Dealing with an old betta?

well its coming close to the time where one of my bettas magnum will pass on. I know bettas live from 2-3 years when they have a "millionaires" lifestyle. ive had him for 1 1/2 years taking care of him as best I can with what I have. lately hes been lethargic, just wanting to sit around either on the gravel or on the highest plant. he will still eat but not as enthusiastic, most of the time he will bolt after the pellet and if he doesn't get it in the first attempt he just watches it float to the bottom. I know that its getting close to his time.

what all can I do to make him as comfortable and happy in his final days?

he shares a split tank with my other betta sushi... when magnum dies will it effect sushi?

is there anything else I need to know?

 

1.5 years of your owner ship + 1-2 years of cup life can place him in his uper 2-3 years of age. I don't think hes going to pass on just yet, trust me, even in their old age they do last some time. Just be sure he has decor to hide in, warm clean water, proper diet and some place near the top of the water for him to rest. I doubt sushI will actually care as bettas are solitary animals. Lowered activity maybe since there isn't anyone threatening his territory anymore but that's all.

 

I'm sorry your betta is hitting that age.
Try lowering the water level, minimize current and give him a nice soft leaf to rest on near the top.

 

Since hes in a divided tank only take the water down and inch or 2 don't compromise the filter, if you get him a betta log he can sit near the top.

 

Good point.
Perhaps a different tank.
Lowering the water level will help him conserve energy and make it easier for him to get to the top for air.

 

I agree with that, deffinetly try for a betta log and some top plants first because the stress of moving isn't good for older bettas but if you can moving him to a diffrent cycled tank with lower water level(a 2.5-5gal are great) would be of great help. Just be sure its at the same temps and such so its not to much of a move.

 

Hey guys I've had my betta Dragon for about 2 years now and I think he was 2 when I got him.
When I first got him he was flashy, active and very very hungry all the time.
And now his fins are all scrapy he is dull he lays around all the time and he doesn't really eat like he used to.

I'm guessing he is just old. Is he?

I would post a picture of him when I got him and now but I don't know how or if you can

 

He might be getting old.

What size is the tank?

What are the water parameters?

What's your water change schedule?

What do you feed him?

Here's a thread on how to post pictures: https://www.fishlore.com/aquariumfishforum/threads/how-to-attach-pictures-to-posts.169875/

 

Thank you

He is in a 10 gallon
I don't know the water parameters
(We don't have a kit normally we change the water and the fish are fine)

I change 50% every week

And I feed him sun dried gammarus

And I will post a pic in a moment

 

I can't now sorry I'm busy

 

If that betta is four years old it is a rather old betta.

 

That's what I was thinking.
He pretty much just lays around

 

I used to have a betta before. It suffered through fin rot, bloat, being dropped 2 times and died of ich in a 1.5 gallon tank. It lived about 3 years so if it lived in those conditions in my 1.5 gallon, yours surely can live 1-2 more years at least.

 

You should really know your tanks parameters..
It could be a fixable issue versus just assuming its old age imo

 

I meant API master test kit woops

 

When you get a chance, test your water and let us know the results. There could be an underlying cause other than old age, although it is good that you have been staying on top of water changes.

 

I will when I get a chance...
Well my birthday is coming up so hopefully
that's what I could get for my birthday
( the test kit)

 

Hey guys
I accidentally turned my heater way up to 90
degrees. I freaked out and unplugged the heater right away the only thing is he was a little bit more active when it was up to 90
Now it's at about 75 and he is laying around again.
So I plugged it back up to get the temp back up.
I was wondering if the high temp is a good thing?

Or should I post another question about it?

 

I keep my betta tanks at 80F. They do like it a bit warmer than a lot of fish. 90F is too high, but if you keep the temp between 78F and 82F I think your betta will be very happy. In my limited experience, the degree or two over 80F seems to promote breeding behaviors, which you may want to avoid.

 

well okay thanks I brought it back up to about 80 but his still laying around....hummm

I was going to post pictures today but I lost my camera so I'm going to go look for it some more.

 

I think I might have thrown it away by accident. it was on my nightstand and I might have nocked (sp?) it into the trashbag beside it and took the bag out.
so I either threw away or lost about a $250 dollar camera and 700 pictures...maybe they uploaded to the cloud ill see

EDIT: nope I don't have any uploaded.....

 

Yeah I found it!!
but I think hes just old thank you for all your help

 

How can you tell if you have an older betta...what are some signs to look for?

 

Well, they'd obviously be larger than a younger betta, and their eyes would be noticeably darker.
I observed that when a betta gets old, it's coloring starts to become dull, and faded out.
They may also be lazier than they used to, which is a part of aging, it's normal.

 

I've noticed that older males get a hunch back and their heads look massive. They are also pretty stocky and their eyes are indeed pretty dark. My oldest male is a bit older than 2 years and compared to his sons, he's a fatty with a big head and his eyes are a little more "sunken in". He's also a bit more skittish than he used to be.

Females just get fat, like really fat and their fins get a bit longer. They will also be rather large in comparison to young adult males.

 

Their colours become more muted, they tend to be more lazy, will get sick easier, accuracy for eating food lowers, and their fins become more ragged.

 

Their colours become more muted, they tend to be more lazy, will get sick easier, accuracy for eating food lowers, and their fins become more ragged.

What is the raggedness from?

 

What is the raggedness from?

Well, they aren't "ripped" they just get a lot more raggedy, like a wrinkled up piece of clothing.

 

Hello! I have a betta that I’ve had for almost two years(but he was an adult when I purchased him). Lately I’ve noticed he isn’t very active and hides most of the time. I recently upgraded his tank size from a 5.5g to a 10g. There is an Indian almond leaf, decor, heater, gentle filter and air bubbler, and a floating log. He used to be super active and now he isn’t. Is this just because he is getting old? Thanks

 

It is possible he is just getting older, or he could just be lazy. How long has he been in the new tank? Sometimes it can just be from stress of the move as well.

 

It is possible he is just getting older, or he could just be lazy. How long has he been in the new tank? Sometimes it can just be from stress of the move as well.[/QUOTE
Thank you - that makes sense. Only a few days

 

Bettas can live for more than five years, so he's not old yet.

Did you cycle the tank before you moved him to it? Are you testing your water parameters? High ammonia would be my first worry with a new tank. Moving is stressful but mainly it's a problem with uncycled tanks.

 

Bettas can live for more than five years, so he's not old yet.

Did you cycle the tank before you moved him to it? Are you testing your water parameters? High ammonia would be my first worry with a new tank. Moving is stressful but mainly it's a problem with uncycled tanks.

Yes I transferred the old filter media into the new tank and used the same decor and water. Water parameters are:
Ammonia:0ppm
Nitrite:0ppm
Nitrate:>5ppm

 

In that case, just give him some time- chances are he's stressed. It might help to lower the lights for a while- but at the same time, keep an eye out for visible signs of illness.