I Think My Betta May Be Dying

I have a Betta. We've had it for almost one year. We got it from my boyfriend's nephew. My bf found two fish in horrible water conditions living in a tiny bowl. So he took them from him and brought them home. They are both Bettas and they are in separate tanks. Two days ago we noticed one of our fish staying at the top of the tank in the corner. He doesn't want to swim eat or anything. He just stays in that same spot. I have no idea what is wrong with him. He has a 2.5 gallon tank it has a filter and heater. I use water conditioner when I do his water changes. I took a sample of his water to my local pet store and they said everything was perfect. Can anyone please help me?

Here is a picture of him.

 

Hello! by any chance did u cycle ur tank?

 

Do a 50% water change right away. That will usually help temporarily.

Can you go through your maintenance with the tank. What products you use. What kind of filter. How often you vacuum and change water. That sort of thing.

 

Freshwater Fish Disease Symptoms and Treatment

 

He actually does look a little bloated for how thin the rest of his body is.

 

I appreciate your response. Do you have any suggestions on how I can help him? Thank you so much.

 

I just dealt with a floater that I was trying to save. I had to do epsom salt baths twice a day. If I stopped doing the baths because he was able to swim down and around the tank, the next day he would be floating again. With my guy, I found that I have to soak his pellets until they sink in a bit of his tank water that I take out. He does not eat properly and gulps at the surface (like many betta do) but he does not expel the air thru his gills as he should.
So, does this at all sound like what you are dealing with?

Sorry, I forgot to ask, can he get down to the bottom? My guy could with extreme effort, but the minute he stopped swimming, he would float back up.

 

How often are you changing the water in the tank? And how much water do you change? Is your tank cycled? Do you have actual written results from the lfs?

(I hate when they tell you your water is ok. That doesn't mean it necessarily is, they aren't always on top of things)

I would do a 50% water change right away. Don't mess with your filter at all. Make sure you add your dechlorinator. Then see how he behaves after that.

Without knowing the actual tank parameters it's hard to say if it is the water or not. So that has to be the first troubleshooting tactic. Water changes.

 

I appreciate your response. Do you have any suggestions on how I can help him? Thank you so much.

I think we need to do an Epsom salt bath. You probably don't have any. It can be found in the first aid isle of most stores. It has to be pure epsom salt. No added frangrances or oils, ect. Look for 100% magnesium sulfate.