My fighter looks ill and weak need urgent help!!!

Nebula

New Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2018
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
Hi, the last week or so I've realized my fighter has been getting weaker and weaker until the last few days where he's been laying on the gravel, today I have notice that there is odd colouring on his gills and think it may be a disease or parasites but can't tell what it is, I have attached some images would someone be able to help please, he's one of my favorite fish n I really wanna help him if possible :/

IMG_20180528_012533.jpg
IMG_20180528_012515.jpg
 
Need more info to give the best advise.

What is his tank size, temperature and other tank mates? Has the tank been cycled and can you test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate? How often and how much are you changing his water? Is he still eating?

He doesn't look terrible but his beard/gills should not be sticking out like that if he was only resting/relaxed. A good fishy first aid is changing a good 75% of the water, it will help with any water related issues.
 
The tank size is 5.5ft L, 1.5ft W, 2ft H.

The tanks is between 26-27°c

His tank mates are 4 gouramis (2 of witch are honey gouramis) 1 Plec, 1 clown loach, 2 corydora's, 2 Siamese flying fox's, 2 white clowd minnows, 1 scissor tail (the last of a group) and 2 female fighters.

I can't currently check the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels as the readers I get stick on the inside but have to be replaced once every 6 months to a year, I've had them a year and a half n they stopped working 2 weeks ago, however I did do an approx 60-65% water change 5 days ago.
I do these water changes every 2-3 weeks.

I've had this aquarium for a year and a half :)
Hope this helps ^^
 
You have 4 gouramis but only 2 are Honey Dwarf gouramis. What are the other 2 gouramis?

Have you added any new fish, plants driftwood or rocks to tank in the last month?

What do you feed the fish and how often do you feed them?

Do you gravel clean the tank when you do water changes?

What filter do you have on the tank and when was the last time you cleaned it, and how did you clean it?

---------------------
Liquid test kits are better than strip test kits or measuring guides that remain in the water :)

---------------------
White Cloud Mountain Minnows age a lot faster in warm water, they would live longer in a cooler tank. However, that has nothing to do with the male fighter :)
 
I'm not entirely sure on the types of gourami, 1 is light blue with darker blue stripes going down along his body and has yellow hinted fins with light blue dots all over, the other has a brown body with darker blue stripes on body and she also has light blue fins with a red outlining :)

Yes one of the female fighters I got a month or so ago and the other I got 4 days ago but neither 1 seems to bother him :)

I feed my fish tropical fish flakes, algae tabs and small catfish pellets for the bottom feeders and I treat them every now n then with dried blood worms and frozen shrimp (which I let defrost then rinse off to clean any ammonia off).

Yes whenever I do a water change I'll use a gravel cleaner to clean my gravel, and I clean my filter by rinsing it in a washing bowl containing some of the aquariums water as I been told its bad to rinse it with tap water, I do this whenever the filter starts to weaken in power :)

OK I'll keep that in mind when I get paid to buy some of those instead :D

Truuu I didn't actually know that, I am planning to return them to my goldfish tank soon tho ;)
 
if you post a pic of the other 2 gouramis we can id them for you :)

--------------------
Filters should be cleaned at least once a month (preferably every 2 weeks). Wash the filter materials in a bucket of tank water, then wash them in a second bucket of tank water. This gets most of the gunk out of the sponges and provides a cleaner filter. The filter case and pump (and any hoses) can be washed under tap water.

The gunk in the gravel and filters is fish poop and the less poop, the cleaner the water :)

--------------------
I would be doing a 75% water change each week due to the pleco. They produce a lot of waste, which rots in the gravel and can lead to problems. I'm not saying this is the problem with the male Betta but it could be a contributing factor. And keep gravel cleaning the tank each time you do a water change.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

With a big tank like yours, you could use a 2 litre plastic drink bottle (like a Coke bottle) as the gravel cleaner. Cut the bottom off the plastic bottle and remove the lid. Attach a length of garden hose (or clear hose) to the top of the bottle and run it out the door onto the lawn or garden. Then gravel clean away :)

--------------------
The Clown Loach, Corydoras, White Clouds & Scissortail Rasboras are all schooling fishes that prefer to be in groups of 10 or more. When the Betta issue is resolved, perhaps look at adding a few more to build their groups up.

Out of curiosity, how long did the Scissortail Rasboras live and what did they do when they died?
They should live for years and if you only had them for 18months or less, then something is not right.

