Betta in community tank is sick

[Luananeko]

What temp do you have the isolation tank at? I find my bettas tend to be pretty sluggish if I keep them in the 76-77 range like you said your community was at. They really do much better if you bump it to the 78-80 range, but then you're running into the problem that your danios prefer it on the cooler side... I don't think that's the only thing that's going on here obviously, but it may be a factor.

If your water parameters in the community are all looking good other than the temp then the only other thing I can figure is that maybe he's one of the boys that gets stressed at the activity level of the tank. Not all bettas do well in communities, and not just because of aggression/harassment issues. Sometimes you'll have a betta that gets nervous from the community's more active members zipping around constantly, even if they're not bothering him directly. The constant stress of seeing all the hustle and bustle combined with the cold temp could be getting to him. If that was the case I'd expect him to bounce back a bit in the isolation tank though (even with the cooler temp), which it doesn't sound like he is...

How's his eating and what are you feeding him? Maybe he's constipated?

 

[Gabrielle]

The isolation tank... I'm afraid I don't have a heater for it. It's room temperature at the moment. I know that's awful, but I wasn't expecting so many problems and I didn't anticipate having to move him.

He's eating the same as usual. He gets about 6 color enhancing pellets a day, and he eats all of them. The brand is TetraBetta.

It's possible the busyness gets to him, but my danios are really not that active compared to others I've seen....

I would hate to get rid of any of my fish, because I'm upgrading to a 20 gallon in May, and that's not that far off....

 

[Luananeko]

Hmm, the temp is really the only thing I can think of then if no ones really busy and he's not off his feed then. Danios are normally very active, but I guess not so much when in a tank shorter than 3ft. They can't really get their speed up much in the small tanks.

It could be that once everyone's in the larger tank then your betta will perk up, especially if you bump the temp a bit.

 

[BettaGal]

The isolation tank... I'm afraid I don't have a heater for it. It's room temperature at the moment. I know that's awful, but I wasn't expecting so many problems and I didn't anticipate having to move him.

He's eating the same as usual. He gets about 6 color enhancing pellets a day, and he eats all of them. The brand is TetraBetta.

It's possible the busyness gets to him, but my danios are really not that active compared to others I've seen....

I would hate to get rid of any of my fish, because I'm upgrading to a 20 gallon in May, and that's not that far off....

Stick one finger in the bowl and another finger in the big tank and see if the temperatures feel similar. Not the most accurate method, but you'll know whether he's too cold.

He's not bloated and it's been a month. He shouldn't be constipated, although it might be just onset. Just keep an eye on his belly and check the bottom of the bowl.

If you're danios aren't active, something is wrong. Danios are active fish and are notorious for nipping anything with long flowing fins or that swims slow. That's why they need a good sized school. The aggression tends to stay in the school, but I still personally would not stick anything with long fins in with them if I got any.

The 20 gallon would be great for the danios and mollies, but bettas are not community fish. If he's been in there a month and the fin coloration has been happening for most of that time, he is not happy in there. I'd say the best thing would be to put the danios and mollies in the 20 and leave the betta in the 10 by himself.

The marks on his head to me look like injuries. I would say he probably hit the heater since there's nothing for him to get himself stuck on. Keep his water clean in the bowl while he's in there to make sure he heals without a problem. If his head starts to look fuzzy, his injuries are infected and need an antibiotic.

What is the lighter spots on his gills? Now that I'm actually on a computer and not my phone, I saw them. Are they normally there?

His fins are clamped and his color is faded, which really just means something's making him unhappy. Try to keep his bowl shaded unless you're sharing pictures to hopefully keep his stress down.

 

[Gabrielle]

The danios aren't inactive, per se. They just aren't as active as other ones I've seen. The reason I have 6 is so they would school and ignore the betta, and when they chase anything, they chase one another.

Hmm, this is a difficult situation. He's definitely not doing better in the bowl; if anything, he's worse. I need to find a way to keep them happy with the ten gallon for the next five months. Is there anything I can do to make things less stressful on him? Maybe more plants or something?

I never noticed whiter spots on his gills.

 

[BettaGal]

The danios aren't inactive, per se. They just aren't as active as other ones I've seen. The reason I have 6 is so they would school and ignore the betta, and when they chase anything, they chase one another.

Hmm, this is a difficult situation. He's definitely not doing better in the bowl; if anything, he's worse. I need to find a way to keep them happy with the ten gallon for the next five months. Is there anything I can do to make things less stressful on him? Maybe more plants or something?

Bettas and danios don't mix. The reason he looks worse in the bowl is he can't hide anywhere. Give him a cave or a plant to hide in. Don't let any bright light into the bowl. What are those whitish dots on his gills in one picture?

 

[Gabrielle]

Alright, he's got a cave now.

Well, I don't want to keep him in the bowl. There's no way to keep a heater or filter on it.

I have no idea what the spots are.

 

[BettaGal]

Alright, he's got a cave now.

Well, I don't want to keep him in the bowl. There's no way to keep a heater or filter on it.

I have no idea what the spots are.

They're not usually there? Can you try to get a good picture of them? If they aren't normally there, he has something on him.

 

[Gabrielle]

Honestly, I hadn't noticed them until you mentioned them. I mean, along with the color change, his belly turned white-ish, so I thought that was just part of that.

I'll have to wait until morning to get a better picture.

 

[BettaGal]

Honestly, I hadn't noticed them until you mentioned them. I mean, along with the color change, his belly turned white-ish, so I thought that was just part of that.

I'll have to wait until morning to get a better picture.

Alright. Till then just keep his water clean so his head can heal.