BETTA EMERGENCY!!!

[OceanMaiden]

My betta is sitting in the bottom of his bowl and is acting listless. He wont eat hardly any thing at all and doesnt swim around anymore. Ive had him for 2 months and hes never acted this way before. He lives in a 1 gallon aquarium witth undergravel filtration, aereation and 4 small mysteries snails. Could he be growing or something and be tired because of it? His water is changed once a week and the tank is kept clean so I cant figure out why this is happening. Any suggestions? I don't want to lose him

 

[Meredith]

Is your water heated? Is the aeration separate from the ugf? If it is turn it off and see if he has any reaction to that. A lot of bettas don't like a lot of water movement. Also, I would do a partial water change now and see if that helps.

 

[Florida8]

I agree, use only the UGF, not additional air bubbles or flow are needed nor desired with bettas and I would do a partial water change as well... make sure you alow the water to become room temp as to not stress him further.

If you don't have a micro-bubble stone on the UGF you might want to get one, they make the water flow much smoother. They are often long thin and white, about $2 for a 4 pack and they slip right on the tubbing.

Do you have a thermometer to keep track of the temp fluctuation? I do not have heaters in my 4 but I do keep an eye and they stay pretty level... but it depends on your home.

Do you have a FW testing kit to see how the water is, can't tell by looking at it...wish you could

maybe it's just a lazy day for him... keep us posted.

 

[severum mama]

A test kit won't help too much IMO. A 1 gallon tank is too small to really complete a cycle or have any sort of stability as far as params. The 4 snails along with the betta probably produce enough waste that weekly water changes wouldn't be enough. A 5 or 10 gallon is really much better for them. Also, bettas really do prefer a heated tank, and will be more active with a heater and stable temp.

I had a Petsmart-rescued betta in a 10 gallon tank that had these same symptoms a couple years ago. Sadly, he didn't make it, and I don't think there is much I could have done. I hope this doesn't happen to your betta.

 

[malkore]

I do feel, also, that a 1gal isn't enough for any fish, even a betta.

Also, the bettas we get at the LFS are usually past their prime...moving into their golden years. This is a big reason people often can't keep a betta more than a year before it dies...it was already 2years old when you got it, and not kept in the best conditions.

 

[Guest]

What are you feeding him. If your feding him reguler flack food{tetra} then more then likly. He's got belly troubles. LIke they said try removing the under ground filter and air tube betta don't need it. As far as the bad water. Betta's can live in water you wouldn't keep anything in fo long periods of time can stand water temps from 60 to 90+ degrees for long periods of time.
They come from some of the worst water condition in the world. Rice patties,stacknet water from rain run off. They can stand hotter water fom the indonsa summers with little or no shade and raching the 90's. So a the water condistion in the 1.5 with snails and weekly water/changes shouldn't be the problum. More then likly as I was saying it's do from the type of foods.
Brine shrimp will cause huge blockage in there intestens,flake foods like tetra, is also a good cause of b;lockage in them. what you can do is get some frozen pee's boil them and add some to the water. He may not eat them at frist. But don't give him anything other then the pee's for the next couple of day this should help.
You can also add hydrigen proxcid 3% { for a 1.5 g around 4ml's } every 12 hrs. This will help disolve a tumer.If he has a tumer the HP3% isn't a cure for it but will allow him to live longer with it.

 

[OceanMaiden]

My betta is still loafing on the bottom he has come up and eaten two bloodworms from me. Which is better than not eating like he was. The bowl is not heated it stays at 73 degrees without heater. The undergravel filter consists of a tube that goes to under the gravel and the aereator hose down in it with an airstone on the end so fast moving water is not an issue. The water has a 100% change every week, just like you would do in a bowl. With the snails being in there , there is not much waste because they eat detritus ewww including their own...sick! as well as any left over food. Come to think of it ever since my power went out for like 5 hours a week ago my betta has had nothing but problems. The severe stress from not being able to see at all and being in total darkness scared him bad. When the lights did come back on he had torn his fins from swimming round the bowl so fast and running into the sides of it I guess. I treated him with betta fix remedy and his fins healed up real good in no time. Now he is being sluggish as I said and I've noticed that on his left side towards the back that it looks like his swim bladder maybe swollen. Secondary infection from the rips gone internal to affect his swimbladder is what I'm thinking. It looks like he can hardly wiggle his long fins at all to move kind of like hes paralyzed from the swollen area down. When he struggles to the top it looks like an epileptic fit he puts so much effort into getting up there. I know its not constipation its too far back and is in the shape of a line, you know swim bladder like. He doesn't look like a pinecone so I dont think its dropsy. What meds can I give him? Also is an internal bacteria infection contagious to snails? I know I have to move them while hes being medicated but they wont contract this from the betta will they?

