Should I Change My Bettas Tank?

[Lincoln A]

Hello,

I've had my fish for about 2 years now and he's not the same fish that he used to be. He's a lot bigger now and he's been sitting at the bottom of the tank all the time now. Is Would buying a new/bigger tank be too much of a change for such an old fish or should I just let him live out the rest of his life in the same tank.

Also, any ideas why he hasn't swam in a while and is hanging at the bottom of the tank?

Thanks for the help!
Lincoln

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

If you have had him for 2 years he is probably get old, or at least middle aged.

How big is his current tank?
How big is the new tank you are thinking of getting?

Is there a filter on his tank?
Have you checked the water quality for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & pH?
If yes, what were the results in numbers?

How often do you do water changes and how much do you change?
Do you gravel clean the substrate when you do a water change?

What do you feed him and how often do you feed him?

If you can post a picture and short 20 second video of him moving about and sitting on the bottom it will give us more to go on.

You can put a mirror next to his tank for a couple of minutes once or twice a week and see if he reacts to it. he should flare his fins at the reflection and try to chase it away. After he has spent a few minutes doing that you should remove the mirror.

 

[Jessie J.]

How big is his current tank, and what are the parameters?

 

[FishGuest5123]

The info requested above is really important to have. Please provide it. I had a betta that was laying on a plant. Stopped swimming. In fact, he could barely swim to the top to get his food and then would drop to the bottom. I just knew he was at deaths door. Took him to an aquatic vet. Was told to do daily water changes of at least 50% daily for 2 weeks along with a teaspoon of aquarium salt. (When I took 50% of water out I would add 1/2 tsp of salt back to replace what I had removed). He also told me to buy an infant multivitamin (I used Polyvisol) and put a drop in daily during the 2 weeks. Sounds crazy but my betta did a complete turnaround and is back to his old self. Some may criticize this but it made a believer out of me.

 

[NickAu]

Your vet gave you crap advice on the vitamins, the water changes and salt helped.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Oh Nick! I can always count on you for your overly opinionated comments. Who could not like you?

 

[NickAu]

Ok let me ask you a few questions and you will see why I think its a bad idea.
You add a few drops of vitamins to the water.
How many drops per gallon do you need for it to be effective yet not harm the fish? Overdosing could be deadly, Under-dosing means it have no effect.
What vitamins do you add?
What vitamins did your fish need?
Can those vitamins be absorbed by the fish?
If so how? Through the skin, the gills? by swallowing water?
What effect will the vitamins have on the gills?
What effect will the vitamins have on the labyrinth organ?
What happens to the vitamins when they come in contact with water specifically aquarium water that may be acidic or hard.
What happens when the vitamins come in contact with ammonia or nitrate plus hard or soft water?
What happens to the vitamins when they come in contact with a water dechlorinator like Seachem prime? Will they be broken down on contact like chlorine for example?
Dose
What happens when the vitamins come in contact with beneficial bacteria in the tank?
What happens when the vitamins come in contact with the not so good bacteria or something like Ich which some people say is always present in the tank?
What happens when live plants take up the vitamins?
What happens when the vitamins come in contact with fertilizer like Seachem Flourish comprehensive?
What happens when the vitamins come in contact with any other stuff you might add to the tank like stress coat?
How will these vitamins alter water chemistry.
Do they contain yeast, phosphate or nitrate.
Be it pill form or liquid they contain a bulking agent, something to pad it out otherwise a standard vitamin pill for example might be very small if it only contains active ingredient, what is the bulking agent they use?
Is it toxic to fish inverts or plants? Does it contain copper?

All these questions need to be answered before an informed decision can be made otherwise its just guess work, for all you know you could be creating a toxic environment.

Just the other day I saw a water conditioner/declorinator that contained Goji berry extract, what that's for? I have no idea.

Take Betafix for example, while Melalecua oil is ok for humans it can seriously damage the labyrinth organ if overdosed or used in an aquarium where conditions are not ideal or the PH is under about 6.5.

Yet used correctly with the right water parameters and at a scientifically tested dose ( drops per gallon ) there is evidence that it actually may work, and yet there is nothing Bettafix can do that lots of clean treated water and maybe a little salt cant do and there is no risk. So why waste the money on Bettafix?

 

[FishGuest5123]

All I can tell you is the fish was sick for over a month. Water changes and salt alone were not improving things. Two weeks after daily vitamins the fish was back to his old self. I paid the doctor good money to know his stuff. He studied at a university to specifically learn how to treat these fish. I trusted him and he proved to be right. I am convinced the vitamins made a difference. That’s all I have to say about that. I am now a believer. Now, if my fish starts growing horns or giving milk, I’ll probably change my mind.

 

[NickAu]

He studied at a university to specifically learn how to treat these fish

A vet who specializes in Labyrinth breathers, I am impressed.

 

[FishGuest5123]

A vet who specializes in Labyrinth breathers, I am impressed.

You can actually Google info on giving human vitamins to fish. Check it out.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

Ok let me try and explain it to you in simple terms on why I think it was bad advice....Can those vitamins be absorbed by the fish?
If so how? Through the skin, the gills? by swallowing water?

I completely agree with you Nick adding anything like that to the tank can cause so many problems.

What I would like to mention is that there is a possibility that micronitrients such as amino acids, minerals and some ions can be absorbed through the gills. However there is no published evidence of this at the moment. (at least that I know of)

He studied at a university to specifically learn how to treat these fish.

Most vet course's do not focus on fish at all, my wife is a vet and she did maybe 2 or 3 lectures on fish. Does this person have CertAqV after their name? this means that they have gone through some fish vet training which is run by the world aquatic veterinary medicine association. Many universitys also offer Masters courses for vets but most of these are focused on aquaculture

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

You can actually Google info on giving human vitamins to fish. Check it out.

These nutrients should be in any diets you feed them, like humans, unless they need extra or are not eating the right foods then they don't need extra supplements.
If you are feeding properly you don't need to add vitamins which are designed at levels for humans, and have the potential to be harmful than good....

 

[FishGuest5123]

Vitamins can only help the bb. It won’t negatively affect water quality at all. The mineral content is negligible as far as changing water chemistry. If you use commercially prepared food your adding vitamins and minerals as well. Again, my fish did a complete turn around so my vote is for the vet! Gotta get some sleep. Google has a wealth of information. Not here to argue. I have seen the proof. Good night, my friends.

 

[FishGuest5123]

These nutrients should be in any diets you feed them, like humans, unless they need extra or are not eating the right foods then they don't need extra supplements.
If you are feeding properly you don't need to add vitamins which are designed at levels for humans, and have the potential to be harmful than good....

My fish was not eating and almost dead.He did indeed, need supplements or I wouldn’t have been giving them to him. Good night.

 

[The Lumpfish Guy]

Vitamins can only help the bb. It won’t affect water quality at all.

Everything affects your water....especially in small tanks.