Save my betta!!

HI Everyone...

I've recently rescued my betta from freezing in 'winter water' and have put him in with my tropical fish. The betta is loving the warmer water but I have an aggressive clown loach who loves chasing him and biting his fins. I tried removing the clown loach because he is the aggressor- but he sulked and looked liked he was going to die (despite the fact that the moment I let him go he was fine... bbbiiggg wimp) but now I'm not sure what to do with the fighter!!! ???
I have a 10 gallon tank with 5 neons and 2 loaches and now the betta.

PLEASE HELP!!! I'm new to keeping fish!! (isn't it obvious??? :-\)

Emily.

 

I would say the best solution is to get a 5 gallon for the Betta by himself or with a snail or a couple of very peaceable little Otocinclus catfish. That is the best, now let's see what else is possible. Loaches and Bettas are not a happy mix. So I guess if there is someone who has an idea about keeping them in the same tank, let us know. I spent some time here researching and just cannot come up with a happy solution to the same tank question. but I have not owned Loaches before and there may be a trick to them that I am not aware of. In the mean time (I cannot believe I am going to say this) is there any type of temporary quarters you can put the Betta into? He will be fine alone and probably prefer it to being bullied. The only thing is that eventually he will need to be in a tank with full set-up (filter and heater). He can probably live in something smaller for a SHORT period of time without a proper hook-up but be aware that this means much more frequent maintenance and since there would be no filter probably, ammonia WILL build up no matter what. This means you need to test for the Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate levels in the water probably twice a day in a small tank or container (the smaller you go the more fragile the situation becomes) without a filter and do water changes with TREATED water on a very frequent basis. You do not need to worry about disturbing the Nitrogen cycle because without a filter there is no Nitrogen Cycle. Just testing and water changes - frequently.

I am happy to have met you. Wish it was under better circumstances. Welcome to Fishlore.com. We will try our best to help you and see your little guy safe and happy.

Rose

 

If you don't want to get another tank for your betta you could get rid of the clown loaches b/c they will get 12in in size and your tank is over stocked because of them

 

Yeah the clown loaches will get way too big for a 10g. Clown Loaches and Neons are too nippy to really be compatible with Bettas.

 

neons are nippy?!??? That's news to me sorry just commenting I did not no that I always thought they were gentle fish

 

Thanks for replying everyone! I have the fighter in a separate tank until I can get another tank for him!!
Till next time,

Emily.

 

I would still definitely remove the clown loaches as they do get big and will max out your tank as well as when stressed, are more susceptible to disease and being in a tank too small will definitely do that! If you like their colors, get a few Panda Cories instead, fun to watchm great scavengers, fun little fish! Good luck with the Betta, Petco still has the 5 gallon hex on sale for 29.99!!!!!

 

neons are nippy?!??? That's news to me sorry just commenting I did not no that I always thought they were gentle fish

Most of the tetras are. That's not to say that tetras are not gentle...just they are active little fish and would find a betta's fins hard to resist. Bettas are so slow-moving (at least compared to other fish) they become easy targets.

 

oic just a random thought about it I would think that would make the betta made and he would return the favor...like take a scale or something like that

random thought

 

It is important to remember that the Betta is not really a good candidate for a community tank because of the difficulty in finding good tank mates for him/her. The list of problem tank mates is quite long and those who are truly good tank mates rather short. Just like the Bettas are not used to having ANY other fish around, the other fish are not used to having the long fins of the Bettas in there tempting them to see if they are "real". Even some little peaceful fish cannot help but nip. I would make it a rule at my house not to put Neons in with my Bettas.

Rose

 

Probably the best rule of thumb about keeping bettas is males are loners don't put them with anyone else it won't work generally.  Females are ok with other females but like chikadee said very few other fish.  just a thought

 

Well, some fish will work fine...Cories and Otos are the best bet. It is my personal opinion that in the long term they might actually appreciate the company, or at least be glad not to be totally isolated. That's not to say that keeping Bettas alone is bad...they are perfectly happy living alone as long as you fuss over them plenty. Just you can't keep them with anything that may be even tempted to nip them, or may be tempting for the Betta to nip. Not a lot of fish that fit there. The only problem I see with small catfish is that Bettas are generally kept in 5 or maybe 10 gallon tanks...a group of Cories may overstock that small of a tank, and it is hard to keep the nitrates down in a tank of that size, which will not make Otos too happy. So in some cases it may be best to leave the Betta alone.

 

If you have a Betta in a 5 gallon tank you can have a couple of Otos or a Mystery Snail in with him. I would not put the usual fish people think of adding to a community tank in there as they either: 1) nip the bettas fins or 2) are too much like a betta with long fins or related to the betta so causes the betta to become aggressive.

Rose

 

Three days ago, my betta fish accidentally swallowed a piece of food that was yellow and coloration and the size of a small pebble. I was surprised to find this mixed in with his flakes, but I could not stop my fish from swallowing it.

