Partially blind betta - now too scared to eat!

Hello, can someone please help me.

I have a female Betta fish in a 30L tank that has been running for over a year, it has a filter (not fast currents), is well oxygenated and a heater (tank temp is 25 Celsius). Water parameters are all in range; no Ammonia or Nitrates.


4 days ago she just suddenly stopped eating and just hides 24 hours a day by lying on the bottom of the tank. She hasn't eaten for 4 days in a row now, she used to be up every morning for food and now I don't see her at all. She has never not eaten before, ever since day 1 she has had a huge appetite and would always be waiting for food in the morning, now I never see her. She always lays on the bottom of the tank in a hiding spot and darts away super fast if she is disturbed.
Physically I see nothing wrong with her, she is still bright and colorful, no signs of bloating no signs of any fungus/bacteria/spots etc. When she rests on the bottom she always has her tail splayed out, not clamped together.

I have Neon Tetras, Shrimp and snails in the tank with her, all of them are acting completely normal, happy and healthy.

I have tried feeding her some frozen food heated up and a pea soaked in garlic, she won't touch any of it. She just swims away or sits on top of the food and shows no interest in it at all.
Last night I added a General Tonic to the tank, it fights against diseases, bacteria and fungus infections, just because I was thinking if there was anything like that it would help and give her a boost, this morning there is still no change to her.


There has been no abnormal water changes, have not moved anything in the tank, nothing banged on the tank, no water temperature changes, no chemical changes (I use Prime for my water conditioner), I'm really at a loss and very worried.
The only change I can really think of is that fall recently hit us and the weather outside has been really bad, idk if a humidity change could be the cause? It sounds stupid to even think that but honestly I have no idea what else it would be and I am worried sick.

Anyone have any solutions about what I can do? I'm so worried for her.

EDIT: I forgot to add that I think she is also partially blind or blind in one eye. So she does struggle to see food on the surface sometimes, but it's rarely an issue.

 

Nothing obvious springs to mind. Is she an old betta? Has the temperature dropped? Hope she gets back to normal, does sound like maybe an internal parasite or somthing.

 

Nothing obvious springs to mind. Is she an old betta? Has the temperature dropped? Hope she gets back to normal, does sound like maybe an internal parasite or somthing.

Thanks for your reply.

I am not exactly how old she is, I got her around this time last year, she has changed colour a lot since I got her which made me think she was young when I got her. (She went from a Koi type pattern to Black with Blue/Red)

I haven't seen the temperature drop and I am currently home, so have been checking on her nearly every hour, but it's been a stable at 25 celcius.


How would I know if she has internal parasites? She isn't bloated and I haven't seen any worms in her poop. I don't feed her live, I added a Assassin Snail about 2-3 months ago, could he had been carrying some parasites?

 

Hmmm in no expert on fish illnesses, the betta may not have one but the behaviour suggests an issue. White stringy poop is a sign too but I'm guessing if she's not eaten there is none?

I only asked about the temp as you said the weather conditions had changed but if its stable at 25 and that's normal for the tank then no worry there.

 

Hmmm in no expert on fish illnesses, the betta may not have one but the behaviour suggests an issue. White stringy poop is a sign too but I'm guessing if she's not eaten there is none?

I only asked about the temp as you said the weather conditions had changed but if its stable at 25 and that's normal for the tank then no worry there.

Thanks for the suggestion, it's helpful to consider everything.
I haven't seen her pop since she started acting like this, but before she got sick I think the day before, I saw her poop but didn't see any white stringy things and also nothing in the tank.
I'm not sure whether to try treat her for internal parasites just to be sure, although that would also mean having to isolate her as I have snails and shrimp in my tank, not sure whether that would stress her too much.


I understand, thank you. I will continue to keep an eye on it.

 

Fingers crossed your betta recovers to her normal self. I hate the stress of a poorly fish.

There are some betta gurus here so with a bit odd luck you can get some help. If the fish hasnt eaten for 4 days then I would be inclined to consider quarantine and treatment too.

 

Fingers crossed your betta recovers to her normal self. I hate the stress of a poorly fish.

There are some betta gurus here so with a bit odd luck you can get some help. If the fish hasnt eaten for 4 days then I would be inclined to consider quarantine and treatment too.

