My betta doesn't look healthy. Any ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have been in the fish keeping hobby for almost a year and currently have 3 tanks. One 60 litre with 6 ember tetra, 3 albino corydoras and 4 x Ray tetra from a tank I had to recently empty to move. I also have a 190 litre aquarium with no plants or fish which is in the process of cycling due to a recent room decoration. I also have a 25 litre tank with a single male betta. I bought this betta about 2 months ago and he has recently become rather inactive. His fins seem to be quite scruffy however they have been so since I bought this fish. For the past two days he has spent most of his time at the top of the tank in the back right corner as seen in the below. I have not seen this behaviour from him before and am concerned about his wellbeing. His water parameters are good and the temperature is a consistent 26°C. I would love to see him become more active and for his fins to become more healthy. I have never seen him flare but have heard it to be a common thing for a healthy betta to do for excersise. His fins always seem to be quite droopy and close together.
Any help at all will be greatly appreciated
Many thanks Joe.




( The water is low as the plastic lid holder around the edges leaks when the water is too high.)

 

He looks miserable indeed. Hanging out near against a wall like that is generally a sign of malaise and so are clamped fins. Let's see if we can figure out what is wrong.
He has been like this, in regards to his clamped fins, since you got him? Is he eating well? What do you feed him and how often?
What is your water change schedule like? Do you have a test to check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

Those plants are real, right? I would stick in a bunch more, the tank is a bit bare and some bettas get stressed from too much lighted, open space. He seems to be hiding in the only sheltered location, between the tops of those few plants. Create somewhere for him to hide, either on the substrate or near the surface. You can also try blacking out the back and one or both side walls by sticking black paper or a black trash bag against the glass on the outside.

How many watts is that led light?

 

Is he eating?

If so - what are you feeding him?

Any way you can put him in a little empty betta bowl for a few days to observe his poo?

White and stringy is not a good sign.

 

He looks miserable indeed. Hanging out near against a wall like that is generally a sign of malaise and so are clamped fins. Let's see if we can figure out what is wrong.
He has been like this, in regards to his clamped fins, since you got him? Is he eating well? What do you feed him and how often?
What is your water change schedule like? Do you have a test to check ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels?

Those plants are real, right? I would stick in a bunch more, the tank is a bit bare and some bettas get stressed from too much lighted, open space. He seems to be hiding in the only sheltered location, between the tops of those few plants. Create somewhere for him to hide, either on the substrate or near the surface. You can also try blacking out the back and one or both side walls by sticking black paper or a black trash bag against the glass on the outside.

How many watts is that led light?

Hi, thank you for your response. In regards to his fins yes they have been like that since I bought him. I do a 30%ish water change weekly. I have just tested for ammonia and I can confirm there is non. I tested for nitrite and nitrates earlier and all was good. The led light is only 75watts and has been off all day as I have been out since early this morning, when I returned home he was still in the same corner. I believe this to be due to the small surface current that settles in that specific area and not a result of the led light. The plants are real and I will make sure to add some more soon, however he has only recently been located behind them. He used to swim all over the tank and through his wood mountain. I have been feeding him 5 freez dried blood worms each day. And after some further research I believe this may have caused constipation as the under side of his belly at the front does in fact appear to be bloated. It's only after the research that I have done this evening I believe I have chosen a poor diet for the fish and over fed him with a fairly tough to digest meal.
Again thank you for your help and advice, hope I have answered all your questions and maybe helped you with a possible cause and solution.
Many thanks joe

 

Do you rehydrate the freeze dried blood worms prior to feeding?

 

Is he eating?

If so - what are you feeding him?

Any way you can put him in a little empty betta bowl for a few days to observe his poo?

White and stringy is not a good sign.

Hi, thank you for your response. He has not eaten today as he remained still when offering a worm. I have answered your diatary question in my reply to another responder. I believe you are correct in your questioning and that I have poorly chosen an insufficient diet. This will also explain his lack of appetite today. Regarding the poo, I can quite confidentaly say that I have not seen anything white and stringy but will continue to observe as best as I can.
Again thank you for your reply.
Regards Joe.

Do you rehydrate the freeze dried blood worms prior to feeding?

Hi, I have only been putting the freeze dried worms straight into the aquarium as I believed this would rehydrate them quick enough due to the time taken by the fish to swim up to the food. But if I am wrong I will make sure to rehydrate in a separate dish in future.
Many thanks Joe.

