Beta Fish Dying HELP

[RuthieH27]

Just got a new beta yesterday. He’s been laying on the bottom of the tank all day other than to come up for air. The last beta wasn’t on the bottom so much but I do know they like to rest... About 10 minutes ago it started swimming back and forth obsessively between the side of the tank and the tiny corner filter... then back and for obsessively along one side of the tank. Then tight little S curves going up and down in one spot. Very strange movement. Then it wedged itself between the wall and the filter again but stopped using its tiny little swimmer fins and kind of floated at an upward slant motion but not all the way at the top next to the suction part of the filter, motionless to the point it’s tail was being sucked up. Now he’s back resting at the bottom. I also noticed if he doesn’t prop himself up just right he tips over when resting. Is there anything I can do for him? Will adding a couple extra drops of stress coat help? I know it’s just a beta but if I can help him I’d like to try!

 

[RuthieH27]

Ok so I just spoke with a friend who said the tiny filter can be too powerful and it can stress your fish out. Keeping it OFF and hoping he will pep up. I put 3 drops of stress coat in the 1 gallon tank yesterday and just added 1 more drop. Do you think I should add another drop or two? It says to double the dose to repair slime coat and damaged tissue so it seems it won’t hurt it but I also don’t want to add too much. HELP!

 

[Myrmeleon]

Pictures of the tank would help, as well as pictures of the fish. If its scraping along a side it may be parasites or a disease like ich. Also what are the water parameters? pH, Hardness, and Salinity? Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia levels?

 

[RuthieH27]

My water is negative for ammonia, chlorine and all heavy metals. Tested justttt slightly soft last night. I will see if I saved the video of him swimming between the filter and the wall that I just sent to the friend mentioned above on Snapchat...

 

[RuthieH27]

I apparently can’t upload any of my videos because I don’t have an allowed extension? He is just laying at the bottom of the tank with his little fin on 100 right now.

 

[Myrmeleon]

Tank looks kind of sparse, might want to add some shelter so the fish doesn't get super stressed or bored, maybe some fake plants or a cave. It doesn't look bloated or anything... But just in case try feeding a shelled, boiled pea. They are supposed to have a laxative effect on bettas. Hope your betta gets better!

 

[RuthieH27]

Tank looks kind of sparse, might want to add some shelter so the fish doesn't get super stressed or bored, maybe some fake plants or a cave. It doesn't look bloated or anything... But just in case try feeding a shelled, boiled pea. They are supposed to have a laxative effect on bettas. Hope your betta gets better!

Thank you! Can it be from a can? I may have a frozen but I’m not sure...

 

[Myrmeleon]

Frozen would be preferable, I'm not so sure about canned... If you do use canned just rinse it as a precaution. BTW just for clarification, when I said shelled peas I meant peas without the shell.

 

[beetleman]

yeah,can or frozen is fine(ofcourse thaw it out alittle i keep bettas aswell,yeah some fake plants stuff like that,also blackwater extract that's made for fish like bettas,it tans the water but it's good for them(almond leaves it comes from)and yeah stresscoat is good too. hope the little guy does ok,sometimes they are very stressed out in the store where you got it from,so it's not you,your setup looks good,and yeah the filter could be too strong,they like minimal movement,current. good luck

 

[RuthieH27]

Frozen would be preferable, I'm not so sure about canned... If you do use canned just rinse it as a precaution. BTW just for clarification, when I said shelled peas I meant peas without the shell.

I had frozen and shelled it before putting it in. Not completely sure he ate any of it but he is alive this morning so I think he will make it! Going to let him relax a bit more and I will get him some shelter to add to his tank at some point today as well!

 

[RuthieH27]

yeah,can or frozen is fine(ofcourse thaw it out alittle i keep bettas aswell,yeah some fake plants stuff like that,also blackwater extract that's made for fish like bettas,it tans the water but it's good for them(almond leaves it comes from)and yeah stresscoat is good too. hope the little guy does ok,sometimes they are very stressed out in the store where you got it from,so it's not you,your setup looks good,and yeah the filter could be too strong,they like minimal movement,current. good luck

He is still alive this morning so I think he will make it! Planning on taking the filter out as I will not be using it and adding a shelter at some point today. I think he is going to make it! Do you think I should add another drop of stress coat today? There are currently 4 drops that I’ve added in (3 when I first got him 2 days ago and one yesterday when I noticed he was acting funny). I don’t want to over do it but if it will help I definitely want to add it! Thanks for the help!