Thank you. I hate it too, stresses me more than with a cat/dog, you can take those to a vet, can't really do that with a fish.

Hopefully can find the solution to help her.
Will heavily consider quarantine and parasite treatment asap, not exactly sure where I will quarantine her, but will figure that out.

 

UPDATE: I noticed her swimming about a bit this afternoon, being a bit more active. But literally as soon as I moved in my chair she freaked out and went back to hiding. I added a bit of food into the tank quietly and went back to my seat again, but she didn't come out and the neons just ate the food. :/
I did make sure there was food only she will eat but she doesn't really want that either right now.

 

The first thing I reach for if I see anything off in any of my tanks is the water changing equipment. How often do you do water changes? How much do you change each time?

 

The first thing I reach for if I see anything off in any of my tanks is the water changing equipment. How often do you do water changes? How much do you change each time?

Thank you for responding.

I do about a 10-15% water change one time a week, unless I have a ammonia/nitrate spike and then I do 10% water changes every couple days until I see the numbers go down. I haven't needed to do that for a few months.
I also always mix my water in a huge bottle and stand it overnight before adding it tot he the tank.

 

I would start changing more than 10-15% each week. Although the nitrates may be low there are thing we don't normally test for building up in our tanks. Over time they start getting up to dangerous levels. It may have reached that point for your little girl.

Having this many fish in a 30l (8 gallon) tank and only changing out 10-15% of the water each week for over a year I have to think those things have reached a dangerous level We don't want to do anything drastic since your fish have very gradually gotten used to this water but we do need to get those levels down. I am going to recommend you gradually build up to changing out no less than 50% of the water each week. I do recommend this well above adding any kind of medications. Quite often fresh clean water is all that is needed.

To do it safely change out 15% of the water today. Tomorrow change out 20%, the following day 25%. Continue increasing the number each day by 5% until you are up to changing out 50%. Once done go back to you weekly water changes but stick with the 50%. If you are adding a water conditioner to the water there is no need to let the water age. Water conditioners make the water safe to use almost immediately.

Hopefully during this time your little girl will get back to her normal healthy self. I am also hoping this will prevent future spikes in ammonia and nitrites. You should never see either in a cycled tank. Along with not changing out enough water I have to wonder if this tank is under filtered. An under filtered tank isn't pulling the ammonia the fish are producing fast enough to keep it down to zero.

 

I would start changing more than 10-15% each week. Although the nitrates may be low there are thing we don't normally test for building up in our tanks. Over time they start getting up to dangerous levels. It may have reached that point for your little girl.

Having this many fish in a 30l (8 gallon) tank and only changing out 10-15% of the water each week for over a year I have to think those things have reached a dangerous level We don't want to do anything drastic since your fish have very gradually gotten used to this water but we do need to get those levels down. I am going to recommend you gradually build up to changing out no less than 50% of the water each week. I do recommend this well above adding any kind of medications. Quite often fresh clean water is all that is needed.

To do it safely change out 15% of the water today. Tomorrow change out 20%, the following day 25%. Continue increasing the number each day by 5% until you are up to changing out 50%. Once done go back to you weekly water changes but stick with the 50%. If you are adding a water conditioner to the water there is no need to let the water age. Water conditioners make the water safe to use almost immediately.

Hopefully during this time your little girl will get back to her normal healthy self. I am also hoping this will prevent future spikes in ammonia and nitrites. You should never see either in a cycled tank. Along with not changing out enough water I have to wonder if this tank is under filtered. An under filtered tank isn't pulling the ammonia the fish are producing fast enough to keep it down to zero.

The think is that I have Shrimp in my tank, and I was told to only do small changes. Is that safe for the shrimp?
About 2/3 months back I was doing daily water changes for about 2 weeks because I had a HUGE snail issue which was causing daily spikes in my water parameters. So the water has been changed by other 50% in the last few months.
I did do a water change the morning she didn't eat, and also both yesterday and today because of adding the Tonic.

I only really leave water over night because of temperature changes. Our tap water comes out pretty cold.