 

Hi, thank you for your response. In regards to his fins yes they have been like that since I bought him. I do a 30%ish water change weekly. I have just tested for ammonia and I can confirm there is non. I tested for nitrite and nitrates earlier and all was good. The led light is only 75watts and has been off all day as I have been out since early this morning, when I returned home he was still in the same corner. I believe this to be due to the small surface current that settles in that specific area and not a result of the led light. The plants are real and I will make sure to add some more soon, however he has only recently been located behind them. He used to swim all over the tank and through his wood mountain. I have been feeding him 5 freez dried blood worms each day. And after some further research I believe this may have caused constipation as the under side of his belly at the front does in fact appear to be bloated. It's only after the research that I have done this evening I believe I have chosen a poor diet for the fish and over fed him with a fairly tough to digest meal.
Again thank you for your help and advice, hope I have answered all your questions and maybe helped you with a possible cause and solution.
Many thanks joe

If that is a led light, it cannot possibly be 75 watts. 75 watts of led would be like looking directly at the sun. Did you mean 7.5 maybe? If not, recheck exactly what kind of lighting you have.
I'm asking because I'm suspecting it is too bright for the smallish tank you have and with the lack of hides in there, your betta is stressed from feeling too exposed. If you have any other kind of light, even a regular night lamp that you can put next to the tank and aI'm at it, I would replace it for a few days.

Could you give specific numbers on the nitrites and nitrates, "all good" can mean different things to different people.

What kind of flow is coming from your filter? Long finned betta can have a really hard time in a small tank with a lot of flow or surface agitation. In anything below 10 gallon a sponge filter is kind of a must. If the plants are being blown back by the flow and he is hiding behind them, I'd say it is definitely stressing him. Could you block/reduce the flow with filter sponges or something else that would break it up a little?

 

Is he eating?

If so - what are you feeding him?

Any way you can put him in a little empty betta bowl for a few days to observe his poo?

White and stringy is not a good sign.

Why even put him in a betta BOWL? That would probably make it worse, a betta in a uncycled, unfiltered, unheated bowl.

 

Hi, yes I apologise I did mean 7.5 Watts. NO3 was approx 10 and NO2 was 0. The flow is minimal and he has no problem swiming in close proximity to the filter output however I have kept a mynute amount of surface flow using a piece of sponge and some molded plastic to ensure the surface isn't fully still.
Regards Joe.

If that is a led light, it cannot possibly be 75 watts. 75 watts of led would be like looking directly at the sun. Did you mean 7.5 maybe? If not, recheck exactly what kind of lighting you have.
I'm asking because I'm suspecting it is too bright for the smallish tank you have and with the lack of hides in there, your betta is stressed from feeling too exposed. If you have any other kind of light, even a regular night lamp that you can put next to the tank and aI'm at it, I would replace it for a few days.

Could you give specific numbers on the nitrites and nitrates, "all good" can mean different things to different people.

What kind of flow is coming from your filter? Long finned betta can have a really hard time in a small tank with a lot of flow or surface agitation. In anything below 10 gallon a sponge filter is kind of a must. If the plants are being blown back by the flow and he is hiding behind them, I'd say it is definitely stressing him. Could you block/reduce the flow with filter sponges or something else that would break it up a little?

Hi, yes I apologise I did mean 7.5 Watts. NO3 was approx 10 and NO2 was 0. The flow is minimal and he has no problem swiming close proximity to the filter output however I have kept a mynute amount of surface flow using a piece of sponge and some molded plastic to ensure the surface isn't fully still.
Regards Joe.

 

Hi, yes I apologise I did mean 7.5 Watts. NO3 was approx 10 and NO2 was 0. The flow is minimal and he has no problem swiming close proximity to the filter output however I have kept a mynute amount of surface flow using a piece of sponge and some molded plastic to ensure the surface isn't fully still.
Regards Joe.

Hm, strange. You could try downsizing the light (Usually you'll want around 0.5-1 watt per gallon depending on if your setup is low or high tech. 25 liters is around 7 gallons, so your light is a bit on the strong side).
That and more hides is about the only thing I can think of. Everything else seems in order.
But yes, do soak freeze-dried foods a few minutes before feeding. Feeding only bloodworms is also a bad idea, they are off-balance in terms of nutrition and better used as treats. White mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, daphnia and betta pellets are better main staples.

What do you use in the tank in terms of products - do you use any kind of fertiliser, products to adjust water parameters, medication, conditioner, etc.?

 

I don't really add any chemicals to the tank, maybe the odd dosage of tetra easy balance ever 3 weeks or so. And a dosage of a 6.5ph buffer when setting up a tank or changing a large amount of water. And of course I dechlorinate any water before adding it to the tank. I will be sure to change the diet of my betta and research this further soon.