 

[beetleman]

i think 1 more drop could'nt hurt, i'm glad he's doing alittle betta......er better today stress coat is very good.

 

[RuthieH27]

i think 1 more drop could'nt hurt, i'm glad he's doing alittle betta......er better today stress coat is very good.

Okay I’ll add one more when i get home. He is still resting on the bottom a lot but I think the filter was wayyyy too powerful for him and he should be recovering!

 

[Jurdon]

Do you know what temperature the water is? How long have you had him? 1 gallon seems quite small for what I can only assume is an adult betta.

 

[Zepmaster]

1 Gallon is small for an adult Betta, it is better then a cup like container that they sell at pet shops but it is still small. I would get a 3-5 gallon tank use a fine grain substrate, good lighting, and live plants maybe add some drift wood as well. keep water temps if you can between 74-80 ideally 78-80

important, is the water cycled? cycling the water is important for any fish tank. if your water isn't cycled then after a short period of time you'll get large ammonia spikes followed by high nitrate spikes, both are harmful to fish. see if your local pet shop (not petco, petsmart, or dear god not walmart) will give you some used filter media and or tank water from their established tanks. also do frequent small water changes to help keep these levels down while the tank cycles.

If you are going to build a more appropriate home for him, I would get a 3-5 gallon tank use a fine grain substrate, good lighting, and live plants maybe add some drift wood as well. pickup a sponge filter like the one i linked below and a water heater keep temps if you can between 74-80 ideally 78-80. set everything up again ask for some used filter media or at least tank water from a local reputable pet shop, you could also use some Tetra Safe Start to get the starting bacteria. put it all together and let it run with no fish for at least two weeks better three or four, do frequent small water changes during this time, before adding fish. this also give you time to get the water temps correct and stable

you want a sponge filter like this one for a Betta:
https://www.amazon.com/BACTO-SURGE-...&qid=1517502568&sr=8-4&keywords=sponge+filter

you'll need an air pump and some line for it as well

 

[Myrmeleon]

I would agree with upgrading to a larger tank... but IMHO to some degree fish don't care whether you have fluorescent gravel and glow in the dark castles or driftwood with live plants, just do what suits your tastes as long as the fish is comfortable.

 

[RuthieH27]

Okay so I understand everyone wants him in a bigger tank, however right now this is what I’ve got to work with and I feel he is already too stressed to be moving again. I removed the filter and he is still alive and hasn’t lost color but now is at the bottom on his side and looks like he is breathing heavily through his gills. I added one more drop of stress coat today and really thought he was going to make it when he was still alive this morning but i can see that he is still in a very critical state. What is causing this heavy breathing? All he does is lay on the bottom on his side other than to come up for air and I haven’t seen him eat since I got him. I did give him the pea last night which was boiled and deshelled from frozen but all the little pieces are still on the bottom. Should I love him back into the tiny cup he came in and completely dump his water, rinse everything and start over? HELP.

 

[Myrmeleon]

What's the temperature of the tank?

 

[Anoplogaster]

Is your tank mature? How long has it been set up before you introduced the fish?

I would start by doing another water test. Just to clarify, testing your source water will probably produce a zero ammonia reading. But ammonia will enter the water from the fish as it’s going about its natural body processes.

 

[Zepmaster]

I would agree with upgrading to a larger tank... but IMHO to some degree fish don't care whether you have fluorescent gravel and glow in the dark castles or driftwood with live plants, just do what suits your tastes as long as the fish is comfortable.

your right as you say, to some degree.

Live plants help with nitrites and water quality, drift wood will lower the water ph, and finer gravel is much better for any aquatic plants and provides more surface area for beneficial bacteria it also IMO looks better. but is just quality of life improvements they are not strictly necessary for many fish species.