Old Betta Slowing Down: Is This Normal?

My betta has been really slowing down over the past few weeks. I'm not sure if anything is wrong since he is in good body condition, so I think he just might be getting towards the end of his life. He's between 3-4 years old. He's been acting very tired lately; he still loves food, but he is reluctant to move much. He's also not processing food as quickly as he used to; I have to feed him slightly less or he gets a little bloated.

He spends a lot of time at the bottom of the tank, especially to sleep, which is a little odd for him. He used to be almost exclusively at the top. He's not hiding, he just wedges himself in a silicon plant decoration. He has a floating log that he lays in during the day, but he seems to want to sleep in that decoration for some reason. He's been sleeping more than usual, and doesn't surface to breathe as often.

What did your betta act like when it was very old? Did it sleep a lot in its final days? Did you do anything special to make it more comfortable?

 

I’m sorry to say it but I think your bettas time is near, to make him comfortable maybe turn down the flow on your filter if you have one.

 

So sorry about your betta senior citizen!!!!

Four years is a very good run, especially these days.

If you can do so, maybe lowering the water level so that he doesn't need to swim as far to the surface to get air might help some. He likes the plant probably because it feels safe. The older they get, the more they like to sleep, and sleep in places where they are surrounded by something to make them feel safe. Mine would squeeze onto a silk plant that had a lot of leaves close to each other.

And he really doesn't need nearly as much food as he used to; I think 2 pellets a day (something like that) would give him the nutrition that he still needs.

 

Yeah, I think his time is near as well. I mean, 4 years is A LOT for a betta so great job with that. Try to get him a few more hiding places and turn your filter flow lower.

 

As of today, no change in behavior; sleepy, but still loves food. I can’t turn down the filter, but I did lower the water level a bit. He already has tons of hiding places, so I don’t think I can add any more decorations without hindering his ability to swim.

He did tear his dorsal fin a few days ago. It doesn’t seem to be infected, but his fins don’t heal completely anymore.

 

A month later, and my guy is still hanging on. I think the main reason he's lethargic is that he is very thin, and I hadn't noticed how bad it was until recently. He is a very dark betta, so it's hard to actually see him. I think old age is making any weight pour off him, it's been difficult getting him to gain anything. I feed him 3 times a day, but I definitely need to feed him more often because he just can't keep weight on. Pellets seem to help him gain weight the most.

I have a timed feeder that I'll set up to drop food several times in between feedings. Hopefully that works. I feel awful; he's just so thin!

 

So sorry WrenFeenix!

I hope that he starts eating/gaining weight! It's just so hard to get them to eat, and eat well, when they don't want to. I have struggled with this issue myself.

Please don't feel bad. You have done really well by him, and I am sure that you have given him a great little life! The fact that he is between 3 and 4 years old is a testament to how well you have cared for him.

 

So sorry WrenFeenix!

I hope that he starts eating/gaining weight! It's just so hard to get them to eat, and eat well, when they don't want to. I have struggled with this issue myself.

Please don't feel bad. You have done really well by him, and I am sure that you have given him a great little life! The fact that he is between 3 and 4 years old is a testament to how well you have cared for him.

Thank you for your kind words. I know taking care of him is going to be progressively more difficult because of his age, but I can't help but feel bad that he's in this state.

A month ago, he wasn't nearly this thin, but I think he was starting to lose weight, and he's been progressively loosing weight and getting more lethargic since then. Thankfully, he's still willing to eat. I'm going to give him smaller pellets so he can eat more of them at once. Hopefully I can put some meat back on him.

 

If you can, try soaking his pellets in garlic juice (if you haven't already tried that) and see if he will eat them. The garlic juice is an immune booster and is used for fish who are picky eaters. If he will eat the pellets soaked in garlic juice, it may improve both his appetite and over all health.

