BruceLee15
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- Jun 8, 2017
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Hi all,
To be honest, I'm no fish expert and only joined this forum because something is oddly wrong with my betta, Bruce Lee.
Brucey was a Petco buy. I had him for going on 3 years.
He lives alone in a 3.7 gallon tank. The tank has a filter and heater. The water stays at 75F. The tank also has aquarium gravel, a silk plant, plastic leaf hammock, moss ball, smooth rock arch, and a bio-brick (it's suppose to grow good bacteria).
I change his tank regularly and actually use spring water (our tap water is very hard and alkaline here and it started to crimp his fins - the spring water seemed to help undo that damage). I check the levels with the 5 in 1 test strips - levels are good. I use water conditioner (betta bowl plus), and occasionally I add a few drops of BodyGuardRx (which is suppose to help their slime coat as well as give a vitamin boost). He gets fed Omega One Betta Buffet flakes (which are the only thing he really likes). I feed him 5-6 times a week, normally give him a few flakes in the morning, and a few flakes at night. Occasionally he would get a few ghost shrimp to hunt/eat, and every once in a while I like to give him a bit of pea (for some fiber). I've done the same thing for him for all these years and never had any issues with him - nothing in my care regiment has changed.
Brucey was always a "classic happy betta" - he'd blow the biggest bubble nests, and was super 'social'. Every time he'd see me near his tank, he's swim up and 'wiggle,' begging to be fed. He was very active and curious.
Within these past few weeks, I've noticed a huge change in him. He is so lethargic - he's always sleeping or resting. He just seems very weak, like he as no energy. He still has a great appetite, but he doesn't seem to be able to swim for long. He makes one dart for food, and has to go rest on a leaf for a bit. It almost seems like his fins are weighing him down - he just doesn't seem to have much strength to keep himself moving.
Today, I noticed 'big' bubbles in his tank.... they're not nesting bubbles... they're larger and randomly spaced out. It also looks like the bubbles escape from his gills every now and then....I don't think it's gill burn though - again the levels check out to be where they should, and he doesn't seem to favor the top of the tank - he will 'nap' anywhere (surface, bottom, on a leaf, under the arch, on the moss ball, etc - pretty much where ever he ends up, he will just rest on the nearest thing/closest place).
Aside from this weird weak state, he still looks healthy.... There are no blemishes or lesions, no fungus or growths... He still has nice color, and is fins (although still a tad deformed) are not torn/infected/or rotted...
I just have no idea what could be wrong with him or what I can do to help the poor guy. If anyone has any idea, I'd greatly appreciate any information/advice.
Thank you!!
To be honest, I'm no fish expert and only joined this forum because something is oddly wrong with my betta, Bruce Lee.
Brucey was a Petco buy. I had him for going on 3 years.
He lives alone in a 3.7 gallon tank. The tank has a filter and heater. The water stays at 75F. The tank also has aquarium gravel, a silk plant, plastic leaf hammock, moss ball, smooth rock arch, and a bio-brick (it's suppose to grow good bacteria).
I change his tank regularly and actually use spring water (our tap water is very hard and alkaline here and it started to crimp his fins - the spring water seemed to help undo that damage). I check the levels with the 5 in 1 test strips - levels are good. I use water conditioner (betta bowl plus), and occasionally I add a few drops of BodyGuardRx (which is suppose to help their slime coat as well as give a vitamin boost). He gets fed Omega One Betta Buffet flakes (which are the only thing he really likes). I feed him 5-6 times a week, normally give him a few flakes in the morning, and a few flakes at night. Occasionally he would get a few ghost shrimp to hunt/eat, and every once in a while I like to give him a bit of pea (for some fiber). I've done the same thing for him for all these years and never had any issues with him - nothing in my care regiment has changed.
Brucey was always a "classic happy betta" - he'd blow the biggest bubble nests, and was super 'social'. Every time he'd see me near his tank, he's swim up and 'wiggle,' begging to be fed. He was very active and curious.
Within these past few weeks, I've noticed a huge change in him. He is so lethargic - he's always sleeping or resting. He just seems very weak, like he as no energy. He still has a great appetite, but he doesn't seem to be able to swim for long. He makes one dart for food, and has to go rest on a leaf for a bit. It almost seems like his fins are weighing him down - he just doesn't seem to have much strength to keep himself moving.
Today, I noticed 'big' bubbles in his tank.... they're not nesting bubbles... they're larger and randomly spaced out. It also looks like the bubbles escape from his gills every now and then....I don't think it's gill burn though - again the levels check out to be where they should, and he doesn't seem to favor the top of the tank - he will 'nap' anywhere (surface, bottom, on a leaf, under the arch, on the moss ball, etc - pretty much where ever he ends up, he will just rest on the nearest thing/closest place).
Aside from this weird weak state, he still looks healthy.... There are no blemishes or lesions, no fungus or growths... He still has nice color, and is fins (although still a tad deformed) are not torn/infected/or rotted...
I just have no idea what could be wrong with him or what I can do to help the poor guy. If anyone has any idea, I'd greatly appreciate any information/advice.
Thank you!!
