Very Lethargic 10 Month Old Betta - Staying at Top of Tank for 5 Days

Hello! Looking for some help with our betta Happy. See info below. Any help is appreciated!

-Rob

Tank

What is the water volume of the tank? 2.5 gallons
How long has the tank been running? Continuously, 10 months
Does it have a filter? Yes
Does it have a heater? No
What is the water temperature? About 72-74
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) One Betta fish male, some plastic plants

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? At least one time weekly
How much of the water do you change? 25-50%
What do you use to treat your water? Essentials Water Conditioner
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? The water

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? N/A
What do you use to test the water? Tetra Strips
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia: 0 to 0.5
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 to less than 20
pH: 7.2 Neutral

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? Before this period, 2x daily
How much do you feed your fish? 2-3 pellets during each feeding
What brand of food do you feed your fish? Aqueon Pro
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? No

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 10 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? Five Days
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? Extreme lethargy, fish had been active and then last Thursday all of a sudden he started hanging out at the top of the tank just floating with little movement.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? Yes. Initially tried "pea" treatment and Melafix. See below.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? Don't think so
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all?
Fish has become lethargic, starting 5 days ago. He is spending most of his time at the top of the tank, just sitting there.

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)
As mentioned, fish has become very lethargic. Sitting at top of tank. Barely moving, starting five days ago. The only physical difference we see are what appears to be little pimple like bumps near his head (see picture). The fish still has an appetite, although we fasted him (see below) for 2 days.

Here's what we've done since Thursday:
Three water changes, about 20-25% each time
One round of "pea" treatment - 1/2 of boiled pea followed by 48 hour fast (thought Happy may be constipated)
2nd day of Melafix - diluted to tank size and type of fish (betta)
Water is testing just fine, although it's a bit on the cold side as we don't have a heater (one is on the way)

 

Welcome to fishlore! Sorry it's not under super happy circumstances.

You're right that the water temp is a bit low for a betta, which could easily cause lethargy. My first troubleshooting decision would be to get an appropriately sized (10 watt) heater. I'd avoid adding medication until you get yours in and set it up, then see if he doesn't perk up in a day or two.

Bettas are primarily insectivores, and the pea treatment is not great imo. You're better off using daphnia for dietary fiber if you're concerned about constipation.

Melafix (and any -fix, even the bettafix one) can damage the labrynth organ of your betta. Discontinue use and run carbon in your filter if possible. If not possible, do a significant water change to remove the meds.

Test strips can be surprisingly inaccurate. If you can, use a liquid test kit like the one sold by API for your readings. It may be more of an up front expense ($30), but it will give a reliable picture of your parameters and lasts forever.

 

Was the tank significantly warmer before this started?

 

Was the tank significantly warmer before this started?

I don't think the tank was signficantly warmer. However, it may have been a degree or two - if that's considered significant - because we were in warmer weather.

If the fish is mostly hanging out underneath the filter is that a clue? Could it be warmer near there due to it being an electrical appliance?

 

Welcome to fishlore! Sorry it's not under super happy circumstances.

You're right that the water temp is a bit low for a betta, which could easily cause lethargy. My first troubleshooting decision would be to get an appropriately sized (10 watt) heater. I'd avoid adding medication until you get yours in and set it up, then see if he doesn't perk up in a day or two.

Bettas are primarily insectivores, and the pea treatment is not great imo. You're better off using daphnia for dietary fiber if you're concerned about constipation.

Melafix (and any -fix, even the bettafix one) can damage the labrynth organ of your betta. Discontinue use and run carbon in your filter if possible. If not possible, do a significant water change to remove the meds.

Test strips can be surprisingly inaccurate. If you can, use a liquid test kit like the one sold by API for your readings. It may be more of an up front expense ($30), but it will give a reliable picture of your parameters and lasts forever.

Thanks for the info. A couple of follow up questions...

Temperature: Would a 10 watt be okay for a 2.5 gallon tank? Didn't want to overdo it on temp. You also mention medication - what medication are you referring to?

Pea: OK, but where do I source daphnia from? Does Petco stock it - I searched their site, they don't seem to.