I monitored my betta for the rest of the day to make sure he did not develop swim bladder disorder or get constipated. He showed no symptoms and happily ate his food yesterday and today.

This evening, I was horrified to see my betta fish floating on his side at the top of his tank. He was not moving, and I thought he was dead. I removed the tank lid to see my fish more clearly, and he sprung back to life.

My fish is now having trouble swimming. He keeps rolling onto his side, and I am afraid to leave him unsupervised. I cannot be near his tank 24/7, though, because I have to work. What should I do to save my fish's life? I plan to fast him for two or three days, but I am afraid he will die. How can I help my betta while he is fasting? I have treated his water for ammonia, but I cannot move him to a "sick tank" because I lack one and fear a move could stress him to death...

Thank you for your advice and for taking the time to read this post.

 

Ammonia?
Nitrites?
Nitrates?
Cycled?
Temp?
Tank size?
Tankmates?

 

This is his tank. He does not share it with any other fish.

 

What size tank is that?

 

I'd say temp is "room." I treated his tank a few minutes ago with this:

His tank is 18 cm. tall and 21 cm wide. It's the only tank I have. It has a filter.

 

I’m sorry to burst you’re bubble, but that tank isn’t capable of housing a betta.

My recommendations is getting a larger 5g+ tank and a heater to get to 78-80 degrees.
A 25-50 watt heater is enough to do the job.

The water conditioner just takes out the chlorine and chloramine so it won’t really help in healing your betta unless you are doing WCs.

 

It's all I have. I cannot get anything else. He has been completely fine up to this point, and my sister's betta is thriving. It lives in the exact same conditions.

 

I'd say temp is "room." I treated his tank a few minutes ago with this:

That's only conditioner that you use for new tank water to take out chlorine. It's not a medicine or anything and really is only used when doing a water change.
And yes, the tank is unfortunately too small. Did you cycle the tank and how often do you change the water? Also how many flakes do you feed?

It's all I have. I cannot get anything else. He has been completely fine up to this point, and my sister's betta is thriving. It lives in the exact same conditions.

Are you sure you can't upgrade to even a 2.5 gallon? Those are really small anyway and shouldn't take much more space.

 

The product says right on the label it removes ammonia. Anyways, the betta's tank gets changed every Sunday. He gets a few small flakes; I am never sure what to give him precisely because I cannot find it quantified on the internet -- only blood worms and pellets...

 

For feeding, about the size of the eye I saw enough for 1 day.

I would say up to 8-10 flakes daily with 4-5 fed in the morning and 4-5 fed before you go to sleep.

 

I cannot upgrade to a new tank. My parents are my main obstacle, stupid as that may sound.

All this tank stuff aside, what can I do for him now to help him? I can't go to sleep knowing he is dying on his side all night.

 

Do you have a picture of him specifically?

 

Peas can clear the digestive system.
Soak the peas in garlic juice.
Deshell them and make them the size of the betta’s mouth.


Forgot to mention this, but do it after a 3 day fasting period.

 

I don't have any peas Here he is

 

Any frozen peas?

 

He swims around erratically then just stops, rolls over, and goes still like he could die at any moment. Rinse and repeat.

Nope. No peas whatsoever

The lighting in the photo is bad; the lid of his tank has a light on it. I had to get the lid off to get a decent pic

 

Then just fast for 3 days.
If you can’t get peas, try to feed less food than you normally do.

 

He keeps "playing dead," though. I'm scared to leave him that way...

More reference photos

Update: I have cleaned my betta's tank as thoroughly as I could in hopes of getting rid of excess filth. I hope he heals on his own and does not get worse. I will try to give him a bit of pea after he has fasted for a few days, given I can get some. I'm so scared to leave my fish unsupervised, but I need some sleep...

 

One important question that hasn't been asked... How old is your beta?

 

Three days ago, my betta fish accidentally swallowed a piece of food that was yellow and coloration and the size of a small pebble. I was surprised to find this mixed in with his flakes, but I could not stop my fish from swallowing it.

I monitored my betta for the rest of the day to make sure he did not develop swim bladder disorder or get constipated. He showed no symptoms and happily ate his food yesterday and today.

This evening, I was horrified to see my betta fish floating on his side at the top of his tank. He was not moving, and I thought he was dead. I removed the tank lid to see my fish more clearly, and he sprung back to life.

My fish is now having trouble swimming. He keeps rolling onto his side, and I am afraid to leave him unsupervised. I cannot be near his tank 24/7, though, because I have to work. What should I do to save my fish's life? I plan to fast him for two or three days, but I am afraid he will die. How can I help my betta while he is fasting? I have treated his water for ammonia, but I cannot move him to a "sick tank" because I lack one and fear a move could stress him to death...

Thank you for your advice and for taking the time to read this post.

Does he have a swollen belly? A few days fast or even a week is nothing.

 

Does he have a swollen belly? A few days fast or even a week is nothing.

Fish can go several days without food. Also, there's only true cure for swim bladder, if that's truly your beta's problem, and that's peas. Fast for 3 or 4 days. Soak the peas in garlic oil, peel the pea and then make it bite sized for the beta. Repeat daily until he/she perks up.

