Need Help, Please!

[SherryRobertson-Graves]

Hi guys,

I just received my imported Betta yesterday (he is my third betta). It took a week and 1/2 to get to me after he had been shipped. I noticed right away that he had rapid gill movement so I tested the water in his bag - the ammonia was sky high.

Pic below shows the ammonia level in the new tank (yellow = 0) and the ammonia level of the bag of water he was shipped in (I'm guessing around 4+ ppm).

I'm pretty sure I acclimated him properly - I let his bag float in a dark tank for 20 mins before adding small amounts of water to the bag every 5-10 mins. When the bag was full, I poured out 1/2 the water and started again until the bag was full. After a few hours, I netted, and released him.

He seemed to be doing okay this morning, he was swimming around and ate willingly. Then I noticed that he would thrash around a little bit on the sand but then would swim normally again. I checked on him a few mins ago and he's laying on the bottom of the tank with rapid gill movement.

Here is a pic of him first thing this morning, chilling on the bottom. You can see that part of his gills are stuck out near the bottom of his chin. As for now, I have a towel over his tank to keep it dark and quiet.

Any idea what this could be? Ammonia poisoning? Did I not acclimate him properly?
 
 
 
Here is a vid showing his gill movement:
 
https/vimeo.com/162969940
 
Can anyone please offer some advice? I don't want to lose him

 

[betta fish]

Wow he looks suprisingly well after a week and a half in the postal system, his breathing is a little fast but not too bad just probably needs a bit more time to settle, being in such a high ammonia levels couldn't have been good for him but you have done all you can now and your acclimation was carried out well, he is beautiful, don't worry about the beard under his chin this is normal in males.

 

[RCA]

+1
Looking at the video he seems good, chasing his own reflection. I would say he just needs time to settle. The tank looks very clear, are there plants for him to rest in near the top? Is the tank cycled?

I was once advised that if the fish arrive in bad water, sometimes it is best to get them into better water ASAP as the risk is less than them staying in the bad water. Of course, any shock is always a risk. I once got some corys and the water was so rancid that even when I opened the bag I could smell it! Only one of the corys lived a long time, and one was almost DOA, dying shortly after.

Keep us posted on how he is doing, what have you called him?

 

[Munroco]

What a beautiful fish. I can't believe he's alive after all that time in transit. He probably survived through the fact they breathe from the surface so the ammonia didn't affect him like it would other fish. I know very little about bettas but he looks healthy enough to me.

 

[SherryRobertson-Graves]

When I got home from work, he seemed okay. His gill movement had settled down quite a bit and he was swimming around and exploring. I decided to feed him, 2 pellets. After about 10 mins he began thrashing around the tank and his gills are moving rapidly again. What do you make of this?

 

[SherryRobertson-Graves]

This was his behavior this morning... parasite maybe?
 
https/vimeo.com/163072689

 

[betta fish]

I can't see anything too abnormal in that vid he seems a little anxious but I would just give him more time to settle, the light looks rather bright bettas are happier in subdued lighting after being in the dark for over a week perhaps that is it? perhaps you could you get him some floating plants to make him feel more secure and block out the light a bit, is he eating?

 

[RCA]

How is he doing now? What pellets did you feed him? You need to be very careful with Bettas as they can struggle with digestive issues, do some research as there is plenty out there pertaining to this. Do you know what he was being fed prior to you getting him?

The tank looks very new, is it fully cycled?

I agree, give him a lot more plants etc.