 

[severum mama]

The rice paddies that are bettas' natural habitat are not simply stagnant puddles. These areas may be shallow, but as open systems they do not force bettas to live in the equivalent of a cup of dirty water. The ecosystem allows for toxins to be removed, or diluted, or whatever, with fresh water. Aquariums, on the other hand, are closed systems, and are dependent on the aquarist to remove toxins through water changes. Just because a betta's habitat dries up for part of the year and it is capable of living in poor water conditions doesn't mean that it should be subjected to poor water conditions all year round. 1 gallon just isn't large enough to provide anything but poor water conditions IMO. My first betta lived in one of those tanks until I upgraded to a heated 10 gallon, and I can't believe it survived as long as it did.

http://www.bettadreams.com/ricepaddies.html

 

[Guest]

OK Frist off I said bettas come from rice patties. Yes secound not all betta's are from rice patties most all bubblenest spices come from stagmant water,with temperatures from 75oF/24oC to 95oF/35oC,water stained by peatanddead leaves,acdic PH in the rangeof4-5.5 low to moderate dissolved calcium hardness and low conductivity indicating few salts or calcium ions in the water. In these ditches,swamps,rivers backwaters,floodplains,rice paddies, and canals,the bottom is often mud mixed with silt,the water is less than 3 to 4 inches in deepth.
The rice paddies of Malaysia arn't nothing like the pictures of the ones on the page you posted most in Malaysia or shollower then normal. B. imbellis is normally a mistreated fish it is bred to fight then released back in to the wild. As with any betta I don't beleave they should be kept in a cup { Never said that never will } But even a gallon bowl is as deep as most rice paddies are. Not saying they should be kept that way either But most breders keep the femles in a box built for BEANY BABYS. A 4x4 square box. Again no don't beleave in it never will. I house all my females in a 55g tank. 3/4's of my males are housed in a 3gal bowl. Only 3 do I have in a 1g bowl this is because they don't get along with a singal thing.
As long as the bettas being treatd nicely feed ,water changed and kept in a disain't einvierment and not in a cup. I beleave there happy. Most any Betta only swims in a small area anyway.

Now ocean sounds to me like you've got a goodhandle on what's wrong with your. As for the snail getting what the beta has. I see noway they could,as they don't have a swim plater nor do they have a skils for dropsey. I've had great luck with primafix it's all natural and dosn't sem to hurt the betta.

 

[OceanMaiden]

I removed the snails last night and put them in a 1 gallon glass bowl. I then put in one tenth of a fungus buddies tablet in my bettas 1 gallon aquarium. It is supposed to cure swim bladder disease caused by secondary bacterial infection. This morning I checked on my betta and he is getting around a little better and his swim bladder isnt as swollen as it was. It's still swollen but now it doesnt look like its going to burst anymore and he is eating a little better. Just one blood worm every great once in a while. Because he doesn't feel well and probably is getting a false full feeling from being bloated like that (the swollen swim bladder pressing on stomach?) I assume this is normal. I will just have to keep a vigilant eye on him and hope for the best. I will miss my little Shuranosuke though if he dies. He is my favorite fish. Thank you for all your help. I will keep you posted on his progress.

Wish Shuranosuke Luck!!!

 

[Guest]

i had 3 bettas (females) that acted like that then the next day i checked on them and (right after i got them) they got some fin rott, started getting mucus like growths all over them, and went belly up. the thing is when i took them back the people wouldnt give me a refund because they "claimed" they told me that this might happen(never did)

 

[OceanMaiden]

FULL RECOVERY!!! Shuranosuke is now swiming all over his bowl happy as can be.
The fungus buddy tab didnt work so I had ran out and bought him some Pimafix.
I then went to do a 100% water change and put him in his little bowl for when I'm cleaning.
While I was cleaning the tank I made a horrid discovery. I was rinsing the gravel as usual and it WOULD NOT rinse clean. It was as if it was dissolving as I rinsed. Constant particles there was no end to it. I was not using boiling hot water so there was no excuse for it. Aqua culture gravel from walmart is now in my eyes..........the worst possible gravel ever. It was this particle crap that was making my betta ill. I immeadiatley got him some beautiful all glass gem stones. Finished cleaning tank, rinsing new gemstones, plastic plants, put it all back together added Pimafix and my lovely lil betta. He has since been eating well and swimming all around his aquarium alert and active the way he should be. His swim bladder is no longer bloated and he is glowing with health. His coloring is much much better as well.

On a side note; Marty I'm sorry to hear about your poor bettas and I do hope that you never go back to that particular LFS again. The only way for your bettas to have that right after you got them is if THEY weren't taking care of them properly in the first place. THEY didn't tell you at time of purchase because then you wouldn't have bought the fish THEY allowed to become sick. Then the insult of not taking back the fish and claiming that "We told you this might happen" crap. It's LFS like this that just makes me wanna puke. They should be punished for animal cruelty and unprofessional business practice. DO be sure to send them a big SMACK from me!!!

Thank you all for your help and concern,
Shuranosuke wishes to thank you too!