If that doesn't work, you most likely have a different issue. Water quality is of massive importance. Change 25-50% (no more, no less) of the water once a week. Make sure you use that API stuff to dechlorinate the new water before pouring it into the tank. Clean half the gravel one month and the other half the following month and repeat monthly. Make sure to scrub the sides of the tank with an algae scraper and sponge at the same time. Not a household sponge, but an aquarium safe one (available at Petco, PetSmart, LFS, Amazon, etc.)

After the pea feeding, do a 50% water change and see how the betta does after a couple of days. A small amount of aquarium salt helps with fish health as well.

I hope he makes it and gets better. None of us like losing our finned friends.

P.S. What type of filter does the tank have? If it's a sponge you need to squeeze it once a month or so in a bucket of water from the aquarium. This ensures heterotrophic bacteria don't buildup in the sponge. If it's a HOB, you do need to clean it, again with water from the tank, once in a while. If it has a filter cartridge, per it's instructions, it needs to be replaced once a month or however often the manual states. Make you sure do this in between gravel cleanings and not at the same time.

 

I don't know how old my betta is. I've had him for about two months. He does not seem to have a swollen belly. He has fasted for two days. I gave him two pellets last night, and he ate them. What's concerning me now is he refuses to leave the surface of his tank. He always stays in the top, right corner. He will come over to see me every once and a while, but he often sits there motionless. I'm so scared. My family refuses to help me improve things, and I am not allowed to go against them for a fish's sake. My betta fish's living conditions are the same as my sister's, which is thriving and older than mine. What can/should I do? I'm feeling like such a terrible, powerless person. I don't want my fish to die when I could do something to help him. His conditions are what they are and cannot be changed. I've already tried, but my parents won't let me buy a heater or larger tank.

 

I can't help you much, but I will say this:

If your parents refuse to take proper care of the fish, then when or if this guy passes away, I would NOT get another fish until your old enough to buy the proper supplies yourself.

Until then, you will have to work with what you have. Do frequent water changes, be careful not to over feed, and *if possible* try to add a live plant. Something very simple and cheap is "Pothos". It is a vine sold as a potted plant. You can take a cutting and put just the roots (or bottom part of the cutting) in the tank. It will grow water roots and can help keep the ammonia down.

I think your doing all you can given your situation. We all started somewhere and when I was young we didn't have the internet so I didn't even know I was hurting my fish. Your trying your best and you care. Do what you can and, like I said, just don't get another fish until your able to properly provide for it.

Your sister's fish may be hardier, or she may just be lucky. Or it could be suffering internally and not showing signs. In any case it's not that your 'bad' at this. It's just you can't control the situation, and that is OK. One day you will be able to and then you can fully enjoy your pet fish.

 

I cannot upgrade to a new tank. My parents are my main obstacle, stupid as that may sound.

All this tank stuff aside, what can I do for him now to help him? I can't go to sleep knowing he is dying on his side all night.

I would find someone to give the betta to who can properly care for it. Not providing a heater for a fish that needs warmer water is just neglect. You could have bought a heater for $20-25.

Rehome the fish if it actually survives which it doesn’t sound like it will. Keeping them in lower temps compromises their immune system and makes them more susceptible to disease. They are hardy fish but they can’t overcome poor living conditions so I think it’s safe to say the fish wasn’t “fine”.

 

I fed Gill a tiny bit of pea last night. He ventures a little closer to the other side of his tank now, but he stays close to the surface still and seems afraid to approach his filter (he backs up when he starts to get close). I don't know why this is the case; the filter isn't any stronger than it was before I cleaned his tank and he started acting strangely.

I am also looking into getting Gill a heater. Do you know of any inexpensive, small ones I could purchase? All I can find is one at Walmart for $24.00...

I am doing everything I can for this fish and am starting to take a stand purchasing what I must to meet his needs.

How long should I wait before feeding Gill more pea? When should I start feeding him his regular food again? Once I get to that point, what combination should I use? Gill hasn't had anything but pea in about 12 hours.

 

With how small your tank is, I am not sure they even make a heater small enough that wouldn't 'cook' your fish. Maybe someone else knows of a tiny heater, but I just don't.

Leave him a day and then feed him some quality pellets, if you can. I hope your parents won't mind buying a container of good food. Omega One Betta Buffet is a decent brand. You and your sister could share the food between the fish. Only about 2 pellets per feeding, twice a day.

 

I'm gonna see if I can get him a bigger tank, too. I earn my own money, so my parents will have to just grin and bear it. That said, the heater is a slightly higher priority for me. The one I saw at Walmart was about as long as a pen. I don't want to cook my fish either; assuming he is getting this stuff, what should I do to help him in the meantime (till it ships)? How do I acclimate my fish once the stuff arrives, hypothetically?

Would a 2.5 gallon tank be ok? The cheaper things are, the more likely I can get them.

Could someone please answer my pea question?