I bought a Betta 2 years ago....I know they usually live to about 2 years. I was gone for about 2 weeks in the winter (I was staying at a hotel with my fiance who was visiting and would come by to check up on him) and forgot how cold my room gets so he was left in cold water for a few days. I did eventually remember and left the lamp on after to keep the water warmer. a few times my grandmother who was watching him while I was out turned the light off. He was very lethargic. An wouldnt eat or anything just lay at the bottom only coming up for air. Eventually he got back to eating but would only come up to eat and get air. I had left him for 2 weeks before the winter and he went through the same thing so I thought maybe it wasent the cold water that maybe he was just depressed because when Ileft him before the winter he was back to normal a few days after I came back doing him swimming when I was at the desk next to him. Anyway after the winter 2 week break he just never got better. He does eat and still comes up for air but thats about it. He doesnt even flare or make his bubble nests. He does look like his belly (I think it is his belly that is right behind his gills) is a little puffed. Its not huge but is a bit bigger than normal and a little white in color though I dunno if that is normal since I haave never looked so closely to his colors. He falls to the side and when he does come up for air or food its almost like a struggle for him. he eats or gets air then kinda falls down again. He will fall to the side then swim up against the glass to hold himself up. His head is usually propped up with his tail by the gravel. He has been this way for like 6 months. I am not sure if his scales are covered with anything. I dont take notice as to what normal scales look like. His "skin" does look a little foggy not like gel or anything on it though. He does hold his fins close to his body instead of spread out again unless he swims up only his tail fin will fan out and his bottom fin just hangs. He doesnt spray out like normal. Not sure if this is how old betta fishes go out or if he is just sick. Whats going on?
Is my betta sick or just old?
- Thread starter emilya26
- Start date
Hmmm... firstly, it's important to ask what the water perimeters are. Have you checked the levels if ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. I'm guessing you don't have anything to regulate the temperature in his home. Bettas like a constant and warm temperature of 75 degrees or more. If your home's regularly at a lower temp due to AC, then even summer warmth won't help him. This could be a culprit and a reason for his lethargy because bettas can handle fluctuations in their environment if they are brief. But something long-standing (like 2 years in water that is too cool) can have a withering or 'wasting' effect on bettas. So perhaps just buying a small submersible heater could make a whole lot of difference in his quality of life.
Also, though it's not founded on anything but my 11 odd years or so of experience with these fish, I feel that bettas can get what I consider to be a sort of depression. People don't give bettas enough credit for the amount of personality and awareness (if not outright intelligence) that they have. Sometimes a betta will do just like you are describing because it is lacking mental stimulation. A varied diet, exercise, interaction other than just tossing a few betta pellets in the bowl and leaving them. Especially if they are alone in their tank/bowl.
I'd ellaborate more, but it's midnight and my OT shift just ended. I'm scootin' off to bed. I'm waking up at 6am to start the 10 hour grind.
If you have any questions about any of my ramblings, feel free to PM me.
Also, though it's not founded on anything but my 11 odd years or so of experience with these fish, I feel that bettas can get what I consider to be a sort of depression. People don't give bettas enough credit for the amount of personality and awareness (if not outright intelligence) that they have. Sometimes a betta will do just like you are describing because it is lacking mental stimulation. A varied diet, exercise, interaction other than just tossing a few betta pellets in the bowl and leaving them. Especially if they are alone in their tank/bowl.
I'd ellaborate more, but it's midnight and my OT shift just ended. I'm scootin' off to bed. I'm waking up at 6am to start the 10 hour grind.
If you have any questions about any of my ramblings, feel free to PM me.I will go out and get a heater for his tank. I did buy a new one with a filter. Its about a gallon tank which is much bigger than his "tank" now. Its hard to call the small betta "tanks" a tank. Anyways I was thinking about getting another fish but of course they are known for being solo fish some have said that they are able to be with non aggressive fish. Hmm! I never thought about the non heater thing being an issue since he has lived 1 year plus like this. I did get flakes and have been feeding him them the past couple days. Hes been on pellets this whole time. What is suggested as far as changing his diet? or would you say flakes and pellets are enough? Also how often should I switch back and forth. And I definitely agree that bettas are much smarter than one would think. Which is why I wanna get my fishy back to normal. I miss seeing his crazy swimming when I come around.
I have not checked. Hmm would a pool test strip even work? Probably not, not sure. Just asked since we have some and they test for everything in the water. That way IF they would work I wouldnt have to buy some. I dont mind getting some just figured I would ask.
Don't worry about getting a big master test kit if all you're currently keeping is bettas. Really all you need for a betta tank is a liquid aquarium ammonia test. Bettas aren't really sensitive to nitrites or nitrates and as long as you're conditioning his water properly and not just pouring tapwater in, ammonia would be all you should concern yourself with.
As for food variety, along with pellet and flake, I personally would add frozen blood worms, tubifex or white worms and/or brine shrimp. Bettas are carnivores and they like a varied diet that is high in protein. I also used to feed mine tiny tidbits of cocktail shrimp or steamed fish when I was thawing some for my dinner. You don't necessarily have to have them on a regulated diet, but it is good to keep a higher pellet or flake ratio because that is a balanced diet designed for overall health.
I'd say during any given week have 3-4 pellet/flake days and 1-2 'treat' days with bloodworms, tubifex, or brine shrimp. Then fast on 1-2 days. Fasting is important as it gives the betta a day to clear it's digestive tract and will help prevent bloat.
The filter that comes with the tank you bought... is it a sponge or a regular filter? If it's regular, you might want to stem the water flow a little so it doesn't tire your betta. A handy trick for in-tank filters (common for smaller tanks like the mini bow series and such) is to cut the funnel-like top out of a water or soda bottle and use some string looped around the neck of the bottle top to tie it to the hook on the back of the filter. If cut to the right size, it should angle to where the mouth of the bottle top is above the water and the curved side that is over the mouth of the filter reroutes the water back and to the sides of the filter, breaking up the water flow. So instead of one solid current in front of the filter, there's several smaller edies around the sides.
Of course, if you have a sponge filter, you don't have to worry about the current as much.
I got the tank set up going. I used the betta buddies or whatever pill things for the water. And I got the ammonia strips yet it says its in the harmful - danger zones. Shouldnt the pill things neutralize everything? I am letting the filter run for 24 hours like it says, should that help with the ammonia? Or do I need to go out and get drops for it?
