# my betta is floating vertically and wont move?



## thissideofparadise (Feb 22, 2011)

I purchased a betta from petsmart on sunday. I noticed the water he was in had white fuzz all over, i still dont know what that was. When i took him home, he was slightly lethargic and didnt swim around much. He still has some of this white fuzz on his body but he wont move around and remains in a vertical position merely breathing. I think he has trouble moving, because when he does he moves erratically and in abnormal ways. What do you think is wrong with him :I

edit*
he just settled on the bottom and is laying on his side not moving... is it too late?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Please answer as many of these questions as you can, they are all important:

Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


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## thissideofparadise (Feb 22, 2011)

Housing 
its a two gallon tank
temp is around 65
it does not have a filter
no it does not have aeration, nor is it heated.
no fish live with it at this time, i feel it is too ill to mix with other healthy fish

Food
I purchased him yesterday and he has not eaten since i got him. ive tried to feed him wardley brand betta food and HBH colorbright flakes. he ate neither

Maintenance 
i normally perform water changes weekly, half water change mid-week and full change at the end of the week. I add a water conditioner to the water

Water Parameters:
never tested the water parameters

Symptoms and Treatment
i dont know how his apperance has changed, but i noticed that he barely moves. has slight white fuzzy patches and when i purchased him the water was filled with white fuzz. He wont eat anything and he cant swim properly. I havent started treatment, i have no idea what could be wrong with him :\

i hope this helps if you need more information just let me know


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## denaliwind (Feb 27, 2011)

First step, and an urgent one at that, would be to get a heater for his tank. His water is way too cold for him to function properly, as a tropical fish, his water should be between 76-82. 

Good luck with your little guy ^^


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## StarSpun (Oct 19, 2010)

I second the heater! That would for sure make a Betta lethargic, and could even kill him if prolonged.

As for the white fuzz, hopefully someone chimes in. Sounds like some kind of fungus or something which would require medication....


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## thissideofparadise (Feb 22, 2011)

all right, will do. but he has a problem floating... or controlling how he swims. he will sink to the bottom and try to pull himself up just to fall onto something. 
he used to just float around not being able to control himself, what could that be ?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

*.*



thissideofparadise said:


> Housing
> its a two gallon tank
> temp is around 65
> *this is much too cold. It should be about 78* (76-82). You need a heater*
> ...


*Does the fuzz look cottony or stringy?


It also sounds like he has swim bladder disorder.*


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## thissideofparadise (Feb 22, 2011)

the fuzz looks more like cotton. theres only a little on him and the rest of his scales and such seem fine. 

how should i go about treating his swim bladder disorder ?


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

Look up betta fungus. Does it look like that?


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## StarSpun (Oct 19, 2010)

The floating thing is most likely a swim bladder problem. I had a goldfish with that...she lived with it for several years.


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