I haven't seen any spikes in Ammonia or Nitrites since the great snail infestation, since and before that everything was completely stable. I am very careful with how much I feed my fish/snails too. I use the API liquid test almost bi monthly.
I am also running 2 filters in my tank, one near the top and one that is submerged half way down the tank and pushes water out the top. I clean the sponges in the old tank water monthly and change out the activated charcoal stuff at the same time.

I hope that helps?

 

I have found cherry shrimp are pretty tough. I change out 50% of the water in their bowl each week. I do drip the fresh water back in instead of pouring it in but if you pour it slowly the bigger water changes shouldn't affect the shrimp 'specially if you build up to the 50%.

When we have both shrimp and fish in the same tank we have to do things a bit different than we would if it was just shrimp. The fish need the fresh clean water.

I only really leave water over night because of temperature changes. Our tap water comes out pretty cold.

In that case can you not just temp match the water at the tap? Some folks are concerned about using water from a water heater but I can't see it being any kind of problem. I and many folks here have done it for years and have never experienced problems doing so.

I am also running 2 filters in my tank, one near the top and one that is submerged half way down the tank and pushes water out the top.

You filtration does sound sufficient. The way it was written it sounded like seeing ammonia/nitrites was an ongoing issue. It sounds like it just happened during an overload of snails

I still recommend you build up to 50% weekly water changes. Once you have gotten up to changing 50% of the water weekly the parameters of your tap water and tank water should be very close to the same and should not affect your shrimp. The fresh water will help your fish.

The main reason for smaller water changes for shrimp is to prevent parameter swings. Once your tank water and tap water are close to the same that won't be an issue.

 

Have you ever seen the neons bullying your betta? Neon tetras are known to be fin nippers, and if they are bullying her, that would explain her hiding and not wanting to eat due to the stress. I don't know why they would suddenly start after so long, but I guess it could happen.

Just a thought....

 

I have found cherry shrimp are pretty tough. I change out 50% of the water in their bowl each week. I do drip the fresh water back in instead of pouring it in but if you pour it slowly the bigger water changes shouldn't affect the shrimp 'specially if you build up to the 50%.

When we have both shrimp and fish in the same tank we have to do things a bit different than we would if it was just shrimp. The fish need the fresh clean water.

In that case can you not just temp match the water at the tap? Some folks are concerned about using water from a water heater but I can't see it being any kind of problem. I and many folks here have done it for years and have never experienced problems doing so.

You filtration does sound sufficient. The way it was written it sounded like seeing ammonia/nitrites was an ongoing issue. It sounds like it just happened during an overload of snails

I still recommend you build up to 50% weekly water changes. Once you have gotten up to changing 50% of the water weekly the parameters of your tap water and tank water should be very close to the same and should not affect your shrimp. The fresh water will help your fish.

The main reason for smaller water changes for shrimp is to prevent parameter swings. Once your tank water and tap water are close to the same that won't be an issue.

Okay, thanks for letting me know, I will try doing that. I have Amano Shrimp which I was told are slightly hardier.
For the future; I might do it by changing the water (25% each time) in a week just to be extra safe, I am slightly paranoid about my shrimp.

I don't really trust the hot water coming out my taps to be honest, it contains more calcium than the cold water, it comes out cloudy unlike the cold.

Ahh...sorry, my bad. Yeah, it was just the snail overload, I have dealt with that now, haven't seen a spike since.

Thanks so much for your help, will start doing that.
Although since doing those couple of smaller water changes I am still seeing no change in my Betta at all. If anything shes hiding more.

Have you ever seen the neons bullying your betta? Neon tetras are known to be fin nippers, and if they are bullying her, that would explain her hiding and not wanting to eat due to the stress. I don't know why they would suddenly start after so long, but I guess it could happen.

Just a thought....

The Neons have always left her alone, for the first few months she would chase the Neons alone and they don't bother with each-other. They eat together happily too usually.

 

UPDATE: I isolated her yesterday evening as I literally could never find her in my tank to check on her. I decided to use a medication to treat Parasites, Bacterial Infections and Fungus. This morning she still will not eat but she is a lot more active, not perfect but she wasn't just only sitting in the corner.
I saw this morning she has now got what looks like a white lump sticking out of the side of her head (just behind her eye) about the size of a scale, it wasn't there yesterday. I looked online to see what it could possibly be, but there doesn't seem to be any parasites that seem to match what it is. It's possibly a fungus but it looks more solid.
I am also keeping an eye on my other fish for any signs on them, hopefully what she has hasn't been passed onto my Neons.

