my betta lays on his side, doesn't move

[bobc4d]

my betta, who I've had 2 months, lately, as in the last two weeks he has been laying on his side, kinda in in a Pringles chip shape. I fed him so shrimp tonight, he moved after them ate some, missed other then layed back on his side. I asked a associate at PetSmart and they said "oh thats normal for a betta"

He is in a 5 gallon tank by himself, temp is about 79F, water chemistry is good.

In the event I have to, I googled a humane way to send him across the bridge, the answers I read are: a couple drops of clove oil and a bit later some vodka (??) and he will pass peacefully. Less painful than chop or freezing as PetCo suggested. maybe the vodka is for me.

 

[absolutangel04]

Poor guy. What are your exact parameters? Bettas are not always treated well before they make it into your tank, so he may be suffering from an issue before you ever got him. Does he have any red streaking that would indicate ammonia poisoning? Any fin discoloration or damage? Any missing scales or sores?

 

[fishdude25]

No, that's definitely not normal behavior. Is the tank cycled?
What are the actual test results? Did peto test for you? Did they use test strips or a liquid test? Usually when chain store employees tell you your water is "fine" they have no idea what they are talking about.

 

[nemo01]

I'm not 100% on this but I think room temp is fine for bettas have you noticed some weird sea foam looking stuff at the top of ur tank if so u got a bad fish hope u didn't I like bettas my kids have a few of them

 

[Bettababe1011]

I'm not 100% on this but I think room temp is fine for bettas have you noticed some weird sea foam looking stuff at the top of ur tank if so u got a bad fish hope u didn't I like bettas my kids have a few of them

This is incorrect. Bettas do best in 75-82 degrees F. I keep mine at 80. And the sea foam like stuff is their bubble nest. This is actually a sign of a healthy male that is ready to breed.

 

[maxwellag]

I'm not 100% on this but I think room temp is fine for bettas have you noticed some weird sea foam looking stuff at the top of ur tank if so u got a bad fish hope u didn't I like bettas my kids have a few of them

Bettababe1011 is right. And the seafoam could also be just dead bacteria or skimmate. I'm pretty sure fish don't cause foam, or algae. They only carry fish diseases.

 

[nemo01]

Hmm I do apologize like I said I wasn't 100% on that stuff all that was stuff that petsmart told me

 

[Bettababe1011]

Well, we're all here to learn.

 

[bobc4d]

do I need a filter for the 5 gallon? what size, such a small tank the water would move around and I read betta don't like much movement. His coloring looks ok. Petsmart uses two different strips, I tested it my self with the two bottle test.

 

[Fishandmusic81]

do I need a filter for the 5 gallon? what size, such a small tank the water would move around and I read betta don't like much movement. His coloring looks ok. Petsmart uses two different strips, I tested it my self with the two bottle test.

Yes you definitely need a filter you could go with a 5 gallon filter but it's better to over filter so getting one for a 10 gallon would be good and for the current theres two things you could do
Put a sponge on the part of the filter that sucks in water
Or but a sponge underneath the area where the water falls from the filter so it doesn't push the water as much