--------------------
I would add frozen food to their diet each day to try and build them up physically. Feed dry or freeze dried food in the morning and then frozen or live in the afternoon/ evening. It doesn't have to be every day but more frozen or live food would benefit them.

Frozen but defrosted prawn/ shrimp, fish, squid, mussel, etc are good foods. With prawn, remove the shell, head and gut (thin black tube in body) and throw in the bin. Then use a pr of scissors to cut the prawn into small bits and offer a few bits at a time. Continue feeding until the fish are no longer interested. All your fish will eat prawn. The other foods simply get cut into small bits and offered the same way. Avoid the squid/ octopus beak (mouth) and remove the ink sac and quill, then cut the legs and body into little bits and feed to the fish.

If you have buckets of water outside under a tree, and they have leaves in, you might get mosquitoe larvae in them. Scoop them out with a fine mesh net, rinse under the tap and feed to the fish. Mozzie larvae are an excellent food for small aquarium fishes.

Aphids on roses or other plants can be tapped into a bucket and fed to the fish as well. As can any small flies or moths. Just make sure they are free of chemicals and pesticides. You can buy wingless fruit flies from universities and lab supply companies and culture them at home. They make a good food for fish.

You can culture Daphnia outdoors in small ponds. They feed on microscopic organisms that feed on rotting plant matter in the water. Same sort of places mozzie larvae frequent.

You can hatch brineshrimp eggs and feed the nauplii (baby brineshrimp) to the fish. The White Clouds and Rasboras will love them and the Bettas might eat them too. If you grow the nauplii up then the bigger fish will eat them too.

The pleco will need plant matter and driftwood in its diet. Do you have any driftwood in the tank?
You can feed slices of cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin or green leafy vegetables like spinach to most fish. Make sure it is free of chemicals and give it a good rinse with fresh water, then put some in the tank.
You can stick the food in boiling/ hot water for a few seconds before feeding to soften it up. This is more for the pumpkin, zucchini, etc.
If the other fishes eat this it is not a problem and will give them some vitamin C.
 
Last edited:
Hi you have all sorts of stocking issues

His tank mates are 4 gouramis (2 of witch are honey gouramis) 1 Plec, 1 clown loach, 2 corydora's, 2 Siamese flying fox's, 2 white clowd minnows, 1 scissor tail (the last of a group) and 2 female fighters.

That tank is not suitable for Bettas. Gourami and Bettas will fight, Male and female Bettas should not be kept in the same tank.

You need at least 5 more clown loaches they are very social fish.
You need more corys,
 
if you post a pic of the other 2 gouramis we can id them for you :)

--------------------
Filters should be cleaned at least once a month (preferably every 2 weeks). Wash the filter materials in a bucket of tank water, then wash them in a second bucket of tank water. This gets most of the gunk out of the sponges and provides a cleaner filter. The filter case and pump (and any hoses) can be washed under tap water.

The gunk in the gravel and filters is fish poop and the less poop, the cleaner the water :)

--------------------
I would be doing a 75% water change each week due to the pleco. They produce a lot of waste, which rots in the gravel and can lead to problems. I'm not saying this is the problem with the male Betta but it could be a contributing factor. And keep gravel cleaning the tank each time you do a water change.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it is added to the tank.

With a big tank like yours, you could use a 2 litre plastic drink bottle (like a Coke bottle) as the gravel cleaner. Cut the bottom off the plastic bottle and remove the lid. Attach a length of garden hose (or clear hose) to the top of the bottle and run it out the door onto the lawn or garden. Then gravel clean away :)

--------------------
The Clown Loach, Corydoras, White Clouds & Scissortail Rasboras are all schooling fishes that prefer to be in groups of 10 or more. When the Betta issue is resolved, perhaps look at adding a few more to build their groups up.

Out of curiosity, how long did the Scissortail Rasboras live and what did they do when they died?
They should live for years and if you only had them for 18months or less, then something is not right.

--------------------
I would add frozen food to their diet each day to try and build them up physically. Feed dry or freeze dried food in the morning and then frozen or live in the afternoon/ evening. It doesn't have to be every day but more frozen or live food would benefit them.

Frozen but defrosted prawn/ shrimp, fish, squid, mussel, etc are good foods. With prawn, remove the shell, head and gut (thin black tube in body) and throw in the bin. Then use a pr of scissors to cut the prawn into small bits and offer a few bits at a time. Continue feeding until the fish are no longer interested. All your fish will eat prawn. The other foods simply get cut into small bits and offered the same way. Avoid the squid/ octopus beak (mouth) and remove the ink sac and quill, then cut the legs and body into little bits and feed to the fish.

