depressed betta? sits at bottom

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

i have a 2 year old betta fish who has always been very healthy but recently he has been laying at the bottom of the tank, seems like he has an extremely difficult time getting to the surface to breathe, lately he has been almost sitting upright on his tail with nose up, barely eating anything. his fins look ok, and the other bettas i have are doing well. he has no visible parasites, ick, bloat, dropsy, or rot. i have lowered the water level so he doesnt have to work so hard to get to the top, and am changing his water about 2x a week to compensate for the decreased volume. what else can i do? ive used a bit of melafix, aquarisol, and pinch of sea salt, none seeming to help. he was one of my first fish, and one of my favorites. help!

t_chelle16 · Moderator Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 3437

He could just be getting old. Bettas don't live very long 3 - 5 years and most bettas are close to a year old when they are sold.

What size tank is it and is it filtered?

-Chelle

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

he is in a one gallon bowl, with gravel (i use it to hold the poops down so they dont get kicked up when he swims by.- not sure if this is good or not). no filtration- jsust cleaned weekly. tried melafix, amquel, stress coat, stress zyme, aquarisol, sea salt (not all at once). he is definitely shrinking, although this morning i did see him eat a little.

OneWolvesDream · Super Senior Member Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 1175

i have seen quite a few bettas are slow fish when in small places like that also my best guess would be old age. because look at it. its true they do get sold around one year of age not like the other fish where they rush them out and all over asap so the fish will live longer in the store.

Fish Addict · Posted: Wed Jul 14, 2004 3:39 am Post subject:

mabye put a buble stick in there mabye that will keep the water suface moving which will help keep oxygen in your water

OneWolvesDream · Super Senior Member Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 1175

yup, that could be a good idea, though im not sure about the water movement.

Fish Addict · Posted: Thu Jul 15, 2004 4:54 am Post subject:

i think it will make him a little bit move active

OneWolvesDream · Super Senior Member Joined: 10 Apr 2004 Posts: 1175

oo, ok, dsnt make much sence but oh well. lol.

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

yeah i thot bettas didnt breathe thru gills so aerated water not necessary. they have labyrinth organs and come to surface. the little guy has started eating again, and i sanitized his bowl and removed all gravel (which seemed to upset him cuz he can't sit on it and rest anymore) but he still sinks to the bottom and rests on his tail. he is Betta Betta (#2 after Alpha Betta but before Chi Betta) but still my number one favorite. i dont know what to do for him. he;s been like this a month now, is he going to die or can i do something?

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

he is actually in a larger tank than he was originally, and was always extremely active in small spaces. i wish i could help him. should i try bottled water or something? some betta uppers?

tina1 · Senior Member Joined: 22 Mar 2004 Posts: 651

Maybe try giving him some different foods? I'd get kinda bored eating the same thing each and every day, maybe he's bored too. Also, I've heard of people adding ping pong balls to their betta bowls to give them somthing to do. Maybe add a new plant or rock and redecorate a bit to give him something new to "explore".

mousieanne · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 3:44 am Post subject: My Beta SOB

My beta is about 3 1/2 years old. I got him when he was 6 months ( my friend breeds). When he was about 2 he started to do the same thing in his 1 gallon tank. I moved him into a 2.5 gallon tank and added some fake plants and a small cave (the tank came with a filter). He became more active adn seemed happier, but about 3 months later he started to fall back down to the bottom and stopped eating. I bought some freeze dried blood worms and started to give them to him once a week. The day after I gave him the worms he was active like he used to be, but not on the other days. Now I give him the worms 3-4 times a week and he is more active. I also have 3 different brands of beta pellets (I don't know if it makes a difference in taste but he eats more when I give him a different brand then when I give him the same). For one week I give him one brand then I switch and give him another brand for a week and so on. Maybe this will help.
I hope your little guy gets better

Obelix · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 5:32 am Post subject:

My betta went through a "phase" such as this and though an airator might help bettas dont tend to like to much water current.

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

mousieanne thanks i will do just that tonite. i was afraid the lil guy had passed this morning. ill sneak out of work early and see if that helps. THANKS!

mousieanne · Posted: Thu Jul 22, 2004 7:16 pm Post subject: Filter

The filter I have for my beta is a whisper filter. It doesn't really make a current at all, but produces a small amount of air for SOB.

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

tried the dried worms- he wouldnt touch them. bought some beta bio gold and he tooka while but warmed up to them. still sitting at bottom of tank tho. this has been weeks now. Sad

Popeye · Posted: Mon Jul 26, 2004 8:19 pm Post subject:

test the temp of the water, bettas get lethargic in colder water... they prefer warm water & you will see ALOT more life from the fish somewhere around 80 degrees.

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

the temp is much higher than it is in winter time, plus his 3 neighbors seem to be doing fine in same conditions. is this like a bloat problem? he seems to physically have a difficult time getting to the surface. he sits on the bottom on his tail nose up. he is eating ok- i keep him to 4-5 pellets a day. added water conditioner to reduce ammonia a nd chlorine, slime coating, and a bit of salt, plus drop of aquarisol in case of any parasite or anything. hes been like this a LONG time. Sad

Popeye · Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2004 5:53 am Post subject:

how many fish & what type do you have in that 1 gallon bowl?

tmwhite · Member Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 24

one betta splendens in a one gallon bowl. i have several fish in separate bowls. was thinking of putting them in a divided 20 gallon all together but the health of this fish bothers me and i dont want to sicken others. also haven't been able to find proper dividers for 20 gallon long.