# Hasn't eaten in 2 weeks!! Floating at top sideways!



## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

*I have a lovely Crowntail Betta that I purchased from Petsmart for my office. He has a delux setup in a 1 gallon tank with bamboo and pretty rocks and everything! Since I brought him home 2 weeks ago he hasn't eaten at all! I don't know what to do and I've talked to people at Petsmart multiple times. I try to feed him 2 pellets every day. The first day he grabbed one with his mouth and spit it back out. Since then he hasn't paid any attention to the food. He floats on his side most days at the top of the water, unmoving, and most people mistake him for dead. Sometimes he tilts his head to the surface of the water and his mouth will come out of the water and it looks like he is burping.*

*Housing *
What size is your tank? 1 Gallon
What temperature is your tank? 71 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? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

*Food*
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 Pellets 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? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Top Fin Betta Water Conditioner

*Water Parameters:*
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Yes, at Petsmart they tested it and said that everything was in balance.

*Symptoms and Treatment*
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? No change
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He doesn’t move, stays at the top of the tank. It sometimes looks like he has a hiccup or burp- he turns his head up and bubbles come out of his mouth/gills, and he hasn’t eaten in 2 weeks! Also, he floats on one side and it seems like his gills quit moving for in 1 minute intervals.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2 weeks ago when I first brought him home
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? API Betta Fix is what I’m putting into the water daily which is a natural treatment to help heal damaged fins and skin. He doesn’t seem to have either, but this is the only thing Petsmart recommended.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of. 
How old is your fish (approximately)? Just purchased from Petsmart 2 weeks ago.
*Please help! He is not getting the nutrition he needs! And I haven’t gotten any further help from Petsmart except the fact that I can return him when he dies  I don’t want him to die and I don’t want to return him. I want to help him. So please help me and let me know what I can do for him!*


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

He's cold. He needs a temperature of at least 76F to be happy. Don't use medicines if he doesn't have those symptoms! He's going to get worse because of that. You also need to do more water changes. Ammonia is in there and he might die from it! Do 1 100% and 1 50% per week. Bettas have a organ called the labyrinth organ that lets them get air from the surface. The bubbles that are coming out of his mouth is a side effect from doing so. Stop the medication, get a heater to make the water at least 76F and take the bamboo out of the water. It's not fully submersible. 

Nutrition is not the problem right now. He needs warm water to be healthy and more water changes. If you can't do these things when you're at your office, please rehome him. I hope he gets better. Can you post a picture about him sideways? He might have a problem with his swim bladder.


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## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

I'm going to buy him a heater as soon as I get off work!


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

Hello and Welcome, you need to feed him some more too, he needs 2-3 pellets 2x a day especially a higher nutrishious pellet to give him some energy~


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## starr70 (Jul 20, 2012)

*Help i have a sick baby twin tail betta*

Hi all I'm new and not sure how to post a new message so here is my story I just bought a twin fin baby betta. Since home for two days he stays at the top, will float on his side for a little bit, won't swim much, won't eat and his fins seem to look like they are curling at the bottoms. He is in a 1 gallon cube, I have a plastic soft plant the water is about 78. He will swim a little bit but his body curls and it looks like a little lump on his side but not too sure. I have 7 betta's and have never seen this before. Can someone please help me. I feed him Aqueon natural pellets. Any help would be needed, all petsmart said is save the receipt in case he dies. I do have salt and two medications I have the API water conditioner in the water. Please help I wanna save the little guy.


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## Sapphoira (Jul 16, 2012)

Alyssa, you should also know that the bigger the tank the better! With smaller enclosures like your one gallon, ammonia builds up and can make them really sick. If your tank is unfiltered you will need to do frequent water changes, at least 1 100% a week and a 50% once or twice a week in between the full changes.. I think that's about the ratio for a one gallon.


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## bettafishfinnatic (Mar 18, 2012)

sapphoira, yes thats about right... i have done a 100 % today for all 6 boys in 1-2 gallons once a week


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## Maura (May 13, 2012)

By the way, the "burping" you're seeing is him breathing...


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Make sure your bamboo does not have leaves in the water, they'll be rotting and adding to the wastes he's already living in.



