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juliaisafishowner

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Please help us figure out what is wrong with our sick betta fish, Indigo! We have had him for 10 months and recently he has been acting very strange. He lays at the bottom of his 2.5 gallons filtered and heated tank and doesnā€™t move. We thought he was dead but his gills are moving, and when you tap the tank he spazzes. He has been laying like this for 2 weeks with no improvement. We went to our local pet store to get his water tested and everything was perfect. He has also not eaten in 2 weeks. We have noticed some strange splotches on Indigo and we want to do everything we can to help him! Please help!!!!
 
Can you test your water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates then post the results here?

How often are you doing water changes and how much? What is the temp of his tank? Can you also post a picture of the tank?
 
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Can you test your water for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates then post the results here?

How often are you doing water changes and how much? What is the temp of his tank? Can you also post a picture of the tank?
We went to our local fish supply store where we got our water parameters tested, we donā€™t have the results however the fish expert said the water was perfectly fine.

The temperature is 78 degrees fahrenheit. We used to not change the water that often, but now we do 1/4th water change every week. Hereā€™s a picture of the tank.
 
The best medicine for sick fish is fresh water. For the time being, try changing 50% of the water every day. Physically I don't see much of anything wrong with him other than being thin. I think this is either a water issue or a tank setup issue, possibly both.

I don't want to insult your fish store employee, but I've heard it plenty of times how some employees give terrible advice. He/she might of said the water was fine but the ammonia might of been sky high. I suggest you buy a kit and test the water yourself.

Bettas naturally live in shallow water (less than a foot deep) that is often full of leaf litter and plants. Because they need to breath air, it is best to have a lot of taller plants/decor for them to rest/hide among so they can always be comfortable near the surface. This is doubly important for an ill betta. It is better to have a longer tank than a taller one. You need to either lower the water level or get some tall plants/decor that sits a mere half inch from the surface. The one bundle of java fern isn't going to cut it. I like my betta tanks to be full of plants.

In smaller tanks like a 2.5 the filter flow is often far to strong for long finned bettas. I image that he gets pushed around way to much when he isn't sitting near the bottom. I would try to baffle the flow as best you can. This may be part of the problem.

Lastly, he needs to eat. One way is to put him in a shallow bowl or cup, this is why I always keep the cups bettas come in, they have many uses. Frozen brine shrimp and blood worms are the best for picky bettas but pellets or flakes might work. While he's in the cup try feeding him a bit.
 
Last edited:
Hi

Please dont take this the wrong way.

Your water is not fine.
Can you please answer these questions.


  • is the tank cycled - how did you cycle it?
  • does the tank have a filter?
  • does it have a heater - what temp is it set to?
  • how much water do you change and how often?
  • what water conditioner do you use?
  • apart from the fish what else is in the tank - fake plants, live plants etc?
  • apart from the new fish have you added anything else recently?
  • What do you feed him?
  • How much and how often do you feed him?



I will be honest here I do not hold much hope for his survival. I see both fin rot and tail biting, He is in bad condition, If it was my fish I would do the humane thing and put it to sleep.
 
Have a little hope Nick! He might pull through with the right conditions.

Didn't notice the fin rot, I thought it was just clamped fins at first glance. Again, clean water might fix that if you can get him to perk up and eat.
 
The best medicine for sick fish is fresh water. For the time being, try changing 50% of the water every day. Physically I don't see much of anything wrong with him other than being thin. I think this is either a water issue or a tank setup issue, possibly both.

I don't want to insult your fish store employee, but I've heard it plenty of times how some employees give terrible advice. He/she might of said the water was fine but the ammonia might of been sky high. I suggest you buy a kit and test the water yourself.

Bettas naturally live in shallow water (less than a foot deep) that is often full of leaf litter and plants. Because they need to breath air, it is best to have a lot of taller plants/decor for them to rest/hide among so they can always be comfortable near the surface. This is doubly important for an ill betta. It is better to have a longer tank than a taller one. You need to either lower the water level or get some tall plants/decor that sits a mere half inch from the surface. The one bundle of java fern isn't going to cut it. I like my betta tanks to be full of plants.

In smaller tanks like a 2.5 the filter flow is often far to strong for long finned bettas. I image that he gets pushed around way to much when he isn't sitting near the bottom. I would try to baffle the flow as best you can. This may be part of the problem.

Lastly, he needs to eat. One way is to put him in a shallow bowl or cup, this is why I always keep the cups bettas come in, they have many uses. Frozen brine shrimp and blood worms are the best for picky bettas but pellets or flakes might work. While he's in the cup try feeding him a bit.

Okay thanks so much for all the advice! We are going to get a water testing kit today. The purple spots on Indigos body are new and they donā€™t have any scales on them. Weā€™re not sure what those are.
 
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Hi

Please dont take this the wrong way.

Your water is not fine.
Can you please answer these questions.


  • is the tank cycled - how did you cycle it?
  • does the tank have a filter?
  • does it have a heater - what temp is it set to?
  • how much water do you change and how often?
  • what water conditioner do you use?
  • apart from the fish what else is in the tank - fake plants, live plants etc?
  • apart from the new fish have you added anything else recently?
  • What do you feed him?
  • How much and how often do you feed him?



I will be honest here I do not hold much hope for his survival. I see both fin rot and tail biting, He is in bad condition, If it was my fish I would do the humane thing and put it to sleep.

Weā€™ve had Indigo for a year now, i canā€™t really remember how we cycled the tank. Probably the standard way we found online. Yes the tank has a sponge filter. It also has a heater, the temperature is 78 degrees fahrenheit. We change 25% of the water every week, and weā€™ve attached pictures of the water conditioners we use. There are two bundles of java fern in the tank. We havenā€™t added anything to his tank recently. I usually feed Indigo 6-8 pellets a day, but he hasnā€™t eaten in like 2 weeks. Iā€™ve also attached pictures of the food i give him.
 

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