Grocery stores sell chopped garlic in bottles, and the juice that it soaks in will be packed with vitamins and nutrients. There is also a product called Garlic Guard, but no use buying that if you can get the chopped garlic, which may be cheaper and easier to find!

 

If you can, try soaking his pellets in garlic juice (if you haven't already tried that) and see if he will eat them. The garlic juice is an immune booster and is used for fish who are picky eaters. If he will eat the pellets soaked in garlic juice, it may improve both his appetite and over all health.

Grocery stores sell chopped garlic in bottles, and the juice that it soaks in will be packed with vitamins and nutrients. There is also a product called Garlic Guard, but no use buying that if you can get the chopped garlic, which may be cheaper and easier to find!

I have whole garlic cloves. Could I puree them and marinate the pellets in that?

I'm also giving him NLS Thera A pellets, and he seems considerably more attracted to them than his normal pellets.

 

I have whole garlic cloves. Could I puree them and marinate the pellets in that?

I'm also giving him NLS Thera A pellets, and he seems considerably more attracted to them than his normal pellets.

Yes.
I'm suprised a betta can even live that long...usually its only 2-3 years, let alone almost 4 and a half! Enjoy your time with him!

 

Yes, I think you can try pureeing the garlic cloves and soaking the pellets in that. Hopefully it will get his appetitie going!

 

We have a senior betta the same age and he is acting exactly like yours. A petco betta that i assume is 3 1/2 now but we have owned him over 2 1/2 and he was done growing. Other than nursing him to health initially, he has been a healthy, active boy and has been slowing down gradually the last 3-4 months. He still gets active for food like clockwork in the evenings but the rest of the time is sleeping somewhere secure and usually low whereas in his youth he was out and visible most of the time. His colors are more muted now as happens in old age but still better than when we bought him. A couple times I thought he was dead but nope just sleeping. I really like the little guy. Sorry about your old dude.

 

Well, I think this is it. Talos has refused to eat anything at all today. He didn't eat much yesterday. Even putting his favorite food, brine shrimp, right in front of his face doesn't work. I've tried so many times throughout the day. He's just laying on his side, looking absolutely miserable.

I have clove oil, should I euthanize him? He's never done anything like this before.

 

That's a hard thing for me to recommend to someone. I can tell you that I euthanize when they don't move, can't breathe well, and have trouble moving around.

At that point, it is more humane to let them go, then to allow them to struggle on for days in that condition.

I am so, so sorry!!!!

 

I didn’t see your reply until this morning, but I euthanized him last night. He had been lying on the bottom of the tank hyperventilating for hours, looking even more miserable. I didn’t think he had the strength to swim anymore, and he still refused food.
I’m going to get a potted plant to bury him in.

Thank you all for your support. This was rough, but his time had definitely come, so I think I made the right decision.

 

I think you did the right thing, too. So sorry for your loss, and that you had to go through that! You gave him a really good, long life!!!

SIP, Talos, you beautiful boy!!!!

 

I don't want to commandeer someone else's thread but I didn't want to start a new one about the same thing.

I think the end is near for Milo. I found him in the fall of 2020 on Reddit r/Aquaswap as he'd starting killing the very expensive shrimp in his previous care-taker's tank. I assumed he was a year when I got him and that'd make him about 2 now. But the fins are looking quite ragged and he's no longer explores his tank. I rearranged his tank (6 gallon cube) thinking he'd explore a bit more but he hasn't. Still has a voracious appetite. He misses 3 lunges out of 4 trying to get his food, but he eventually gets it or finds it on the bottom. So I turned the filter down to a trickle and put 4 super soft betta hammocks around the tank. He ignores them and leans on the floating log. Ah well.

Thanks for reading/listening. I'm not sad, but I do miss the little guy that seemed like he was constantly hunting for a piece of food that fell under something - and always so curious about what was happening in the room outside the tank.

The week I got Milo in 2020:



A few weeks ago - fins are ragged and the light blue in his scales is now mostly white:



Today Just there "on" his log, all day. :-(
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