Betta Fish Ill, Acting Different, Lethargic

[DrogJustDrog]

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? 5 Gal (darn box said it was 5.5 at least!)
How long has the tank been running? a few months
Does it have a filter? Yeah, 5-10 Gal. API whisper
Does it have a heater? Yup, Can't remember it off the top of my head. Details in account.
What is the water temperature? Around 60-70 degrees.
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 1 Betta, about four pond snails that snuck in.

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Once or twice a week.
How much of the water do you change? 50%
What do you use to treat your water? API Tap water conditioner
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? I vacuum the substrate, still get particles of detritus though! Concerned about those.

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? No. I thought I did. Thread detailing the situation here.
What do you use to test the water? API master kit.
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm (always is for some reason, wish it wasn't)
Nitrite: 0.00 ppm
Nitrate: 5.00 ppm
(all this after a water change)
pH: N/A

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Once everyday, occasional purposeful skip.
How much do you feed your fish? Two-four pellets or blood worms, same amount.
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Omega-One, and fluval bug bites.
Do you feed frozen? No.
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? Yes

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? For a few months.
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Two weeks about.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? He went from energetic to very still.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? No
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Not that I could see.
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? He's often hanging out in the upper corner of the tank. I noticed some of his scales are discolored.

Explain your emergency situation in detail.

When I got him, he was very energetic. I thought that was a sign of an issue and kept an eye on it but I think that's just how he is. When he started to hang at the upper corner of the tank I was a little concerned but I didn't act until I saw today he was laying on the bottom. I did a water change and he seems to be feeling better.

 

[Rose of Sharon]

Clean water heals a multitude of problems. The fact that he seems to be doing better now after a water change probably proves that something was amiss.

As for the ammonia showing up in your tank, have you tested your source water for ammonia? If you have ammonia readings in your tap water, that would explain the .25 you are seeing right now.

Using a water conditioner like Prime by Seachem will help with the toxicity of ammonia and nitrites. Prime allows you to actually overdose to help with fish-in cycling. You can dose every other day while this is happening. Directions are on the label on the bottle. I am sure that someone mentioned this in your other thread.

I am glad that your betta is doing better!

I hope this helps!

 

[FoldedCheese]

The lethargy could be related to the cold water. Bettas should be kept at 78 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit otherwise the cold will slow down their metabolism and they will become less active. Also a 10 degree difference in temp is quite drastic, does it usually fluctuate? Might be time for a new adjustable heater.

 

[DrogJustDrog]

The lethargy could be related to the cold water. Bettas should be kept at 78 - 80 degrees Fahrenheit otherwise the cold will slow down their metabolism and they will become less active. Also a 10 degree difference in temp is quite drastic, does it usually fluctuate? Might be time for a new adjustable heater.

Yeah it could be, it's just been real difficult to find a good functioning heater (this is my second one)

As for his condition, he is swimming near the top of the tank now after hanging around the bottom all day. I tried to feed him some bloodworms but he didn't eat. It appears there is some sort of fuzz on his bottom fin but that could be from laying at the bottom all day and being sedentary. At least I hope so.

 

[DrogJustDrog]

I have an update to this situation. I was too late. I ran out to get some API general cure, all I could find was something specific to parasites. I still picked it up as I suspected he had gill flukes but it didn't matter. I got home and he was lifeless, stiff against the filter intake. I took him out and saw his stomach was bloated and some of his scales appeared to be pine coning.

I placed him in a flower pot. I haven't planted anything in there yet. Gonna miss little Napalm.

 

[Noroomforshoe]

Oh, sorry about the fish. Pineconing means he had the lethal disease dropsy. Just be glad he lived a good life while you had him. If you plan to get another betta, be sure to get the tempurature thing worked out.

Fyi, I Burry my fish in flower pots too!

 

[Rose of Sharon]

So sorry that your betta passed!!!!!