 

Co

UPDATE: I isolated her yesterday evening as I literally could never find her in my tank to check on her. I decided to use a medication to treat Parasites, Bacterial Infections and Fungus. This morning she still will not eat but she is a lot more active, not perfect but she wasn't just only sitting in the corner.
I saw this morning she has now got what looks like a white lump sticking out of the side of her head (just behind her eye) about the size of a scale, it wasn't there yesterday. I looked online to see what it could possibly be, but there doesn't seem to be any parasites that seem to match what it is. It's possibly a fungus but it looks more solid.
I am also keeping an eye on my other fish for any signs on them, hopefully what she has hasn't been passed onto my Neons.

Could you post a photo?, and maybe see if she would eat something? Bloodworms?

 

Co

Could you post a photo?, and maybe see if she would eat something? Bloodworms?

I did try to get a picture, but I can't seem to get a good one. (The medication made the tank green and cloudy. My camera isn't great too.)

She has never liked frozen food ever (not even when heated), I tried her a few times of different types as a treat but she would never touch any of it. She usually LOVES any pellets or flake food I put in and peas.
I don't feed live food because of my personal belief.
I tried her on a garlic pea again, I also tried her on an algae wafer soaked in garlic (she usually eats or guard them from the other fish in her tank) and have tried her on both the flake and pellet food. She still has no interest in any of it. She just watches all of it float and sink past her face.

 

I managed to get a picture, sorry I have bad camera quality and my Betta is black, this is the best I could get. (She doesn't like the camera, but usually she has her tail and fins open.)

The picture isn't great, but it's on her head, not in/behind her eye.
The white lump doesn't move at all, it appears pretty solid. With my eyes I don't see any openings or swelling around it. It doesn't look infected.

Water is green because of the Anti-Parasites, Bacteria and Fungus.
She is still not eating this morning.

 

She has her interest in food back HOWEVER she spits everything out.
I tried feeding her everything she usually loves (Her pellets, neon pellets, flakes, peas) and soaked in garlic, she just spits everything back out again. But she seems to be looking for food on the surface today.

 

She FINALLY ate today! I was starting to think she would starve herself to death, but she actually ate just now! So relived!

Thanks so much for everyone's help!

 

I posted at the beginning of October about my female Betta (she is half blind) suddenly not eating; after she ate I thought she was going to return too normal eating again. BUT she seems too scared to eat and I don't know what to do.

Tank quick summary:
I have a half blind female Betta fish.
Have owned her over a year.
Water parameters are in rage, tank is cycled, temperature is at a steady 25 celcius, oxygenated.
Before she got sick she always waited for her morning feed and knew when the light came on there was food coming. Now she is terrified.

-She is half blind so finding food is a little tough for her, she doesn't see it unless it is literally put next to her face and I have never seen her eat from the bottom of the tank.
It has been possibly a week since she ate last.

- She is too afraid to come eat. If she sees me she instantly hides. I don't get a chance to drop food in.

- I was trying to feed her every time she came to the surface, but as soon as she sees me or my hand, she freaks out.

- I have a glass lid with a hole in, and dropping food through it usually makes it instantly sink. It is loud to remove, so I have tried feeding her through the tiny holes, but it usually sinks or isn't accurate. I also can't remove it because I have shrimp. She now only comes to the surface extremely quickly and doesn't hang out at the top.

- I have my desk near the tank, so she sees me pretty much all day. But it is as soon as I approach the tank she freaks. I have tried hanging out around the tank for a while, but once she goes into hiding, she will be in there pretty much all day and I might not even see her again.

- I have tried various foods in the past for her, she will ONLY eat her pellet food. I tried soaking it in garlic to get her interested, but it is wasted because she never sees it to eat it.

- When she was sick I isolated her and she had no hides. She was a lot more stressed then and definitely would not eat. I don't think this would help her in this situation.

Can anyone help?