> Also, he floats on one side and it seems like his gills quit moving for in 1 minute intervals.


A healthy betta's gills don't move much unless they are being aggressive and flaring. They surface for air, and the gills are pretty still most of the time. My sickly boy's gills are always 'gasping' because he had ammonia exposure in the store.

It will be easier to make sure he gets the clean water he needs in a larger tank. Heat and clean water do wonders for these fish..


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## Tiger Oak (Apr 29, 2012)

starr70 said:


> Hi all I'm new and not sure how to post a new message so here is my story I just bought a twin fin baby betta. Since home for two days he stays at the top, will float on his side for a little bit, won't swim much, won't eat and his fins seem to look like they are curling at the bottoms. He is in a 1 gallon cube, I have a plastic soft plant the water is about 78. He will swim a little bit but his body curls and it looks like a little lump on his side but not too sure. I have 7 betta's and have never seen this before. Can someone please help me. I feed him Aqueon natural pellets. Any help would be needed, all petsmart said is save the receipt in case he dies. I do have salt and two medications I have the API water conditioner in the water. Please help I wanna save the little guy.


Starr70,

Welcome to the forum! I don't know enough about baby bettas to help with your situation, but it looks like your request for help got lost because it was posted as a reply to this thread instead of as its own new thread. Here is how you can post your very own thread:

Go to the BettaFish.com home page.
Click on the category, “Betta Fish Diseases and Emergencies”
On the left side of the page, about 1/3 of the way down, you will see a link called, “New Thread”
Click that link, and you can start your very own new thread! 

Good luck, and I hope someone can help you with your baby betta!


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

Getting a heater is going to help alot and more water changes. Good luck !


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## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

*Showing no improvement*

*Jonah is still not showing any signs of improvement. It's almost been 3 weeks since I've had him. He's still not interested in food and he's sitting at a happy 76 degrees. I stopped giving him Betta Fix, I removed the bamboo, and I've been changing his water. He's still very lathargic and floating at the top of the water on his side. Any more recommendations? I don't know what to do next *


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## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

By the way- a picture of him floating sideways is in my photo albumn and for some reason won't post in here. I don't know if you can access the picture from there but I think he must have a swim bladder problem. I have never seen him swim to the bottom.... In fact I don't think he could if he wanted to. Whats a good way to know if he has a swim bladder issue? How can I help him?


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## Sapphoira (Jul 16, 2012)

I know that sometimes swim bladder issues can be caused by overfeeding, and some people have recommended feeding a cooked skinned pea to the fish to clear out their digestive system. I also have heard that betta's digestive systems are not designed for that kind of roughage, so that route would be up to you. Does his stomach look bloated at all? I can't imagine after two weeks of not eating that he would still be "overfed" enough to cause problems with a swim bladder. Have you bought a test kit to test your water parameters? You have been doing water changes but I know from past experiences that if you haven't gotten all the waste from the bottom your levels of ammonia and nitrites can still be high... making your fish sick. Someone more experienced than me should weigh in on this, but there's always a possibility that poor breeding may have just effected your betta so much that he may just not have it in him to be healthy or act normally. I would try to make him as comfortable as possible, maybe get him a floating betta log or a leaf hammock (be careful of the metal bit in these!) to rest on, so he can be near the top of the water and "rest." Something else, is he by any chance sitting near where he is in direct sunlight or bright light for any part of the day? I would just make sure he is not, to eliminate any other possible stressers. 

I also would recommend you soak his food in some garlic juice, I've heard this can entice them to eat. If he does indeed have a swim bladder issue (though it is unclear if this is the problem) I have read that feeding Daphnia is a good way to go. You can usually get freeze dried Daphnia in the reptile isle, I would stay away from frozen because a lot of sources say that frozen or live food like that will introduce bacteria to the tank that can be fatal, and has been linked with Dropsy, which is nearly always fatal.


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## Sapphoira (Jul 16, 2012)

Oh, and I would also try and get your water temp closer up to 80 degrees. When you are sick, you want to be warmer than want to be normally, yes?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

You might want to try taking his tank and rinsing it out with hot water as well as the gravel. This will give you a fresh start. And if you can try and do a 25-50% water change every day until he gets better. Then do one 100% and one 50% water change per week after he is better. Also, if you can, try and keep your water around 80 degrees. 

