Sick Betta! Please help!

[tessakabraham]

My betta is off colour for two days now. I read somewhere in this forum that it is good to fast a betta once a while, and I did not give it food for a day. Later I noticed that he seemed stressed out, had droopy fins, was not swimming around, and was not flaring properly even when I kept a mirror in front.
He eats, but spits out the food and it crumbles and dissolves in the water.
To destress him, I removed all the decorations in his tank. I have a 2 gallon tank, and I do frequent water changes. I see no visible marks of disease like ripped fins and white spots. I am totally confused, and no amount of internet researching can give me a solution to this.
Please help!
After:

Before:

 

[idk]

Your betta might have clamped fins from the look of it. Does your tank have a filter and heater? Do you know your water parameters? Might be a dumb question but are you doing partial water changes or whole tank water changes?
Too frequent of water changes can stress out your fish so I would try to stick doing it about once a week. Maybe also consider getting a bigger tank so he has a bit more room to move?
Clamped fins can be caused by a number of things like off parameters or parasites but can sometimes be warning signs for ich and other diseases. It could also be something a simple as he is stressed.

 

[Vinh]

Is that the 2 gals tank cycle?what method you do water change?how long he be like that?beta like to be leave alone.Stir thing too much in his tank might cause tress out. Watch your tank water parameter.if ammonia/ nitrite/ nitrate spike too high.,your fish might get tired and die eventually .You should have decent test kit to make sure he live in healthy environment..to me ,2 gals is too small for him to move even thought it might look nice and compact.Have you ever consider 10 gals tank. Petco might still have it for 12$ ...with 10 gals tank.,it is easier for you to set up heater for him than 2 gals bow.He might not need air bump but might need water filter.

 

[SAM321]

what is the age of your Betta.

Have your tried the medication.
Check attached pic

 

[tessakabraham]

Your betta might have clamped fins from the look of it. Does your tank have a filter and heater? Do you know your water parameters? Might be a dumb question but are you doing partial water changes or whole tank water changes?
Too frequent of water changes can stress out your fish so I would try to stick doing it about once a week. Maybe also consider getting a bigger tank so he has a bit more room to move?
Clamped fins can be caused by a number of things like off parameters or parasites but can sometimes be warning signs for ich and other diseases. It could also be something a simple as he is stressed.

Temperature is not a problem as I live in a tropical country. I do partial water changes every other day. And for the past few days, since the betta is sick, I do daily water changes.
Parameters are :
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 1
Nitrate: 22

what is the age of your Betta.

IDK. I have him for a month. I asked someone here and they said that he may be an year old.

Have your tried the medication.
Check attached pic

I am not using medication until I am sure about the problem.

 

[idk]

Temperature is not a problem as I live in a tropical country. I do partial water changes every other day. And for the past few days, since the betta is sick, I do daily water changes.
Parameters are :
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 1
Nitrate: 22

Okay, might sound weird but it sounds like you are over cleaning your tank (I went through this phase with my fist tank too). If you clean your tank too frequently it stresses your fish out generally leading them to create more waste. I can't explain it in great detail but it messes up your tank cycle which might be why your nitrite is so high. The safe level for Nitrite is 0 as it is toxic to fish, but you have a 1. I would do a 50-60% water change and then try and leave it for 2-3 days and then do another one. Gradually try to slow your water changes down until you feel its safe to do 1 every week. Another tip - I would use seachem prime as water conditioner to help you and your betta buddy out a bit. It removes toxic metals like chlorine and chloramine from the water as well as detoxifies ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for 48hours. I know it might be hard to have a filter running on a 2 gallon but I highly recommend getting one to help your water quality a bit more!

 

[aquafrogg]

Hi, there seem to be a number of issues here.

