my betta is sick help

[race22]

Hi guys,

i have 3 bettas (of course in 3 seperated bowls) two are just fine. the other one seems to be sick. His colour is that of pinkish white with a hint of aqua colour. it does have some darkish and some redish spots on him. anyhow, he seemed fine when i first got him, but now seems to be really sick. I noticed that on Tuesday, the water was somewhat cloudy (almost like you can actually see the cloudiness (white) if you look closely. he was darting around alot as well. i always do water changes on average every 6 days or so, sometimes 5 days. now his fins are really clamped together. he still eats normally and i did a water change again last night and the water looks great. i'm currently using prime as my conditioner. i also added a drop of stressguard by seachem as recommended by Seachem through their forums. i was wondering what to do about the fins. i've looked closely and don't see any white fungus on him but i did notice a couple of white stringly like things in the water this morning. because i was late for work i wasn't able to try and catch the white things thinking that it might be dust or something.

ne how, it's getting to be a long post. please help!!!

[graphicdesign_r]

Are the bowls unheated and unfiltered?

Betta bowls are deathtraps. :thud:

[race22]

no they are not heated and not filtered. i understand that bettas are not suited for bowls, but i do extremely care for my bettas and try my best to house them. i've had bettas live a long time in my bowls. i was just hoping to get some advice for the clamped fins. :)

[Ms.Bubbles]

It's tough to diagnose this situation without ammonia, nitrite or nitrate readings...it would help if you had a water testing kit.

1. Lack of a heater is unlikely to be the cause of your problems in this sultry weather (although clamped fins is sometimes the result of cold water). Get yourself a thermometer and make sure your betta's water temperature doesn't go too far over the high 80's F.

2. You don't say how big the bowl is, but the smaller it is, the more frequent it needs changing. A water testing kit would tell you whether your changes are frequent enough. Cloudy water to me is a sign that your water changes are not frequent enough. Gravel needs to be rinsed frequently as well.

3. Don't use anything except dechlorinator in your water. The more stuff you put in there, the more complicated it gets to diagnose problems. Plus, bettas really don't need stressguard and products like that.

4. If there's no sign of white cottony fuzz, it's unlikely he has fungus. If there's no white spots, he doesn't have ich. Don't treat with medications until you're sure what the problem is.

All I can suggest is to keep up with the water changes and see how he does over the next few days...

[race22]

thanks for the advice. the bowl is probably around 1/4 quart of a gallon maybe 1/2. i change the water every 4-6 days. is it possible that he was sick when i purchased him because his colour is a whitish pinkish colour, but there are spots on the body(dark spots some of them redish) they're not on the fins but more on the body near the fins and his head.

[race22]

i haven't checked for ammonia or nitrites but i should. should i be changing 100% of the water or only if it's sick. i normally change 90% of the water and leave a bit of the old water when i pour him back in

[graphicdesign_r]

no they are not heated and not filtered. i understand that bettas are not suited for bowls, but i do extremely care for my bettas and try my best to house them. i've had bettas live a long time in my bowls. i was just hoping to get some advice for the clamped fins. :)

Try housing them appropriately and taking care of them properly. That should clear up your clamped fin problem.

If you won't at least keep them properly, expect problems.

Problem: Fish are in bowls.
Solution: Remove fish from bowls, place in proper tank.

Response: I'm doing the best with the bowls I have.
Response: Then expect problems.

:pc:

[Ms.Bubbles]

i haven't checked for ammonia or nitrites but i should. should i be changing 100% of the water or only if it's sick. i normally change 90% of the water and leave a bit of the old water when i pour him back in

Get yourself a test kit for ammonia (and a nitrite test too if you can afford it--I recommend the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid test kit, definitely not those test strips) and test your water every few days after a 100% water change. If you see even a trace of ammonia, do a 50% water change. Then test again a few days later. Soon you will be able to see how long you can actually go without a water change before the bowl gets toxic.

Remember--you need to change the water BEFORE there is a problem if you want to keep your fish healthy. By the time you see toxins in the water they're already doing some damage. One week should be enough to tell you what your schedule is.

[mduros]

You should get little aquariums with filtration systems at the very least for the little guys. They're not that expensive and they'd be much happier. But until you do that, I'd change his water every day and see if he perks up. Do you keep a gallon jug or bucket of water at room temperature for changes at all times? The people I know that have had the best luck at keeping bettas in bowls do this. But please get them real aquarium set ups.
Take care,
Mary.