 

I don't really add any chemicals to the tank, maybe the odd dosage of tetra easy balance ever 3 weeks or so. And a dosage of a 6.5ph buffer when setting up a tank or changing a large amount of water. And of course I dechlorinate any water before adding it to the tank. I will be sure to change the diet of my betta and research this further soon.

How often do you dose that PH buffer? Have you done so recently?

 

Hi! I agree with everyone else about the feeding situation and concerns about the pH buffer. Using chemicals to change the pH of water is a dangerous game and often advised against.

Do you think you could get a picture of his body directly from the side so I could see his weight?

When feeding a betta, it is best to have pellets as a main staple. I highly recommend new life spectrum betta pellets, which are filled with good nutrients and minimal fillers. They are cheap and will last you years. Feeding 2-3 twice daily would be a good amount, depending on the betta

For 2-3 days of the week the pellets should be replaced with frozen/live foods, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc. to supplement their diet. It is advised not to feed freeze dried food as full meals because it can absorb moisture in the gut and cause impactions, and I have also heard that nutrients could be lost in the freeze-drying process. However the freeze dried worms would be good treats if you were, say, teaching him how to do tricks.

Varying the betta’s diet is very important, because each food type has different nutrients that the others do not. For instance, bloodworms are too fatty and don’t have amino acids, so they should not be a main food source. They should only supplement the main food.

Hope this helps!

 

IMO - your close up picture looks like he may have pop eye. His eye looks too large & disproportionate.
And pop eye will cause him to be lethargic/withdrawn.
BTW, my Betta flared at a mirror a few times when I first got him and never again.
He runs from females so he's not a breeder.
He used to stay behind my filter tube all the time & just seemed depressed. I put 2 Endlers in his tank & he's a new fish.
Hope yours sparks up.

 

How often do you dose that PH buffer? Have you done so recently?

Good morning,
I have not used the pH buffer since I set up the tank appropriately 2 months ago.
Joe.

Hi! I agree with everyone else about the feeding situation and concerns about the pH buffer. Using chemicals to change the pH of water is a dangerous game and often advised against.

Do you think you could get a picture of his body directly from the side so I could see his weight?

When feeding a betta, it is best to have pellets as a main staple. I highly recommend new life spectrum betta pellets, which are filled with good nutrients and minimal fillers. They are cheap and will last you years. Feeding 2-3 twice daily would be a good amount, depending on the betta

For 2-3 days of the week the pellets should be replaced with frozen/live foods, such as bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc. to supplement their diet. It is advised not to feed freeze dried food as full meals because it can absorb moisture in the gut and cause impactions, and I have also heard that nutrients could be lost in the freeze-drying process. However the freeze dried worms would be good treats if you were, say, teaching him how to do tricks.

Varying the betta’s diet is very important, because each food type has different nutrients that the others do not. For instance, bloodworms are too fatty and don’t have amino acids, so they should not be a main food source. They should only supplement the main food.

Hope this helps!

Good morning and thank you for your reply,
I will be changing his diet as instructed by your advice, I am now aware from people's replies and research I have done that I have been using a poor diet.
Many thanks Joe.

I have just taken this picture of him and was glad to see him not at the top of then tank. However after further inspection he appeared to be struggling to stay at this depth and would slowly drift towards the surface when he stopped using his fins. He is now at the top of the tank again and seems to be pretty much motionless.


Just another quick update: he is now resting on the substrate of the tank and is no longer floating near the surface.. He is currently by his log, however I don't think he is hiding as he was led down on the substrate in the open of the tank just a few minutes ago. I am also keeping the LEDs off to reduce any stress (except when briefly taking a photo)

Many thanks Joe.

 

Just another quick update: he is now resting on the substrate of the tank and is no longer floating near the surface.. He is currently by his log, however I don't think he is hiding as he was led down on the substrate in the open of the tank just a few minutes ago. I am also keeping the LEDs off to reduce any stress (except when briefly taking a photo) View attachment 629643
Many thanks Joe.

Is he stuck at the bottom now or can he come up for air? If he is struggling to swim it would be a good idea to put him in a small tank with tons of resting spots until he heals so that he can breathe easier.

When is the last time you fed/when are you feeding next? If I were you I’d skip the next feeding until you can get a better food source as the freeze dried worms could just keep making the problem worse.

He also looks rather skinny to me. Hopefully with the new diet he will plumpen up!

Leaving the lights off was a good call.

 

Is he stuck at the bottom now or can he come up for air? If he is struggling to swim it would be a good idea to put him in a small tank with tons of resting spots until he heals so that he can breathe easier.

