Is my betta sick or just old?

it definately sounds like the betta is stressed.

does he look bloated at all?

also, be careful with the heater. it may be very difficult to find a heater for a tanks that small, but I believe some companies are making 15 and 25 watt mini heaters out there that would be a good choice.

just be careful, a small tank volume can heat up very fast.

bettas don't mind being at room temperature, the water in their native habitat can get cool at night.
 
emilya26 said:
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?
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Yikes!! Firstly to help clarify for you, Betta buddies only remove chlorine and some harmful chemicals. They don't remove ammonia. And I'm guessing that since your tank is brand new, the ammonia is high because your tank is trying to cycle. So you'll just have to wait it out until the filter media fill up with ammonia-eating bacteria for the ammonia to go down. But after you see it go back down again, the tank will be close to cycled and I'd say that from then on if you see the ammonia go back up you should do a water change to regulate it.

Also, just so you know, the strip tests are a little less accurate than the liquid tests are. You'll probably hear people say that. I know they are more expensive, but the liquid ones are a better choice and they last longer if you ask me. Just my personal opinion, though. ^_^
 
12 Volt Man said:
...bettas don't mind being at room temperature, the water in their native habitat can get cool at night.
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Yes, but 'room temperature' can be a very relative term. For instance, my stepmother wasn't comfortable in our house unless the thermostat was set to 60-65 degrees!! She could tell if it was even 2 degrees off and she'd throw a fit, so our house regularly felt like a meat-locker. That's cool-water temps... good for goldfish, bad for tropicals which is what bettas are.

So yes, if your home has an ambient temperature of around 72 degrees or warmer year-round then sure... no heat needed. Bettas do best in 75 or higher, but 70-72 isn't so bad. But in a house like my stepmom's, bettas experience 'wasting' and tend to die very slowly and very miserably because they get too cold for their bodily organs to function properly.

A properly kept betta should live for 3-3.5 years because they are only 4-6 months old when you buy them and can have a potential lifespan of about 4 years in captivity, generally speaking.
 
Well I checked both the new tank water aswell as the tank he is in now until the 24 hour the filter is supposed to filter the water. They were BOTH in the same Harmful - Dangerous level. I will check the water and see how that goes. Perhaps take the water to a petshop to see if there is any different in what the strips say and what their test says. Also "So you'll just have to wait it out until the filter media fill up with ammonia-eating bacteria for the ammonia to go down. But after you see it go back down again, the tank will be close to cycled." << That part confused me. lol. I am not a fish person. lol
 
I don't know about why your fish is like that, but my betta is the EXACT same way, and none of the possible problems outlined are happening with him, he's been like it for a while, years... and he's 5.
 
is the betta you are talking about your pic under your name? cuz that is EXACTLY what mine does.
 
Yep. That's him. I have no idea why he's like that, but he only goes to the surface to breathe, and occasionally eat, other than that, he sits on the bottom like in the picture. He seems to struggle swimming when he does go to the top.
 
MINE TOO! I dunno what the heck it is. Hopefully putting him in his new tank tomorrow will help. *fingers crossed*
 
I found this and it sounds very much like what he has:

DISEASE: SWIM BLADDER DISORDER

GENERAL INFO: This is also a common betta problem. It is not contagious. It comes from overfeeding. It is especially common in very young bettas (30 to 60 days old) and can affect some Double Tail bettas when overfed or stressed..

SYMPTOMS: Bettas with a swim bladder disorder will have difficulty swimming, because their swim bladder (located alongside the spine between the belly and the tail) is either too short (causing them to not be able to swim horizontally) or it is swollen (causing them to float on one side). Double Tail bettas, because they have a shorter body, are especially prone to the “floaters” problem. In the case of a short swim bladder, the bettas will not be able to maneuver and swimming becomes so difficult, they prefer to just lay at the bottom, sliding on their bellies, which is why they are called “belly sliders”. And they do look like a pathetic bunch, at that point.

TREATMENT: Bettas may recover on their own, but since overfeeding induces swimbladder disorders in most cases, the first thing to do is feed a lot less. Brine shrimp and too much of it is the biggest culprit, so if your bettas are bellysliding, stop the brine shrimp for a while and thereafter learn to have a more balanced diet, alternating brine shrimp with microworms or worms (depending on how old your bettas are). Do not kill a betta with a swimbladder disorder. It may recover on its own at any time, and is not suffering. Further more, the ailment is NOT contagious. To help the fish if it cannot eat, lower the water level. Adding some BettaZing to the water for a few weeks may not hurt either.
 
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