is my Betta dying?

[sledge]

Hi
can anyone one help me, my female Betta has become listless and just lies at the bottom of the tank, my water conditions are V good (checked regular) my male Betta seems fine, my tank is 215 ltrs (43 gallon?) and yes i realise it is over stocked ? (18 tetras neons,silver tips, glowlights and rosy-- 2 small clown loach a pair of dwarf gouramis nd a pair of golden gouramis and 4 pepper cats all of which are very happy) i perform a 15% water change every 5 days and test my water regular!!
she has the stripes down her flank which im told (rightly or wrongly?) that she is ready to breed ?? i feed a varied diet flake frozen shrimp daphnia etc, there is no sign of any bullying or fin nipping except from the male golden (bit of a thug !!) but he only seems to chase his mate off (probably because shes as big as him 3 inch and he see's her as a threat at feeding time!) any suggestions (im sure there will be lots about the over crowding !) the male hasnt built a "nest" but seems very fond of her!

 

[COBettaCouple]

are the stripes vertical or horizontal?

horizontal stripes in a female betta mean stress. gourami and a male betta can be VERY stressful to a female betta as well as the other fish. I'd recommend putting her in a tank of her own and feeding her daphnia to see if she recovers.

 

[sledge]

i have a small isolation tank on stand by and i will more her to it now, the stripes are horizontal !!
thankyou very much for your reply.

 

[COBettaCouple]

i have a small isolation tank on stand by and i will more her to it now, the stripes are horizontal !!
thankyou very much for your reply.

a bit of spoiling and she should lose those stripes i hope. please let us know how she does.

 

[genie]

I have to say that she is indeed stressed out or afraid if the stripes are horizonal. I personally would never keep a male and female in the same tank-- now I realize that your tank is big, but anyway that is just my opinion. I think you should consider keeping her in the smaller tank, by herself or with some cory cats. I am confident that she will recover and liven up once seperated.

Lots of luck to you!

 

[Phloxface]

If she is in a tank with a male that is what is causing the stress. She could die if she is not removed. The male could be bothering her so much she just can't take it anymore. They can be so rough they sometimes kill females even in spawning. They should never ever be kept together permanently.