suggestions?

EDIT: as of tonight, I've fed him a few pellets. However, he seems to spit out some pellets as soon as he eats them.

 

[Copplanes]

I've noticed that for the past couple of days, my betta has been lethargic and doesn't want to eat. In addition, my betta seems to spend a lot more time in his cave rather than outside of it.

I've had my betta for around 8 months now, and he usually doesn't act like this. The last time I changed his water was around 2 weeks ago, and it was a full water change + gravel cleaning. (I now know this is something you're not supposed to do after looking through this forum and others; this could be a possible reason why my fish is acting weird.) I recently purchased him a heater since my room does get cold. However, it didn't come with a thermometer, so I have no clue how hot/cold it is.

I haven't changed his food recently. As mentioned before, he doesn't seem to want to eat whenever I present food to him, which isn't normal because he usually swims around very excitedly. I feed him pellets and freeze dried blood worms. Currently, he tends to go after the blood worms rather than the pellets (the pellets tend to not float and sink to the bottom.)

I've seen some possible solutions to my problem (partial water change, salts, etc.,) but I've seen so many that now I'm confused as to what I should do. I'm not able to buy much in order to help him at the moment, but I just want to try and help him as much as I can. Any suggestions?

EDIT: as of tonight, I've fed him a few pellets. However, he seems to spit out some pellets as soon as he eats them.

ok! so i'm going to go at this piece by piece
1. i'm assuming your tank isn't cycled? without an established colony of bacteria in your bettas tank, there is nothing to break down his waste. this results in dangerous water parameters that open your betta up to a barrage of illnesses. without a cycled tank, you must be doing partial water changes every day.

2. knowing the temp of the water is very important. when doing water changes, you have to be sure that the water you're adding is the same temperature as the water he's in. and having a consistent temperature is also key.

3. pellets can provide all the nutrition a betta needs to survive, but thriving is another story. there are a lot of good articles to read about what you can feed your betta. the most crucial part is not to overfeed! and on this note, freeze dried foods for fish may be parasite free, but are generally unhealthy for your fish, and you should purchase frozen(not freeze dried) bloodworms and food like it. i think the key to most loving being's nutrition is variety and balance.

4. i've been dealing with a parasite issue with my betta, and the symptoms sound similar. refusing to eat and hiding down low are signs of a parasitic infection. is his breathing labored? have you noticed any bowel movements?
in my experience dealing with betta illness, i've found myself coming back to the basics. the first instinct is to grab something to put into the water to make the fish better, but the most important thing is to have water with healthy parameters(no ammonia or nitrites, nitrates below 40ppm) do you have a water test kit?

5. don't feed him anymore. bettas can go weeks before they starve to death. if he's having problems eating and is showing signs of illness, feeding him can result in more issues on top of what you're dealing with.

the immediate thing to do would be a 50% water change every day the next couple days.(make sure the water is the same temp. you need to allow for as little stress on your betta as possible) let me know about his other symptoms and possibly a picture. we can figure out if it's something that should be treated with parasite medication or maybe something else, if anything.

 

[iggybelle]

Thank you so much for replying! (sorry this is late; I've had a busy day)

1. When you say cycled, do you mean it has a filter? My tank does have a filter, though it does seem a bit strong.

2. I'll try and remember that when I do a water change.

3. That makes sense. I'll look up some articles on what to feed him.

4. His breathing seems to be normal. However, I'm not sure if he's pooping or not. He probably isn't seeing as he eats very little. Also, I don't have a water test kit. I'll make sure to get one soon.

5. Alright, I'll stop feeding him.

Thanks again for the advice! I'll do the water change right now. My betta is black, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a good picture of him with the lighting. I'm not seeing anything abnormal on him, but if you'd still like a picture I can get one.

 

[Toad]

Has the tank been set up the whole time you've had the betta? It should be cycled if it has, unless you've change the filter media out? Are you taking all the water out when you do a water change, because at most you'd only need to take half out, and if it's just the betta your levels shouldn't get that bad with regular changes. You will need to at least get a thermometer to know what the tank temp is. Agree with getting a test kit.

Does his eyes seem to be bugging out, or tattered fins? Is his belly look sunken in? Bettas can also be prone to moping if they have massive changes in the tank too

Sent from my SM-G930T using Aquarium Advice mobile app

 

[iggybelle]

Yes, it has been. I did take all the water out when I changed it, but now I know to only do partial ones. I just did a half water change. I'll try and get the thermometer and test kit ASAP.

His eyes/belly/fins look normal (can't really tell about the fins though because he's a crown tail.)