# Betta Swimming Erratically - PLEASE HELP!



## Alex09

So I have had my new betta Tyrion for a few weeks now. Today I noticed that he was swimming rather erratically. I also noticed that i forgot to plug in the heater after doing a water change yesterday :shock: so he spent almost 24 hrs in the high 60's/ low 70's (*F) water. I never noticed yesterday because after doing the water change (in the morning) I spent the rest of the day with a friend and didnt come back until late at night. I dont know if its because of this or something else but his fins are clamped, he's a bit bloated, and sometimes when he's swimming arorund he'll just flip and start thrashing around!!! He doesnt do this in the gravel or the decor; only in open areas, plants, and corners. I have included a link to a video where you see this. It happens about ~1:30 minutes (75%) into the vid. Im really worried! HELP!

VIDEO

Housing 
What size is your tank? 10 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78-80
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? 3 cories

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? 5-6 pellets 
How often do you feed your betta fish? once a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Dechlorinator + Plant food

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH: N/A
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? I noticed he's a bit bloated
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's a bit less active. Still swims around though
When did you start noticing the symptoms? today
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? Unknown


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## bettablue

well im no expert but it looks like she's scratching herself on the plants.. my guppies do tat sometimes too but they never have been sick... maybe try some salt?


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## bloo97

If they are scratching themselves, then they may have an external infection or Ich. Have you noticed anything on their scales or fins?

That's really all I can do as far as help goes from bloo. ):


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## Oldfishlady

How are the cory cats acting?

I would make a 50% water only change and see if that helps-if not, I would QT and start making some daily water changes, hold food for a couple of days and monitor-if the bloat and behavior continues- you may want to do an Epsom salt 1tsp/gal leave in treatment along with 100% daily water changes for 10 days


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## Alex09

Cory cats are acting very much normal. Tyrion is a bit less bloated today but he has stress stripes and acting lethargic. He just sits on the bottom breathing heavily  I will do a 50% water change ASAP. Tomorrow I can go to the store, buy some salt, and QT him. I noticed that he has a few scales missing on one side of his body - a bit above/behind the gills. This is the side he always seems to scratch. Or do you think I should QT him right now before he does anymore damage to himself?


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## Oldfishlady

It is always a good idea to QT when you see your fish behavior change when you have other fish in the tank....for safety of both fish......IMO/E


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## Alex09

Just finished doing a 75%WC. Will QT now. For a salt treatment (which will have to wait for tomorrow as I don't have my car today) should I use epsom salt or aquarium salt? And how much?
EDIT: nvm Just saw your first post!


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## Alex09

UPDATE
Placed him in a dixie plastic container with some holes on the lid. Put that in the main tank for warmth. I got my parents to buy me epsom salt when they went out shopping. Its been a few hours but he's already looking better. His fins are no longer clamped, and he's stopped thrashing around. Still has the stress stripes though. I can also see some poo at the bottom of his QT. Thats good right? It's white and stringy.


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## Colibri

I'm sure the bloating and the clamped fins were because of the cold water. Imagine you're always living very happy at the beach, and then suddenly you're moved to the Arctic for a few hours. I'm sure that would be quite a shock for the body, you would have your hands and feet frozen without being capable of feeling or moving them. Back at the beach, you would recover and everything would be as before.  If he pooped already, I'm sure it's a good sign.


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## acloudconnected

Sounds like things are looking up. Please let us know how it goes...


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## Oldfishlady

White stringy poo...is this new......sometimes this can be a sign of internal parasites.......nearly all fish have internal parasites in low numbers but will not be symptomatic/problematic for the fish and they pass them on a regular basis, watch your Betta and your cory cats for other sign or problems related to internal parasites and treat as needed.


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## Alex09

Yup - definitely white stringy poo. Not sure if its new but I haven't seen it before. And now, despite the fact I haven't fed him, he's even MORE bloated  Should I go to the store and see if they have any anti-parasitic meds? Or should I just continue to do the epsom salt treatment?


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## Oldfishlady

How many days have you been doing the Epsom salt?


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## Alex09

Today is day 2.


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## Alex09

day 3


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## Colibri

How is your little man doing? Is he still very bloated?


