Sick Betta, please help

[bozco]

My male betta that I bought three weeks ago is sick. When I opened my closet this morning he was at the bottom corner of his tank, looking kind of grey. Then when I looked at the tank next he was sucked up against the filter tub. I turned it down low and he got loose. But he's never been sucked against the filter before. He won't flare at the mirror anymore, and he wouldn't eat.

He lives in a 5 gal room temp tank, with 4 white clouds. It currently has no substrate, is filtered with an ACmini.

Ammonia and nitrites read 0, the tank smells good, and the white clouds look fine.

I moved him right away to a bowl with fresh, treated water, and put an incandescnt light above it to warm it up a litte, I put a bit of paper on the top to keep the light dim. I don't really know what to do now.

 

[TKOS]

Well Bettas do like a bit warmer water than room temp. But white clouds like it cold. While a good mix normally the 2 can mean more work on your part.

I would be doing 50% daily water changes for the betta. Fresh water can cure a lot of what ails many fish.

Any other visible signs of disease?

 

[CivicChick]

I would mover them out of your closet :shake: , unless you have a light source on the other tank. Also, try adding some plants so that the fish have places to hide. It helps them feel safe which cuts down on stress.

 

[bozco]

He ate yesterday and today, and was swimming around his bowl wondering what happened to all the extra room he had before.

No, I will not be moving the fish tanks out of the closet as there is nowhere else to put them. They are lit tanks and the closet doors are only closed at night. There is no reason to move them out. And there are plants. A large plastic plant and a live, floating plant. The only symptoms of the betta are teh grey looking patches where he seems to have lost his scales. I had just done a water change the day before, so maybe I scared him, but he seems to be doing much better today. I am treating with melafix at half dose.