Lethargic Betta And Heavy Breathing

Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 10 Gallons
How long has the tank been running? 2 months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? Yes, but can't set temp, it is preset
What is the water temperature? 78-79, currently 79
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) - Just 1 Betta

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? Every 2 days
How much of the water do you change? 25%
What do you use to treat your water? Well water but I do put prime in
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? It varies but I do both

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? No
What do you use to test the water? API Freshwater master kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 1
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 5
pH: 7.2

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? 1 -2 times per day
How much do you feed your fish? about 3 or 4 pellets
What brand of food do you feed your fish?Aqueon
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? No

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 2 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? After eating yesterday morning it seems to have gotten worse but he hasn't been himself for the last 2 weeks and just not swimming as much.
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Very lethargic, laying at the bottom and breathing heavy. Not swimming much.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? I did try some stress coat and some Betta Fix today just to try it. Also added carbon to the filter.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? No
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? Appearance is fine other than the heavy breathing. He has been increasingly lethargic over the last 2 weeks.

Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)

He has been more lethargic as of late and just sleeping a lot and laying in his log or by the leaf. He did eat yesterday and after that has really been lethargic today and not swimming around at all. He has been laying down at the bottom of the tank.

I uploaded a picture and have a short video here:

 

I think you are over feeding. Try fasting for a day or two then soaking the pellets a few minutes before you feed them. The size the pellets are expanded should be no bigger than the eye of your fish. Otherwise he will get that overfull feeling that I think we all know after a binge night of pizza and movies
I would also suggest removing some plastic plants you have. They have sharp edges and if he swims over them or tries to rest on them he can catch his tail and tear it which is a whole other nightmare.

 

Hes prob acting that way because the ammonia in the tank. Ur tank seems to b cycling still. How much ammonia does ur tap have? U change water every 2 days? U may want to up it to 50% changes instead of 25% until ur tank finishes cycling. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish. And id stop treating him with meds of any sort.

 

Thank you. I haven't fed him since Saturday so hopefully if that is the issue he will start feeling better tomorrow. I'll be sure to soak the pellets first once I start feeding him again.

I just did a 50% water change with vacuum and used RO water so hopefully that will help the levels of ammonia and nitrates. I'll do another 50% tomorrow as well with the RO. I'll keep an eye on the pH and I do have Equilibrium if I need it.

 

Hes prob acting that way because the ammonia in the tank. Ur tank seems to b cycling still. How much ammonia does ur tap have? U change water every 2 days? U may want to up it to 50% changes instead of 25% until ur tank finishes cycling. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish. And id stop treating him with meds of any sort.

It is a 10 gallon with only one small fish. Combined with the current frequent water changes cycling shouldn't be an issue. I would be willing to bet that the ammonia was a misread. If I am wrong it is being taken care of by the dosing of Prime. Waterquality does not appear to be the issue in this situation.

 

Prime protects for maybe 24 hours. If the tank isn't Cycled he has to dose it everyday to protect his fish. Wouldn't hurt to add some tss or fluval cycle... Something to at least eliminate that as a possibility.

 

This morning he was back to his active self! Not sure if it was constipation or swimmers bladder or if it was ammonia poisoning and the water change and prime double dose helped.

I retested the ammonia and it's reading .5 now which makes sense since it was 1 before the 50% change. I'll probably do another water change tonight to keep the ammonia down.