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## Alex09

Not VERY bloated but yes - still bloated. Noticed some more white poo at the bottom of his container so I did a WC. The poor guy had intense stress stripes. It's been 3 days since I last fed him. may go to the petstore later and see if they have any meds.

will try to get some pics later today


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## Colibri

You could try giving him some brine shrimp... they're good fiber. I really hopes he gets better. I have a good remedy for treating parasites... but, I'm sure many here would kill me for it, he! Or, maybe not... who knows.


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## Oldfishlady

Colibri said:


> You could try giving him some brine shrimp... they're good fiber. I really hopes he gets better. I have a good remedy for treating parasites... but, I'm sure many here would kill me for it, he! Or, maybe not... who knows.


Please share....

I would continue the Epsom salt for at least 7 more days....since I don't use OTC meds to treat I can't recommend anything and my internal parasite method take 6 weeks (fresh crushed garlic) and that may be too late for your guy.....


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## Colibri

Well... what I do is the next.

Here in Mexico, there are two types of brine shrimp you can usually find. One that is cultured at home by someone who sells it, and one that's captured (I don't know where for certain, but OK...). I always try to buy the one that's cultured because the other one usually has parasites that can affect the fish. So, what I do (it was suggested to me by a friend of mine who owns a fish store and really knows a lot about fish) is take a syringe of 3 ml, fill it with just a little, well, here it's called "desparasitante" but I believe such a word doesn't exist in English... so, it's the liquid we humans drink every year or so to kill the parasites we may have inside. That done, I use 2 drops maybe 3 on 1lt of water. I then put some live brine shrimps to swim in the water for 15 minutes or so, they'll absorb the "desparasitante" and then I give them to the fish. I do it every 6 months and haven't suffered, so does my friend, of any parasites in mi fish and I surely hope it keeps this way. !


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## Alex09

I believe the word is anti-parasitic. I speak Spanish  But yeah, there are so many anti-parasitics out there that I wouldnt know which to choose.


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## Capricorn

I've heard jungle parasite or something or other works well, I haven't used it myself, though. If you start feeding him again definitely try soaking the food in garlic, it may help a little.



On a very, very side note I realized you were playing Hollywood Undead in the background of that video. (<3)


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## Alex09

Capricorn said:


> I've heard jungle parasite or something or other works well, I haven't used it myself, though. If you start feeding him again definitely try soaking the food in garlic, it may help a little.
> 
> 
> On a very, very side note I realized you were playing Hollywood Undead in the background of that video. (<3)


Thanks for the tip. 

I Love Hollywood undead! Awesome band.


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## dramaqueen

I think Jungle makes an anti parasite food.


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## Alex09

I couldn't find any anti-parasitic meds. My PetCo just had Melafix, Coppersafe, Bettafix, and maybe Maracyn? Didn't get any of those. It's day 5 on the epsom salt treatment. Still bloated. Looks like he swallowed a marble. He's not any worse but not any better either. Tried (several times) to feed him a piece of pea today. Shows no interest in food. Hope he gets better.


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## Colibri

He surely looks unwell. :-(! I don't think he could swallow a marble. It would be blocking his intestines and, as it seems from picture 1, he's still pooping white. Maybe you should try some anti-parasitic?


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## Alex09

I dont have any marbles in the tank - was just using it as a figure-of-speech to describe how he looks. Like I said, I was unable to find any anti-parasite treatment at my petco. Will go to a local fish store and see if they have anything.


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## Alex09

nvm. He's dead.


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## Capricorn

Oh no!  I'm so sorry Alex, that's terrible.


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## Alex09

Yeah. This is the second one that has dies on me. I think I may take a break from bettas for a while as I seem to be no good at keeping them alive.


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## Capricorn

I just lost two two days in a row and have a third one deathly ill, I know how it feels. Maybe take a little break for a while and then give it another shot.. things like this aren't always your fault.


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## Colibri

I'm so sorry Alex. :-(! You surely tried and did all you could. It's really terrible and sad how many have been loosing their fish without knowing why.


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## Alex09

Yeah  Thanks for all the help guys (and gals). Just surprised at how quickly it happened. He was fine in the morning and after I came down from breakfast he was dead.


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## vaygirl

I'm sorry Alex.  I know how you feel. You did what you could.


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