Sick betta, what's the best course of action?

Tank
What is the water volume of the tank? a little less than 5 gallons (i think 4.6 or smth)
How long has the tank been running? ~20 months
Does it have a filter? yes
Does it have a heater? yes
What is the water temperature? 79 farenheit
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) 1 betta fish and a lot of bladder and ramshorn snails

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? once every 1-2 weeks
How much of the water do you change? about a gallon
What do you use to treat your water? seachem prime
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? both

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? yes
What do you use to test the water?
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: somewhere between 0 and 5 ppm
pH: 7.2

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? once a day, most days
How much do you feed your fish? 6-10 pellets a day
What brand of food do you feed your fish? hikari betta bio-gold
Do you feed frozen? yes-bloodworms
Do you feed freeze-dried foods? no

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 22 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? today
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? he looks paler than normal and hes lying on the bottom of the tank (he will occasionally get up and swim an inch or so, so hes definitely not dead)
Have you started any treatment for the illness? not yet, but i did a water change (i was planning on doing it anyways)
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? no
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? as i said above, hes paler and lethargic

Explain your emergency situation in detail.
(Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)
i got home from school today (roughly 40 minutes ago) and looked in his tank to find him lying on this side at the surface of the water, and stayed there, i thought he was dead, but then he moved a little. I did a water change, and now he is lying on the floor of the aquarium in the same spot for a while
(im going to update this with photos in the comments from my phone)
edit:here are the photos. The white spot you can see on his chin has always been there, its not new
edit 2: since i posted this he righted himself and is now lying on his bottom, not his back

 

Hey,

first of all, this might just be a sign of old age. Most betta are around 6 months old when they are sold and live 2-4 years. Some occasionally get older, some not so old. With age their immune system weakens. So this might be that.

Then, I see you added catappa leaves and alder cones. Very good so far.

However I find the tank is missing plants, especially ones with big leaves.

Older betta have a hard time swimming to the surface for air, so they highly appreciate big leaves close to the surface, on which they can rest.

There also seems to be a lot of detritus on the substrate. While a bit is not bad or even helpful, this looks like a tad too much.

Hope the little one gets better, all fingers crossed.

 

ok thank you! I do use pothos, but ill consider using something inside the tank so he can rest comfortably

Hey,

first of all, this might just be a sign of old age. Most betta are around 6 months old when they are sold and live 2-4 years. Some occasionally get older, some not so old. With age their immune system weakens. So this might be that.

Then, I see you added catappa leaves and alder cones. Very good so far.

However I find the tank is missing plants, especially ones with big leaves.

Older betta have a hard time swimming to the surface for air, so they highly appreciate big leaves close to the surface, on which they can rest.

There also seems to be a lot of detritus on the substrate. While a bit is not bad or even helpful, this looks like a tad too much.

Hope the little one gets better, all fingers crossed.

you were right, he just swam up to the algae at the surface to rest

 

I can't bring your photos up rn ... rural internet! The taller, wide leafed plants long term or a suction cup betta leaf for now may help him as Zer0Fame suggests.

I'd add that 10 pellets might be a bit much for him. Betta can be subject to constipation that can affect their swim bladder. Perhaps cut feeding down to 6-8 pellets daily, fasting one day each week. Too, if you can get your hands on frozen daphnia & feed that instead of pellets once or twice a week, they'll help his digestion & general health. If you can't find frozen daphnia look for frozen brine shrimp. I've found bloodworms less than ideal & am cautious about reports of parasitic contamination with them.

Keep an eye out just now to make sure he's pooping & if not, fast him for a day or two, then try the frozen daphnia or brine shrimp.

Sorry your little guy is unwell & hope he makes it several more years.

 

Please throw away the betta bio gold, The ingrediants are junk junk junk, For a carnivore like a betta its almost nothing but fiber,
Try this

Ultra Fresh Betta Fish Food​

 

I can't bring your photos up rn ... rural internet! The taller, wide leafed plants long term or a suction cup betta leaf for now may help him as Zer0Fame suggests.

I'd add that 10 pellets might be a bit much for him. Betta can be subject to constipation that can affect their swim bladder. Perhaps cut feeding down to 6-8 pellets daily, fasting one day each week. Too, if you can get your hands on frozen daphnia & feed that instead of pellets once or twice a week, they'll help his digestion & general health. If you can't find frozen daphnia look for frozen brine shrimp. I've found bloodworms less than ideal & am cautious about reports of parasitic contamination with them.

Keep an eye out just now to make sure he's pooping & if not, fast him for a day or two, then try the frozen daphnia or brine shrimp.

Sorry your little guy is unwell & hope he makes it several more years.

thank you! he does poop, and ill cut down amount

Please throw away the betta bio gold, The ingrediants are junk junk junk, For a carnivore like a betta its almost nothing but fiber,
Try this

Ultra Fresh Betta Fish Food​

the link you provided redirects me to the wrong article, can you try sending it again?
edit: is this it https://www.amazon.com/Betta-Fish-F...Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=?

 

I woke up and he didn't make it, mods, you can close this thread

 

Sorry to hear he didn’t make it