Betta looks depressed

[ellamay]

Hello can I have a bit of advice please my betta has been looking a bit depressed over the last couple of weeks. I have to admit I haven’t been testing the water regularly because I never have any issues with nitrate/ nitrite/ ammonia. But I’ve just tested and im pretty sure the KH and GH is too high for him? Will Indian almond leaves lower these? And could this be what’s making him lethargic?


Temp: 26 c
Tank size: 5.5gal

 

[betta4ever!]

Your readings are fine. He looks as if he may have popeye, could we have a closer side pic of him and one from above?

 

[ellamay]

Your readings are fine. He looks as if he may have popeye, could we have a closer side pic of him and one from above?

Here are some pics. Thanks for looking for me. Ive been keeping fish for over a year now but still feel very new to the hobby! Any advice is much appreciated

 

[betta4ever!]

Unfortunately, he does seem to have popeye.... But it's only minor. There are quite a few ways to deal with it, but first thing l'd do would be salt baths (much info on them if you search it).

Here are some pics. Thanks for looking for me. Ive been keeping fish for over a year now but still feel very new to the hobby! Any advice is much appreciated

l'm also fairly new. Just a bit over 3 years in the hobby.... There's always smth new to learn!

 

[Back in the fold]

He's fine. He's just got that cynical , seen it all attitude that Bettas have.

 

[betta4ever!]

He's fine. He's just got that cynical , seen it all attitude that Bettas have.

Look at post #3 2nd pic. Doesn't that look like popeye? l could be wrong...

 

[Back in the fold]

Look at post #3 2nd pic. Doesn't that look like popeye? l could be wrong...

Yes , you're right . It does look like that a little bit and your suggestion of a possible cure was right on the money. It isn't too far gone at this point.

 

[ellamay]

Yes , you're right . It does look like that a little bit and your suggestion of a possible cure was right on the money. It isn't too far gone at this point.

Thank you for your advice!

 

[ellamay]

Unfortunately, he does seem to have popeye.... But it's only minor. There are quite a few ways to deal with it, but first thing l'd do would be salt baths (much info on them if you search it).


l'm also fairly new. Just a bit over 3 years in the hobby.... There's always smth new to learn!

That’s really helpful thank you! I’ll do some research and get started tomorrow

 

[GaryE]

Water changes, ASAP. Not tomorrow. He has an infection in his sinus and he needs help. I hope you've been doing 25-30% water changes weekly, which is way more important than testing the water. Pop eye and related infections are usually dirty water related problems.
In a 5 gallon, pollutants will build up quickly.

 

[ellamay]

Water changes, ASAP. Not tomorrow. He has an infection in his sinus and he needs help. I hope you've been doing 25-30% water changes weekly, which is way more important than testing the water. Pop eye and related infections are usually dirty water related problems.
In a 5 gallon, pollutants will build up quickly.

I do every other week because I’ve been told that’s what I needed to do. I’ll do weekly though if I need to. What pollutants cause it if it’s not something I can test for?

Also I already did a water change yesterday. And you’ve not actually said what treatment you recommend other than doing a water change?

 

[GaryE]

Where I live, I can't access antibiotics or many effective meds for fish. This makes me proactive, and I haven't had to deal with popeye for many years, since I switched up to weekly partial changes.
I would read a few sites on using salt, as soon as I could (because infections don't take time off). I'm not sold on salt for an internal infection, but since water flows through the sinus, maybe. Epsom salt baths can sometimes cause the fish to let the fluid buildup out. Then, if you're where I am, you hope clean water will give the fish a chance to heal on his own.

Most of the time, salt works as a skin irritant, which makes the fish add to its slime coat, and makes it hard for skin parasites to hang on. Fish slime is a powerful immune response. But inside the head? I'm not sure about that.

Test kits will give you a look at the nitrogen cycle, but it won't tell you about solid wastes not yet broken down, or the many other chemical processes when living things are in water. They aim at the most fatal one - ammonia, but there is more to it all than that.

 

[ellamay]

Where I live, I can't access antibiotics or many effective meds for fish. This makes me proactive, and I haven't had to deal with popeye for many years, since I switched up to weekly partial changes.
I would read a few sites on using salt, as soon as I could (because infections don't take time off). I'm not sold on salt for an internal infection, but since water flows through the sinus, maybe. Epsom salt baths can sometimes cause the fish to let the fluid buildup out. Then, if you're where I am, you hope clean water will give the fish a chance to heal on his own.

Most of the time, salt works as a skin irritant, which makes the fish add to its slime coat, and makes it hard for skin parasites to hang on. Fish slime is a powerful immune response. But inside the head? I'm not sure about that.

Test kits will give you a look at the nitrogen cycle, but it won't tell you about solid wastes not yet broken down, or the many other chemical processes when living things are in water. They aim at the most fatal one - ammonia, but there is more to it all than that.

I’ve been keeping fish for almost two years and I’ve never had any issues with my fish before, I’ve got a 25gal and 5gal. But my 5gal is my newer tank I set up specifically for this betta. Obviously I’m not doing the partial changes enough so I’ll start weekly changes immediately.

I see what you mean about the salt baths, I’ll still do it just in case though it won’t do any harm.

That’s all very helpful information thank you!

 

[Essjay]

What pollutants cause it if it’s not something I can test for?

Fish, like all animals, excrete many more things than we can test for, and they secrete hormones as well for chemical communication, even if they are the only fish in the tank. All these things can build up in the water if there are insufficient water changes.

 

[ellamay]

Fish, like all animals, excrete many more things than we can test for, and they secrete hormones as well for chemical communication, even if they are the only fish in the tank. All these things can build up in the water if there are insufficient water changes.

I’ll swap to weekly and do a slightly larger percentage as well. He’s just in a salt bath now