If you have buckets of water outside under a tree, and they have leaves in, you might get mosquitoe larvae in them. Scoop them out with a fine mesh net, rinse under the tap and feed to the fish. Mozzie larvae are an excellent food for small aquarium fishes.

Aphids on roses or other plants can be tapped into a bucket and fed to the fish as well. As can any small flies or moths. Just make sure they are free of chemicals and pesticides. You can buy wingless fruit flies from universities and lab supply companies and culture them at home. They make a good food for fish.

You can culture Daphnia outdoors in small ponds. They feed on microscopic organisms that feed on rotting plant matter in the water. Same sort of places mozzie larvae frequent.

You can hatch brineshrimp eggs and feed the nauplii (baby brineshrimp) to the fish. The White Clouds and Rasboras will love them and the Bettas might eat them too. If you grow the nauplii up then the bigger fish will eat them too.

The pleco will need plant matter and driftwood in its diet. Do you have any driftwood in the tank?
You can feed slices of cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin or green leafy vegetables like spinach to most fish. Make sure it is free of chemicals and give it a good rinse with fresh water, then put some in the tank.
You can stick the food in boiling/ hot water for a few seconds before feeding to soften it up. This is more for the pumpkin, zucchini, etc.
If the other fishes eat this it is not a problem and will give them some vitamin C.

I'll add images underneath of those gouramis :)

Every 2 weeks is the usual time I clean it tbf that's usual when the filters flow starts to weaken, Thank u for the tip on rinsing it twice tho I have only been doing it once till clean.

Tru so due to pleco need to clean out the tank weekly, I'll start doing that like thank u :D

I'm not actually sure how the other scissor tails died, it wasn't originally mine it was given to me by a friend because the rest had died and this 1 was a lone survivor n they got discouraged of buying more, they apparently had them for approx a month, but yes I'm not only increasing the scissor tails, ill be increasing the amount of minnows by 6 (would do more but dont wanna over crowd the goldfish tank) but was going to get a variety of corydoras and then several more clown loachs too ;)

I don't currently have any driftwood in there but I'm getting some by the end of this week, with the plants I do keep introducing a chunk a time but my fish love to munch on then till there's hardly any left so the quantity is always fluctuating ^^:

Yes i feed them cucumber every now and then when i have it, Those other food recommendations will actually come in real handy thank u for that its much appreciated, was always thinking of breeding brine shrimp tbf :D

IMG_20180528_140719.jpg
IMG_20180528_140658.jpg
IMG_20180528_140629.jpg

Best angle I could get of this 1, she's extremely shy of people ^^;

IMG_20180528_140600.jpg
IMG_20180528_140525.jpg
IMG_20180528_140453.jpg

This is the other 1 :D
 
Hi you have all sorts of stocking issues



That tank is not suitable for Bettas. Gourami and Bettas will fight, Male and female Bettas should not be kept in the same tank.

You need at least 5 more clown loaches they are very social fish.
You need more corys,

Hi there, I've never actually had 1 single issue with my gouramis and Betta's fighting literally ever, in fact the only things the gouramis ever really pick on occasionally is each other, in fact the fighter had more of an issue with me introducing guppies, killed 1 of them before I'd realized what was happening, which i then had to move the others to another tank xD

As for the clown loach's I'm aware I need more but currently awaiting for my local store to get new stock of them and for me to be able to afford to buy 5 more at once, this is cus I made the mistake of getting social fish (German blue rams and neon tetra's) a couple at a time before and it caused many of issues, so I'm getting the other 5 all at once this time ;) as for the corydoras I plan to get a variety of corydoras to make a group of 8 I'll probs go in total rather than all of then being same colouring n stuff :D
 
Last edited:
it's a big tank, I don't there should be too many issues with the Betta and gouramis.

Pics 1 & 2 show female Indian Banded gouramis,
Pic 3 shows a possible male Indian Banded gourami but a side view will confirm that.
The remaining pics look like female blue gouramis, aka opaline or two spot gouramis.

If your filter is blocking up in a couple of weeks then you need more filtration on the tank. :)
 
You've got a good sized tank, but gouramis are quite territorial, and that opaline doesn't look like it's an adult. I strongly suspect that it'll turn into a more dominant fish as it gets older.