To begin, the tank size. Bettas need at least 2.5 gallons per the usual “hear-say” that everyone will tell you, but I will personally never put one in anything less than a 10 gallon because of how much visibly happier they are in larger tanks. It is also hard to keep a cycle in smaller tanks, as you are experiencing right now. It is also hard to keep water the right temperature for them, and you will likely experience many temperature fluctuations. In the wild, male bettas also have territories of around 30 gallons that they have all to themselves. A 2 gallon tank in comparison is a puddle and will never have the same benefits of larger tanks. However, under experienced care, they can survive. But you should always strive to give your pets the best.

Bettas also need filters unless they are being kept by experienced fish keepers that have enough live plants to absorb ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The best filter for a betta is a sponge filter (versus hang on back filters or internal filters) because of the adjustable flow that allows for it to be very gentle, even in the smallest of tanks. Bettas are poor swimmers in comparison to other fish, and come from nearly stagnant waters in the wild.

Betta fish also need heavily-decorated tanks to feel secure. If you look at their natural habitats, you will find that it is jammed packed with plants. They also enjoy tannins (brown water via leaves or moss). Removing your fish’s decorations has not helped his stress, but rather contributed to it. Please put the decorations back in order for him to feel secure.

Your bare tank with no filter will never be able to grow enough bacteria to fully cycle the tank.

Meds that end in “-fix” are also shown to be harmful to the betta’s labyrinth organ (the organ that allows them to breathe air) by coating it and ultimately drowning the betta. Please do not use these medications.

Hope this helps.

What are you feeding your betta?

 

[tessakabraham]

Hi, there seem to be a number of issues here.

To begin, the tank size. Bettas need at least 2.5 gallons per the usual “hear-say” that everyone will tell you, but I will personally never put one in anything less than a 10 gallon because of how much visibly happier they are in larger tanks. It is also hard to keep a cycle in smaller tanks, as you are experiencing right now. It is also hard to keep water the right temperature for them, and you will likely experience many temperature fluctuations. In the wild, male bettas also have territories of around 30 gallons that they have all to themselves. A 2 gallon tank in comparison is a puddle and will never have the same benefits of larger tanks. However, under experienced care, they can survive. But you should always strive to give your pets the best.

Bettas also need filters unless they are being kept by experienced fish keepers that have enough live plants to absorb ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. The best filter for a betta is a sponge filter (versus hang on back filters or internal filters) because of the adjustable flow that allows for it to be very gentle, even in the smallest of tanks. Bettas are poor swimmers in comparison to other fish, and come from nearly stagnant waters in the wild.

Betta fish also need heavily-decorated tanks to feel secure. If you look at their natural habitats, you will find that it is jammed packed with plants. They also enjoy tannins (brown water via leaves or moss). Removing your fish’s decorations has not helped his stress, but rather contributed to it. Please put the decorations back in order for him to feel secure.

Your bare tank with no filter will never be able to grow enough bacteria to fully cycle the tank.

Meds that end in “-fix” are also shown to be harmful to the betta’s labyrinth organ (the organ that allows them to breathe air) by coating it and ultimately drowning the betta. Please do not use these medications.

Hope this helps.

What are you feeding your betta?

I feed my betta pellets soaked in water/ garlic extract (I read that it helps with their intestines) and fruit flies.

 

[aquafrogg]

I feed my betta pellets soaked in water/ garlic extract (I read that it helps with their intestines) and fruit flies.

But what pellets exactly? What brand and such? How many? How often?

 

[tessakabraham]

But what pellets exactly? What brand and such? How many? How often?

Micropellets for betta. 2- 3 pellets at a time, two times a day.
Now he is swimming almost vertical, bobbling his head at the surface of the water. He seems so sick, that I've almost lost hope. He does eat, though.

 

[tessakabraham]

He is still sick. I moved him to a 5 ga tank.

 

[aquafrogg]

He is still sick. I moved him to a 5 ga tank.

Good choice. The larger water volume will now be able to dilute toxins better. Did you heavily decorate it? What is the temp you keep him at? What filter type?

 

[tessakabraham]

Good choice. The larger water volume will now be able to dilute toxins better. Did you heavily decorate it? What is the temp you keep him at? What filter type?

Sorry, I didn't open this site for a long time! I used salt and he is fine now!