# Not eating, hardly swimming, scared...?



## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

What could be the problem? Dragon always hides from me now, he never eats, I never see him out of his cave. I don't want to lose the little guy.

I havn't noticed anything on him. No spots, no discloration, nothing. What is it?


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I took away his cave so he has no hiding place. I feel bad. But he really needs to eat. ):


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I just gave him a waterchange. He didn't eat. ):


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Got some questions...

How long have you had him, how big is the tank, how much and how often on the water changes, filtration, live plants, water temp, additives used if any, any medication or treatment tried and has he ever been sick before now-how long has he been acting this way and any other symptoms other than hiding and not eating?


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

> How long have you had him, how big is the tank, how much and how often on the water changes, filtration, live plants, water temp, additives used if any, any medication or treatment tried and has he ever been sick before now-how long has he been acting this way and any other symptoms other than hiding and not eating?


I have had him about half a year now. 
The tank is an Aqueon 2.5 gallon.
I always do %100 water change every 2-3 weeks.
I do have a filter & heater.
I have not used any medication, only water conditioner from his last water change a few minutes ago.
He has never truly been sick before. Close calls, but not like this. 
He has been acting this way/not eating for 3-4 days. 
I noticed he was breathing EXTREMELY hard. Almost like a wave from his gills to his little "lungs."

BTW I'm snowed in so I cannot get fish supplies from the store.

He has also started moving more now.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Water temp???

Without knowing the water temp....my first thought is water quality issue....100% water change every 2-3 weeks???-in the long term- can really be hard on the Betta and the rapid breathing could be scar tissue related to ammonia burns on the gill plates and nitrite poisoning along with possible pH shock from the water change...as they get older they don't tolerate poor water quality along with the long term effect it can cause...check the water temp and keep it in the 76-78F range and start doing some 25-50% daily water changes for 4-5 days and then start a twice weekly 50% thereafter...he will start to eat once he start to feel better...hopefully its not too late.....but don't give up.....


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

It is at 79.5 degrees. It is usually between 76-79 degrees.


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Maybe try a treat, like a brine shrimp?
If you use pellets, maybe pre-soak them?
My little guy did that for a while, so I tried that and it helped.


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I don't have treats. 

Do you mean just soaking them in water?


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## xswornxoffxjello (Mar 18, 2010)

You could try netting him to see if he has any appetite: holding him under the water and feeding him from there. He may want to eat something if it's right in front of his face...


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I tried that, but no luck. ):


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

*cough* could be the water quality...every 2-3 weeks for water changes in a 2.5g? Thats really bad... It needs to be done 1-50% and 1-100% every week! You probably didnt know though  I'd give the guy some clean water, and then see if he perks up a bit and eats.


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

I gave him a waterchange and he is swimming a bit more, but he is still not eating. He also just kinda sits there..staring off into space.


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Dragon looks alot better: he is swimming, and he just ate 3 pellets!!


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## nochoramet (Oct 2, 2009)

yeah I'd definitely say water quality, because once every few weeks is not nearly enough for a 2.5 gallon. Like the others have said, you should make 1 100% and 1 50% change per week!

Glad to hear he's feeling better! Keep up with the water changes and he should start perking up


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Will do. Unfortunatly, this morning, he didn't eat. ):


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## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Yeah, I do. Idk, it helped when I had that issue..
Keep him out of direct light fit now to relax him?


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

He is out of direct light. He seems to be just sitting at the bottom of his tank. I feel terrible. ):


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## dampsugar (Oct 28, 2010)

My fish is doing the same thing. I've tried aquarium salt twice now. Doesn't seem to be helping. I add water once a week.....about 2 gallons to a 10 gallon tank. I treat the new water with that dechlorinator stuff. My water temp. is steady between 82 and 84 degrees. He has never done this before. It is filtered and heated. I just checked for ammonia and it was 0 ppm which is good. Help needed.

I've had him since October....only about 3-4 months....Never had this problem before. Been doing this for about 2 weeks now.


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## RainbowIsland (Jan 10, 2011)

I would have to agree with everyone else. I think it's the water quality that's bugging Dragon. When I first recieved Acherner from the previous owner he was in a filthy tank and he wasn't moving around or eating. I brought him to my house and placed him in a clean tank and not long after he began to swim around and eat. It seems like he's getting better over time. Good luck! :-D


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## Creat (Dec 6, 2010)

@bloo97 it might be a while before he perks up, keep up with the water changes and aquarium salt. If it is ammonia burns the salt will help, but it takes a while for them to heal. Good water and TLC is what he needs. 
@dampsugar I suggest starting a new thread but it sounds like if your betta is all alone in a 10 gallon with a filter you are doing the changes correctly and what do you mean by adding aquarium salt?


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## dampsugar (Oct 28, 2010)

I've added 2 tablespoons of aquarium salt to my tank twice now. And he still is just hiding in his log or behind the filter. He still doesn't eat.


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## Kiku (Dec 31, 2010)

You might want to increase water changed, especially with that size of bowl. 100% water changes should be at least once a week


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

Yay! Dragon looks much better! 

Thanks!


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## gahcrazy (Aug 25, 2009)

good to hear that


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