When is the last time you fed/when are you feeding next? If I were you I’d skip the next feeding until you can get a better food source as the freeze dried worms could just keep making the problem worse.

He also looks rather skinny to me. Hopefully with the new diet he will plumpen up!

Leaving the lights off was a good call.

He is not stuck and can swim well despite his reluctancy to do so. I last fed him two days ago and offered him one worm yesterday, however he was not interested. I am planning on not feeding him until I have purchased the foods for his proper dietary needs.
Thank you for your response.
Regards Joe.

 

Good evening,
I am becoming increasingly alarmed as he has not risen to the surface since around 3:30pm. He has remained at the bottom of the tank on his side and stopped moving pretty much completely. He has rather quickly lost the ability to swim. If he tries to swim he ends up barrel rolling and not making it very far at all. I am aware that betta fish are rather inefficient when breathing with there gills and often breath at the top of the surface as I have seen in the past. Due to his inactive behaviour I haven't seen him rise for air since returning home at approximately 3:30pm. I am concerned he may drown and have installed a bubbler to hopefully prevent this from happening.
Could the inability to rise to the surface and the unusual spinning when swimming be a cause of an impacted stomach pucjing against his swim bladder? If so would you recommend an epsom bath or any other methods to help him free his bowls?
Regards Joe

 

Good evening,
I am becoming increasingly alarmed as he has not risen to the surface since around 3:30pm. He has remained at the bottom of the tank on his side and stopped moving pretty much completely. He has rather quickly lost the ability to swim. If he tries to swim he ends up barrel rolling and not making it very far at all. I am aware that betta fish are rather inefficient when breathing with there gills and often breath at the top of the surface as I have seen in the past. Due to his inactive behaviour I haven't seen him rise for air since returning home at approximately 3:30pm. I am concerned he may drown and have installed a bubbler to hopefully prevent this from happening.
Could the inability to rise to the surface and the unusual spinning when swimming be a cause of an impacted stomach pucjing against his swim bladder? If so would you recommend an epsom bath or any other methods to help him free his bowls?
Regards Joe

The best course of action would be to lower the water levels so he can easily go up to breathe or put him in a breeder box or a smaller tank. I’m unsure about the epsom salt baths, let me tag some people who are more knowledgeable

Repolie Fanatic

 

Good morning and thank you for your reply,
I will be changing his diet as instructed by your advice, I am now aware from people's replies and research I have done that I have been using a poor diet.
Many thanks Joe.View attachment 629623
I have just taken this picture of him and was glad to see him not at the top of then tank. However after further inspection he appeared to be struggling to stay at this depth and would slowly drift towards the surface when he stopped using his fins. He is now at the top of the tank again and seems to be pretty much motionless.View attachment 629624

"I have just taken this picture of him and was glad to see him not at the top of the tank. However, after further inspection, he appeared to be struggling to stay at this depth and would slowly drift towards the surface when he stopped using his fins. He is now at the top of the tank again and seems to be pretty much motionless. "

What you said in your update makes me think he may possibly have Swim Bladder disease. My first betta had this as well. Poor thing was bloated and was off-balance when she swam. She was very lethargic and floated near the surface somewhat on her side at times. The disease is associated with floating near the surface or being unable to swim to the surface, or both. Basically something has caused a problem with their labyrinth organ which allows the fish to be able to regulate its own buoyancy. In your case, its would most likely be diet. But it can also be caused by shock, parasites, and bacterial infections among other things (non of which seem to apply here). Treatment wise I was very successful by fasting and feeding my girl small pieces of thawed skinned peas. I have heard daphnia does a good job too. There are additional things you can do such as slightly raising the temp of your tank. anything to move the food through the GI tract. If this is what is wrong with your betta It is pretty easy to treat and has a low mortality rate if treated. In the future, it seems like you have already gotten really great advice on diet. Best of luck

 

Good evening,
I am becoming increasingly alarmed as he has not risen to the surface since around 3:30pm. He has remained at the bottom of the tank on his side and stopped moving pretty much completely. He has rather quickly lost the ability to swim. If he tries to swim he ends up barrel rolling and not making it very far at all. I am aware that betta fish are rather inefficient when breathing with there gills and often breath at the top of the surface as I have seen in the past. Due to his inactive behaviour I haven't seen him rise for air since returning home at approximately 3:30pm. I am concerned he may drown and have installed a bubbler to hopefully prevent this from happening.
Could the inability to rise to the surface and the unusual spinning when swimming be a cause of an impacted stomach pucjing against his swim bladder? If so would you recommend an epsom bath or any other methods to help him free his bowls?
Regards Joe

This certainly sounds like a swim bladder disease. I would try fasting and giving him small pieces of peas((thawed and skinned) and slightly raising the temperature first. And making sure he is able to get to the surface. Lowering the water level is a good suggestion. If you want to try an Epsom bath here is my understanding of the process. Know that I have only done research on it in preparation to help one of the friends bettas I have never done it as of now.