Bettas will take out guppies. They don't really play well with things with flashy tails, probably identifying them as other male bettas, so they don't get on well with guppies.

With plenty of cover it might work. but I'd be concerned about future battles with that lot.
 
it's a big tank, I don't there should be too many issues with the Betta and gouramis.

the poor Betta would be stressed the fact there are also 2 female Bettas in the tank makes it worse, Bettas are solitary fish and best kept that way,

Clown loaches like a bit of current, Bettas do not so tell me which fish is the tank set up for.

Bettas are a Tropical fish where as White Cloud Mountain Minnows are not.
 
Last edited:
it's a big tank, I don't there should be too many issues with the Betta and gouramis.

Pics 1 & 2 show female Indian Banded gouramis,
Pic 3 shows a possible male Indian Banded gourami but a side view will confirm that.
The remaining pics look like female blue gouramis, aka opaline or two spot gouramis.

If your filter is blocking up in a couple of weeks then you need more filtration on the tank. :)
Thank u like been wandering what type of gouramis they were for a while :D the 1 from pics 1 & 2 is actually the same fish as pic 3 ;)

Yh I've actually gotta buy an external filter because of this as that is the largest internal filter I could find anywhere, it can be used for up to 500l tank but doesn't seem to do the job efficiently xD

Cus u said about doing a 75% water changed I've done that today to see if that helps my betta as I reckon when I did it just under a week ago I may have only changed about 55-60% of the water (a friend pointed this out to me earlier), and he's swimming around a bit now, still looks a little weak but he ate not long ago too so I'll keep an eye on him and see how he progresses, with any luck I'm hoping it was just a case that I wasn't changing enough water n he'll start to get better now but only time will tell :)
 
Last edited:
You've got a good sized tank, but gouramis are quite territorial, and that opaline doesn't look like it's an adult. I strongly suspect that it'll turn into a more dominant fish as it gets older.

Bettas will take out guppies. They don't really play well with things with flashy tails, probably identifying them as other male bettas, so they don't get on well with guppies.

With plenty of cover it might work. but I'd be concerned about future battles with that lot.
Hi :)
Are u sure the opaline isn't fully grown, I've had her about half a year n she was in the store for several months also, the only fish she actually gets territorial with is the dwarf gouramis but I've got enough hiding spots in my tank that they can easily escape her.

Yh I'm not actually ever putting guppies back in there like, I've actually been selling my guppies off and only have 5 from a lot of fry that 2 females birthed left and once theyre gone I'll be getting no other ;)
 
the poor Betta would be stressed the fact there are also 2 female Bettas in the tank makes it worse, Bettas are solitary fish and best kept that way,

Clown loaches like a bit of current, Bettas do not so tell me which fish is the tank set up for.

Bettas are a Tropical fish whereas White Cloud Mountain Minnows are not.
The tank isn't set up for specifics, I understand that its thought to be the best way but through my own experience it is possible to set up a tank in a way that a variety of fish can live comfortably in there, n that's what I've done, I found a temperature that all of them would find relatively suitable, and have a variation between a strong current in the top half of the tank which gets weaker the closer to the bottom you get (this was due to plecs liking varying currents, but became useful for other fishes preferences), after that its just monitoring the other factors like ammonia, carbon, nitrite and nitrate levels, as well as making sure I consider every fishes dietary needs, periodically cleaning the aquarium (water, filter, gravel, etc.) and few other small things ;)

White cloud minnows are actually hardy fish and can survive in either tropical or cold water environments, in fact any minnow or danio are like this, I admit I didn't know minnows age quicker in a tropical environment, but you learn from your mistakes. it was never a permanent home for them in any case, they got temporarily put in my large tropical aquarium while I sorted out issues with another fish in my goldfish tank, it was bullying them to the point they stopped eating, so while I rehoused her elsewhere the minnows where put somewhere safer for them :) they are back in the goldfish tank now anyways so they're back inside a cold water environment :D

And the betta wouldn't actually care about the 2 females in my tank, if u research properly u will find that if u have a large enough tank u can have up to 4 female betta's and 1 male :D the amount I can keep in mine however is 2 females and 1 male, which is my current quantity ;) as I said before he doesn't mind the females, he even swims about with them every now n then until they go off somewhere to hide away or do their own thing, he was swimming with my newest female earlier like ^_^:good:

I get that your just looking out for the fish but trust me the only issues with my actual fish themselves is the male betta looking upsettingly weak :/
 
Last edited:

Most reactions

Back
Top