# I Think My Betta Is Dying (Sudden Symptoms)



## Monet

I would really appreicate if anyone here could offer me any possible explanations/advice for my betta's sudden symptoms. :-( This is what's going on:

I'm not an expert on betta care, but did some research on this site and others 6 months ago when I bought my buddy Monet and things seemed to be going great until today. He's a regular veil tail I bought from a chain petstore, and until today he's seemed perfectly healthy. A few hours ago I noticed that he was hanging around the top of his tank, keeping his mouth near the surface and hardly moving at all. He's still doing it. About ten minutes ago as I watched, he started to sink down through the water. I thought maybe he was dying right then and there, but when he got about halfway to the bottom of his tank he stopped and swam back up. Now he's back up there, looking pathetic. Every once in a while he swims for just a couple seconds but is mostly still.

Another frightening thing: Looking at his tail, it looks as if it's been damaged. It wasn't like that this morning and I'm not sure how it happened - I thought the decorations I have in his tank were safe. Wish I could get him to flare so I could take a good look, but he's too lethargic to do that. 

Something that might something to do with all this is that a few days ago, I moved him into a new tank. I thought it would be good for him that I was upgrading him to larger home, but I can't help but think that his sudden illness might have something to do with the move. I used treated (with betta treatment I bought at a petstore) tapwater just like I have been for months, and the water is kept warm by a heater, so I know he's not cold. I did put some new plant bulbs in the aquarium...don't know if that could possibly have anything to do with it?

Sorry this is such a lengthy post. I was trying to give all the info I can in hopes that somebody can give me some advice so hopefully I can save Monet.

Edit: Now he's looking grey - literally - around the gills, too.


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## fightergirl2710

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233
I'm sorry your betta isn't feeling well. Could you fill in the form and paste it here so we can help you better?


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## Monet

fightergirl2710 said:


> http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233
> I'm sorry your betta isn't feeling well. Could you fill in the form and paste it here so we can help you better?


Yes, thank you. I'm sorry - I didn't know about that form. Here, I've filled it out:


What size is your tank? - 3.5 gallons
What temperature is your tank? - 79 degrees
Does your tank have a filter? - No
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? - None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? - Omega 1 'betta buffet' flakes
How often do you feed your betta fish? - Once a day

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? - I just put him in this new tank a couple days ago. I'm planning on doing it once a week, per the instructions that came with it.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? I was planning on changing 50% with this tank, though I haven't actually done it yet.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? - API 'Aquarium Pharmeceuticals' Betta Water Conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
No
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? - His tail looks torn up. And - yikes! - now that I look at him I notice he looks a little grey around the head. Every time I look at him his tail and fins look more shriveled.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He's lethargic and unresponsive
When did you start noticing the symptoms? - A few hours ago (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)? - I bought him 6 months ago from a pet store. He was adult sized. I don't know how old he was.


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## fishy friend2

Monet said:


> I would really appreicate if anyone here could offer me any possible explanations/advice for my betta's sudden symptoms. :-( This is what's going on:
> 
> I'm not an expert on betta care, but did some research on this site and others 6 months ago when I bought my buddy Monet and things seemed to be going great until today. He's a regular veil tail I bought from a chain petstore, and until today he's seemed perfectly healthy. A few hours ago I noticed that he was hanging around the top of his tank, keeping his mouth near the surface and hardly moving at all. He's still doing it. About ten minutes ago as I watched, he started to sink down through the water. I thought maybe he was dying right then and there, but when he got about halfway to the bottom of his tank he stopped and swam back up. Now he's back up there, looking pathetic. Every once in a while he swims for just a couple seconds but is mostly still.
> 
> Another frightening thing: Looking at his tail, it looks as if it's been damaged. It wasn't like that this morning and I'm not sure how it happened - I thought the decorations I have in his tank were safe. Wish I could get him to flare so I could take a good look, but he's too lethargic to do that.
> 
> Something that might something to do with all this is that a few days ago, I moved him into a new tank. I thought it would be good for him that I was upgrading him to larger home, but I can't help but think that his sudden illness might have something to do with the move. I used treated (with betta treatment I bought at a petstore) tapwater just like I have been for months, and the water is kept warm by a heater, so I know he's not cold. I did put some new plant bulbs in the aquarium...don't know if that could possibly have anything to do with it?
> 
> Sorry this is such a lengthy post. I was trying to give all the info I can in hopes that somebody can give me some advice so hopefully I can save Monet.
> 
> Edit: Now he's looking grey - literally - around the gills, too.


This is exactly what is happening to my Betta after I put him into a bigger home I expected him to be a lot happier but I don't know what is wrong with him


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## fightergirl2710

Is he bloated by any chance? Or unable to stay afloat? Can you check if the water has become too cold or overheated?
Your care is ok, I would change the water 2 times a week though, once 50% and another 100%. Betta flakes only are not the best food, they can cause bloat and cloud the water. Add some frozen bloodworms and pellets to his diet.


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## Monet

fightergirl2710 said:


> Is he bloated by any chance? Or unable to stay afloat? Can you check if the water has become too cold or overheated?
> Your care is ok, I would change the water 2 times a week though, once 50% and another 100%. Betta flakes only are not the best food, they can cause bloat and cloud the water. Add some frozen bloodworms and pellets to his diet.


The water temp is at 79 degrees. I don't think he's bloated. He occasionally sinks to the bottom of his tank but then swims back up to the top, which seems like the only place he wants to hang out now.

Thanks for the water advice - I was wondering about the instructions that came with the tank, thought they seemed a little low.