If you can try and get some unscented Epsom salt and treat his bowl with it for a week. About a teaspoon per gallon, or half teaspoon per 50% water change...

Good luck!


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## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

*Picture of sick little Jonah*

He's in a cup in this picture while I'm changing his water and waiting for the water temperature to reach a normal level. I think he is greying a little and I'm afraid he doens't have much longer  I'm doing my best to take care of him though... And recommendations based on his looks what disease he might have or how to treat?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

He could have an internal infection causing him to bloat, etc. 

At this point, he's looking very swollen and sick - _don't_ use aquarium salt. Use epsom salt as stated above - and get him into an antibiotic treatment. Kanamycin and/or neomycin (both would be great).


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## Panama Bliss (Jul 25, 2012)

He's clamped. Temperature is too cold, 1 gallon is kinda small but better than a cup. I would acquire a heater, that will make a world of difference. Being that they are labrynth fish, a filter isn't necessary, just keep up the weekly water changes.


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## Sprinkles55 (Jul 3, 2012)

In my opinion it looks like he has dropsy...here's the description from a sticky in this thread. I wish you luck. 

*Dropsy*
•Symptoms: Your betta will have a bloated belly and raised scales. They will look like a pine cone. This is usually a fatal disease caused by an internal bacterial infection resulting in internal organ failure but many have had success bringing fish back when treated quickly.
Early Symptoms: Swollen eyes (important), Gray belly (important), Clamped fins, Lethargy. If your fish has swollen eyes and a gray belly, I suggest that you treat it for Dropsy.
•Treatment: If you spot the early signs of Dropsy then treat him/her with ES at 1-2tsp/gal and Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets while performing 100% daily water changes. It helps to increase the temperature to 84*F. If he/she has begun Pineconning then do the full course as described below:
Performing daily 100% water changes. Increase the temperature to 84*F. Add 1-2 tsp/gal Epsom Salt. Use API General Cure OR API Erythromycin OR Maracyn II and/or Maracyn for best results. Feed something containing Metronidazole, for example, Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets. If caught early, Dropsy is curable.


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## AlyssaHampson (Jul 20, 2012)

*Still not sure what to do.*

I don't think he has dropsy. He doesn't look like the pictures of other fish with dropsy. He just has a swollen belly and wont eat. It kida looks like one of his little fins is starting to deteriorate. I changed his water today and scurbbed the bowl and all the rocks and fixtures, removed the bamboo, put in a heater, conditioned the water. The whole 9 yards. I don't know whether I should put in epson salt, aquarium salt, feed him antibiotics, or try a different food.... I feel kinda lost still.


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## Panama Bliss (Jul 25, 2012)

Well, in your description you mentioned he was hit with the net somehow, just like people fish have brains, not a fish doctor, but i have had several concussions in my life, perhaps he's a bit dazed and confused with a concussion


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## Little Leaf (Jul 7, 2012)

hmm.... I think he has swim bladder disorder. I'm not sure if it will heal or not, though. But don't worry, most bettas recover from the swim bladder disorder. check out bettatalk.com or google: betta diease list for more info.


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## Tazo (May 12, 2012)

You should switch to epsom salt, since it appears that the problem is internal. If you have the medications that Aus mentioned if you have them, he is not looking so good currently. Switching food is your choice, though I doubt that he will eat in this state.
Is that graying near the base of his caudal fin (tail)? If it is... I hate to say it, but it could be the mystery disease that is mentioned on a stickied thread in this board. Very aggressive, very deadly, and affects blue fish for the most part :/.

Little Leaf... no offense, but given the fact that you have enough problems with your own betta, should you really be giving advice to others? Your comment was not very pertinent to the discussion at hand... and "SBD" isn't really a disease in and of itself. Buoyancy issues can also be indicative of other problems.


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## Sprinkles55 (Jul 3, 2012)

Hope your fish heals soon... I sadly do not have the knowledge like others but do follow the others advice, I'm sure it will help.

I'm hoping for the best, you can do it!


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