# Betta laying on bottom of the tank, labored breathing, cloudy eyes



## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

My betta, Spooky, was fine yesterday. Today I just walked into the kitchen and noticed he was at the bottom of the tank on his side and gasping for air. One of his eyes has a complete white blockage (I think it's just cloudy and not a growth) and the other is cloudy. His front end where his gills are looks a little pudgier than normal, and he's flapping his fins like crazy, constantly. I panicked and changed the water thinking it was a poisoning issue. He seemed okay in the shallow cup but after I put him back in his clean tank with fresh water and washed rocks and tiny fake plant (that's all he's got in there, and no soap was used) he went back to the bottom and is doing the same thing he was before. I just moved (same area different house a few weeks ago so I don't think it's that) and wasn't able to find the conditioner I use. I feed him once or twice a day and have two others in different tanks but similar to his and treat them all the same. I'm terrible for this because I was ignorant to Betta treatment before this with my googling of his condition but there's no filter or heater, as its usually always pretty warm but I clean the water once a week. I've had them all for about a year now and have raised bettas for years with long lasting lives since I was a kid. All of my mine now are doing fine except him now. Please help ): 
Also I've noticed he's kind of a drab green color on the top of his head and face, and down his spine and I don't remember if it was there before. 
I read about all this Epsom salt treatment but have no idea how to even go about that. I've had them for years but feel like I know so little now. Any help would be appreciated.


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## cakes488 (Dec 2, 2015)

Please fill out the form and a picture of two would be helpful. If he seemed more comfy in the cup maybe you could float him in that in his tank


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

Sorry about that. 
I emptied some water from his tank to make it shallow so he could easier breathe from the surface. He wasn't on his side for a while after I did that but hanging at the top, it seems now he goes between laying at the bottom and hanging upright like normal at the surface. 

Housing:
How many gallons is your tank? It's an Aqua Culture BettaView Aquarium .5 Gallon
Does it have a filter? No /;
Does it have a heater? No /:
What temperature is your tank? I have no idea but it's normally pretty warm, I would say high 70s 
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No, just rocks and small fake plant 
Does your Betta have tank mates? What kind? No

Food:
What food brand do you use? Top Fin color enhancing betta bits 
Do you feed flakes or pellets? Mini floating Pellets
Freeze-dried? No 
How often do you feed your Betta? How much? Twice a day 5 pellets 

Maintenance:
Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a week 
What percentage of water did you change? 100%
Do you vacuum the substrate or just dip out water? I dip out water and clean the inside. No soaps. 
What additives do you use? Top fin conditioner of some sort. 

Water Parameters:
What are your water parameters? Please give exact numbers. If tested by pet store please get exact numbers. "Fine" or "Safe" won't help us help you.


Ammonia: I don't know any of this I'm sorry. 
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness (GH):
Alkalinity (KH):

Symptoms and Treatment:
When did you first notice the symptoms? Today
How has your Betta’s appearance changed? I'm not sure if the green on his head/face/spine is new. 
How has your Betta’s behavior changed? Laying at the bottom of the tank on his side, area by his gills looks bloated, labored breathing and constant fin flapping
Is your Betta still eating? I don't know, if he's bloated I'm scared to see. But he ate earlier
Have you started treating your Betta? If so, how? I changed water 100% and cleaned everything in it. Made it shallow so he can get to the top to breathe easier 
Does your Betta have any history of being ill? Not that I'm aware of 
How long have you owned your Betta? Was he or she ill or suffering some sort of damage when purchased? I believe he was fine, I've had him since about June of last year, he looked like an adult already.


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

I've noticed now he stops flailing and gasping and floats just beneath the surface, but I can't see him breathing unless I gently tap the tank or move it a bit and he gets to moving again.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> How many gallons is your tank? It's an Aqua Culture BettaView Aquarium .5 Gallon
> Before your Betta became ill how often did you perform a water change? Once a week
> What temperature is your tank? I have no idea but it's normally pretty warm, I would say high 70s


You fish is sick from ammonia poisoning and is cold.
With a .5 gallon you need to be doing daily water changes of 50% and you need to treat the water with 1 drop of Seachem Prime.
You also need a heater and thermometer Bettas should be kept at 80 F.

Please note you need to do this now or the fish will not pull thru.


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

NickAu said:


> You fish is sick from ammonia poisoning and is cold.
> With a .5 gallon you need to be doing daily water changes of 50% and you need to treat the water with 1 drop of Seachem Prime.
> You also need a heater and thermometer Bettas should be kept at 80 F.
> 
> Please note you need to do this now or the fish will not pull thru.


Is there anything I can do tonight to try keep him alive? I can't get to the pet store until tomorrow morning. How could this happen so suddenly after being okay like this for almost a year? He seems more active now but not 100 percent. I feel so bad.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

Yes do a 50% water change and treat the water with the topfin conditioner.


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## cakes488 (Dec 2, 2015)

.5 galllon? I'm sorry but that really isn't big enough. I'm pretty impressed that he's survived that long with that small a tank and only weekly water changes. I think 10 pellets a day is a lot ...especially in that small of a tank...the toxins will build up quickly in there. I'm sure water parameters are playing a direct role in whatever is wrong. Bad water parameters leave them open to a host of disease. 

We will have to defer this a member with some more experience. I'm not sure about the coloring going on there..but the eye does not look good. Do you have any older pictures of him to compare his coloring?


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

He's swimming now and not on his side on the bottom the tank anymore... I hope he can pull through through the night. I will buy a heater and thermometer and Seachem Prime tomorrow. I'll also start doing the water changes throughout all of them from now on. Thank you so much.


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

cakes488 said:


> .5 galllon? I'm sorry but that really isn't big enough. I'm pretty impressed that he's survived that long with that small a tank and only weekly water changes. I think 10 pellets a day is a lot ...especially in that small of a tank...the toxins will build up quickly in there. I'm sure water parameters are playing a direct role in whatever is wrong. Bad water parameters leave them open to a host of disease.
> 
> We will have to defer this a member with some more experience. I'm not sure about the coloring going on there..but the eye does not look good. Do you have any older pictures of him to compare his coloring?




I'm definitely looking into bigger tanks tomorrow as well. I have some photos somewhere, I'll have to dig them up. I'm sorry I feel so terrible about this and don't mean to be so ignorant. He seems normal now but the eye is still odd and I'm m not letting it go. I'm going to make changes.


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## paradisesiren (Apr 5, 2016)

NickAu said:


> Yes do a 50% water change and treat the water with the topfin conditioner.


Okay, thank you!


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## dengveevi (Aug 30, 2015)

Keep in mind that a .5 gal tank is very hard to heat correctly. You don't want to end up cooking him.


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## lokabrenna (Mar 30, 2016)

If the tap water in your new house has a higher pH than in your old house (can occur if there's contaminant in the pipes), then the ammonia build-up may be impacting him more severely than both you and he were used to at your old place. 

Balancing water chemistry in small tanks is very difficult, and even minor changes can have big impacts.

Good luck. I hope he pulls through. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Hopefish (Feb 9, 2016)

Good luck with your little guy! I hope you can get him fixed up.


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