I actually recently bought some pellets to try but haven't given them to him yet. Good to know they're better than the flakes. I don't know if I have access to bloodworms or not, but can check.


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## Monet

fishy friend2 said:


> This is exactly what is happening to my Betta after I put him into a bigger home I expected him to be a lot happier but I don't know what is wrong with him


 
 Yeah, I thought mine'd be happier in this bigger aquarium. He seemed fine for the fist couple days.


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## fightergirl2710

I can't think of what can help really, but I suggest trying a partial (50%) water change first, to see if it perks him up. If it doesn't I think you should QT him to a smaller container and float him in his tank to keep warm. Since he wants to stay at the top, it'll help, he won't have to keep swimming up and down.. Since he has no bloating, epsom salt won't be of any use but if you want you can put some aquarium or rock salt in his qt cup for his tail. Just dissolve 1 tsp of it to a gallon of aquarium water, slowly acclimate him to it and change the water everyday for 5-10 days, no more. 
I'm sorry I can't help much, but I hope the water change helps him, it's usually the water. :/


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## Monet

fightergirl2710 said:


> I can't think of what can help really, but I suggest trying a partial (50%) water change first, to see if it perks him up. If it doesn't I think you should QT him to a smaller container and float him in his tank to keep warm. Since he wants to stay at the top, it'll help, he won't have to keep swimming up and down.. Since he has no bloating, epsom salt won't be of any use but if you want you can put some aquarium or rock salt in his qt cup for his tail. Just dissolve 1 tsp of it to a gallon of aquarium water, slowly acclimate him to it and change the water everyday for 5-10 days, no more.
> I'm sorry I can't help much, but I hope the water change helps him, it's usually the water. :/


No, you have been helpful. Thank you! I didn't know what to do, so any advice really is appreciated. I'm going to do the water change right now.


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## fightergirl2710

Good luck! I have my fingers crossed for the little guy.


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## Monet

Thank you!


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## Miyazawa

think about all the new stuff that was not there in your old tank. Think of everything that you added and think about the possibilities that can injure them. Yesterday i did a water change and added a few toys, just found out that one of the toys is poisoning my fish. I changed the water, he just perked right up.


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## Monet

Thanks everyone for your helpful advice. Unfortunately Monet had died by the time I got up this morning. :-( I was never able to figure out what the cause was, and nothing seemed to help, so I guess it'll probably always be a mystery.

I'm kind of worried now thinking about cleaning out his tank and getting it ready for a new fish... I think I'll browse around these forums for tips to make sure I do everything just right.


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## fightergirl2710

Aww no! I'm sorry Monet, I wish I could have done something more to help, hi symptoms were very vague and hard to diagnose.  
Before getting a new betta, I would consider what Miyazawa has said, about toys and decor leeching into the water. If you have anything that you think is suspicious, soak it in some warm water and check for any colour changes and such. If there is something you really suspect, don't use it.

To wash the tank, use water as hot as you can stand, wash with vinegar and rinse many times with the hot water, it should kill any germs. If you can let it sun dry for extra security.


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## Monet

fightergirl2710 said:


> Aww no! I'm sorry Monet, I wish I could have done something more to help, hi symptoms were very vague and hard to diagnose.
> Before getting a new betta, I would consider what Miyazawa has said, about toys and decor leeching into the water. If you have anything that you think is suspicious, soak it in some warm water and check for any colour changes and such. If there is something you really suspect, don't use it.
> 
> To wash the tank, use water as hot as you can stand, wash with vinegar and rinse many times with the hot water, it should kill any germs. If you can let it sun dry for extra security.


Yeah, it was strange - one minute he's fine and then all of a sudden he's acting odd, and dead within 24 hours. I wish I knew if it was something I did or something...I don't know, internal. It seems unlikely that it would just be a coincidence that he died after I moved him to a new tank.

But anyway, thank you so much for the tip on cleaning the tank. I was wondering about that. I will be sure to clean the heck out of it with hot water and vinegar and make sure it's nice and clean before setting it up for another betta. (I'll let it sun dry, too.) I'm also going to really scrutinize the decorations I have in there. The only new things I added to his tank were some plant bulbs and some acrylic gemstones that were made to go in aquariums. It seems like it would be really strange if little plastic rocks that were made to go in a fish tank in the first place could have made him ill. I don't know...

Do you know if it would be allright for me to continue to use the plants (they're basically just little sprouting bulbs at this point), or should I throw them out? It's not like I could clean them with vinegar, and I don't know if plants can transmit germs?


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## fightergirl2710

Plants can transmit germs but I'm not sure how you can clean bulbs. If you ask PewPewPew on her plant care thread she maybe able to help, so you won't have to throw them out.  Sometimes things are made for aquariums that are really unsafe. X( I bought a bride once and the colour started chipping and 2 fish died when it was in their tank.  The rocks may not be a problem but then who knows...

Btw you can use a mild bleach solution to clean the tank as well. But I usually go with vinegar.


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## Monet

fightergirl2710 said:


> Plants can transmit germs but I'm not sure how you can clean bulbs. If you ask PewPewPew on her plant care thread she maybe able to help, so you won't have to throw them out.  Sometimes things are made for aquariums that are really unsafe. X( I bought a bride once and the colour started chipping and 2 fish died when it was in their tank.  The rocks may not be a problem but then who knows...
> 
> Btw you can use a mild bleach solution to clean the tank as well. But I usually go with vinegar.


Ok, the plants didn't cost much so I'll probably just toss them out to be safe. As for the gems, maybe I'll leave them out too. Better safe than sorry, I guess.

Thanks again for the help!


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## fightergirl2710

You're welcome!


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