betta always lying at the bottom..sick?
My friend has a betta that I think is sick, (it's in my possession now, hoping for it to get better.)
It's been lying at the bottom of the tank for probably a month now, not in one spot, it will wriggle around but always stay along the gravel and when it goes to the surface to breathe (which is not very often) it looks like it's struggling to swim up to the top and when it does, it comes right back down to the bottom.
It still has full color, which I've always noticed to be the first thing that is effected when it's sick, (it's color fades, etc.) but this one hasn't.
I haven't seen it eat in a month, the food will float at the top and then when I get up the next day it will be gone, maybe the betta's shy to eat during the day, I'm not sure. But there's also a snail in the tank (a small one) so that could possibly be what's eating the food.
It's in a 5 gallon heated/filtered tank with no ammonia or nitrites and nitrates are under control with water changes, so I'm hesitating to think it's the water. (pH is neutral because it's bottled water)
Does anyone have ANY idea what could be the matter because i haven't got the slightest clue. I've heard of swimbladder problems, but I have never had a fish effected with this so I don't know what to look for.
(sorry for the long post, i just wanted to give all the info i could so you guys would know what i'm dealing with)
Thanks.
My friend has a betta that I think is sick, (it's in my possession now, hoping for it to get better.)
It's been lying at the bottom of the tank for probably a month now, not in one spot, it will wriggle around but always stay along the gravel and when it goes to the surface to breathe (which is not very often) it looks like it's struggling to swim up to the top and when it does, it comes right back down to the bottom.
It still has full color, which I've always noticed to be the first thing that is effected when it's sick, (it's color fades, etc.) but this one hasn't.
I haven't seen it eat in a month, the food will float at the top and then when I get up the next day it will be gone, maybe the betta's shy to eat during the day, I'm not sure. But there's also a snail in the tank (a small one) so that could possibly be what's eating the food.
It's in a 5 gallon heated/filtered tank with no ammonia or nitrites and nitrates are under control with water changes, so I'm hesitating to think it's the water. (pH is neutral because it's bottled water)
Does anyone have ANY idea what could be the matter because i haven't got the slightest clue. I've heard of swimbladder problems, but I have never had a fish effected with this so I don't know what to look for.
(sorry for the long post, i just wanted to give all the info i could so you guys would know what i'm dealing with)
Thanks.