Mela/Bettafix: I have read a couple of differing schools of thought on this - and yes, what you said: to avoid at all costs. But do you think the fish needs any meds at this point? How long do we wait - it's been five days.

I realize we are throwing a lot at problem, without knowing what the problem is. Just operating on the assumption of trying to do somethng.

I really appreciate the help.

(Oh, any thoughts on the picture? Do those raised bumps look like anything?)

 

As far as i know, petco indeed does not carry daphnia. A local fish store(LFS) should have some. Don't know if the 10 watt heater would be enough but should warm the water some. I think i usually had a 15 watt heater when i had tanks that size.

 

As far as i know, petco indeed does not carry daphnia. A local fish store(LFS) should have some. Don't know if the 10 watt heater would be enough but should warm the water some. I think i usually had a 15 watt heater when i had tanks that size.

Okay, thanks. Would you recommend going back to normal feeding? The fish is eating and is "appearing" at feeding times.

 

Can try it. Sounds like he starting to perk up a bit at least.

 

Thanks for the info. A couple of follow up questions...

Temperature: Would a 10 watt be okay for a 2.5 gallon tank? Didn't want to overdo it on temp. You also mention medication - what medication are you referring to?

Pea: OK, but where do I source daphnia from? Does Petco stock it - I searched their site, they don't seem to.

Mela/Bettafix: I have read a couple of differing schools of thought on this - and yes, what you said: to avoid at all costs. But do you think the fish needs any meds at this point? How long do we wait - it's been five days.

I realize we are throwing a lot at problem, without knowing what the problem is. Just operating on the assumption of trying to do somethng.

I really appreciate the help.

(Oh, any thoughts on the picture? Do those raised bumps look like anything?)

Of course!

Temp: 10 watt is more than adequate if your ambient temp is in the high 60s-low 70s. Not all heaters are created equal, but a 10watt preset heater will usually heat a 2.5 gallon tank up to ten degrees above room temp, and is programmed to auto shut off at 78 degrees, then turn on again to maintain temp. I have a cobalt min-therm in a 2.5 gallon tank, and it keeps the temp at around 80F, which is great for a betta. A good rule of thumb is to have 3-5 watts of heating per gallon of water.

Pea: Freeze dried foods are sort of useless, nutritionally, but the fiber in daphnia comes from their exoskeleton. Therefore, if you're treating for constipation, freeze dried wil do the trick. Petco sells this Zoo Med Betta Dial-a-Treat that's 1/3 daphnia.
If you use the daphnia in there, especially rehydrated in some water with muddled fresh garlic, that should do the trick.

Re: Meds: Never medicate without knowing what the problem is. At this point, we don't know what the problem is, and haven't exhausted the medication-free solutions. If we get to a point where there's reasonable confidence in a diagnosis, and outstanding water quality hasn't aided in recovery, then it's time to consider appropriate, targeted medications. Five days feels like an eternity, but it's not all that long for simple lethargy that could have an environmental cause.

It's so hard not to do something, but try to remember that you could do way more harm than good without all the information needed to treat an illness. The time and effort taken to diagnose the issue is doing something! This is a great first step.

I can't see the photo super clearly, but I'll keep squinting at it to see if I come up with anything lol

 

Update: Not much positive change, the lethargy is the same if not slightly worse. We got the heater installed and the temperature is about 78.

I don't notice any other physical markings to point to any illness. But all the fish does most of the day is float under the air pump. He will sometimes respond to a stimulus and swim out for a short time but then it's right back under the pump.

I tried the daphnia - I was able to find the Zoo Med mentioned above - but the fish just looks at it and won't eat it. I then tried one tiny pellet of his regular food (Aqueon Pro) which he did eat.

I've also read on this board about salting the tank. Should I try that?

Anything else we can be doing? I understand of not throwing too much at the problem but we feel something is wrong based on the behavior and not sure what else to do or look for.

In some additional pictures below, you'll see what appears to be something - poop? - hanging down from him a few days ago and a couple of other photos. You'll also photos take today of the location where he's floating around under the aerator.

Thanks for everyone's help!