1. create a bin of Epsom salt solution (check to make sure what you are using is pure)
- Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt for every 1 gallon of water.
2. make a bin of freshwater
3. gather 3 container
- one to transport your betta out of its tank
- one to fill with the salt solution
- and one for freshwater
4 transport betta into the salt container and leave him in there for 10 minutes, you propaly don't want to leave him in there for much longer than that _ DO NOT leave them unattended salt dips do pose risks to the betta and if he does not react well you need to put him in the freahs water container.
5 after 10 minutes slowly reacclimate your betta out of the salt solution. do this by pouring of some of the saltwater and replacing it with fresh. do this until it almost all freshwater.

- there are really good tutorials online too

 

This certainly sounds like a swim bladder disease. I would try fasting and giving him small pieces of peas((thawed and skinned) and slightly raising the temperature first. And making sure he is able to get to the surface. Lowering the water level is a good suggestion. If you want to try an Epsom bath here is my understanding of the process. Know that I have only done research on it in preparation to help one of the friends bettas I have never done it as of now.

1. create a bin of Epsom salt solution (check to make sure what you are using is pure)
- Add 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt for every 1 gallon of water.
2. make a bin of freshwater
3. gather 3 container
- one to transport your betta out of its tank
- one to fill with the salt solution
- and one for freshwater
4 transport betta into the salt container and leave him in there for 10 minutes, you propaly don't want to leave him in there for much longer than that _ DO NOT leave them unattended salt dips do pose risks to the betta and if he does not react well you need to put him in the freahs water container.
5 after 10 minutes slowly reacclimate your betta out of the salt solution. do this by pouring of some of the saltwater and replacing it with fresh. do this until it almost all freshwater.

- there are really good tutorials online too

Bettas typically won't eat peas. They're carnivores. If the betta doesn't eat the pea stuff, daphnia serves the same purpose.

 

The betta is already being fasted and looks underweight rather than bloated. It is unlikely SBD in this case is caused by bloat.
Epsom salt baths are meant to cure dropsy or bloat by relieving fluid pressure, again, I'm not sure if they would do much in this case.

Anyhow I would lower the water level to make it easier for him to reach the surface if he wants to. 4-5 inches of water should be plenty though take care to keep the temperature stable.
Do a water change of about 30-40% to give him some fresh water and try dosing with something like general cure. I saw in the middle photo of a post with three pictures in the previous page something that looked like white outlines/dusting on the rI'm of his scales. It is not visible in the other pictures. Is this a trick of the light or does he have very fine white spotting on his body?

 

Evening all,
I am devastated to inform you that unfortunately Blue (the betta) has passed away. I am still unsure of the exact reason for death but can quite safely say that my poor and inexperienced choice of diet may have been the culprit. I am gutted by his death and have learned a valuable lesson not to follow the first thing I see on the Internet, but to see everyone's opinions and ideas before deciding on a conclusive nutritional diet. I would like to sincerely thank you all for your amazing support, help and advice. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to a complete forum newbie. Thank you again, I'm sure I'll see you soon for more advice and opinions.
Many thanks Joe.
RIP-Blue

(picture from a month ago)

 

Evening all,
I am devastated to inform you that unfortunately Blue (the betta) has passed away. I am still unsure of the exact reason for death but can quite safely say that my poor and inexperienced choice of diet may have been the culprit. I am gutted by his death and have learned a valuable lesson not to follow the first thing I see on the Internet, but to see everyone's opinions and ideas before deciding on a conclusive nutritional diet. I would like to sincerely thank you all for your amazing support, help and advice. Everyone has been so kind and welcoming to a complete forum newbie. Thank you again, I'm sure I'll see you soon for more advice and opinions.
Many thanks Joe.
RIP-BlueView attachment 629811
(picture from a month ago)

Very very sorry to hear about blues death. He was a very handsome boy. <3

 

Very very sorry to hear about blues death. He was a very handsome boy. <3

He sure was, thank you ❤️

 

I am so so sorry. You clearly loved him. He is in my thought rest easy Blue.

 

My condolences also. We all screw up a few times, especially in the beginning, so don't feel too bad.