# My betta is is clampy,breathing hard and lays at the bottom please help



## ghostlilly

my betta gilbert is all clamped up and he is breathing fast and hard. All he does is lay on the bottom he doesn't move unless i really bother him.I just bought him 5 days ago I have a 3 gallon tank with filter,heater,and air stone the temp is at 78.Please help if possible

What size is your tank? 3 gal
What temperature is your tank? 78
Does your tank have a filter? yes-under gravel
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes air stone
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? tetra min tropical flakes didn't have pellets at store
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice daily

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? 2 times 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? water conditioner 

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?no

Ammonia:n/a
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?he is all clampy and his gills are lighter in color
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? he is breathing really fast and hard and lays on the bottom of tank
When did you start noticing the symptoms? he stayed at the bottom of tank for 2 days been breathing fast and hard for for another 2 days
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? no don't know what to do
Does your fish have any history of being ill? I don't know just got him 5 days ago
How old is your fish (approximately)?don't know


----------



## bettafish15

Could you fill the sticky at the top of the Diseases forum?


----------



## LolaQuigs

Do you use any additives (conditioner, etc.)? When you got him, how did you acclimate him? Have you made a water change yet? Has he been like this ever since you got him, or is this recent development? What/how often do you feed? If you have a picture, it might help too.


----------



## TonyK

Sounds like your cycling a tank. You might have high nitrates or ammonia. Like what was already have you been doing water changes?


----------



## ghostlilly

I used water conditioner and floated him in the tank for 3 hours. he has stayed at the bottom since i got him but he started breathing hard and fast last night


----------



## ghostlilly

sorry i don't have a camera


----------



## Canuck Fins

Have you done a water change yet? If not, do a water change using water conditioner, making sure the temperature of the new water is similar. He could be suffering from dirty water (ammonia, etc). (A 3g will need one 50% and one 100% with substrate vacuuming each week.)

Try to get pellets for him. Flakes aren't as good nutritionally and they tend to foul up the water. They are also hard to consistently feed the same amount.


----------



## ghostlilly

ok I now see that his fins are white arouund the edges! I started treating him with life guard all in one treatment since thats all they had other than ick guard I live in very small town has anyone used this before and if so does it work or can you recommend something better I am new to fish and have no idea what is wrong and I don't have a camera to post a pic


----------



## ghostlilly

sorry I meant to say his gills are white around the edges. also can I test the ph balance while I am treating him?


----------



## newbie32

My first betta had about the same problem. Eventually, he had awful fin rot and died. I never could figure out what he had. All I knew was that I tried my best, but he was sick when I got him. I know that doesn't tell you much, but this might be the same thing. I talked to OldFishLady and started him in a QT with tap water (conditioned) and 1 tsp. of ice cream salt. Change that 100% everyday. 

As far as Lifeguard goes, I used it for the same fish. I'm not sure if it really did anything. Mainlybecause I didn't know what was wrong with him in the first place. I would guess it would work if you knew what was wrong with your fish. Like ick or a fungus. Anything else, I doubt it's that useful.

I hope you figure out what's wrong with him!!


----------



## ghostlilly

*thanks*

thanks for your help he seems to be getting a little better


----------



## carzz

are his scales 'pine-cone-ing'?


----------



## ghostlilly

*not sure*

I am not sure I do not know what pineconing looks like. the only thing I have noticed is his gills are white around the edges and the top of his fins by his body are almost clear but I have not had him long and that could be his color. he is swimming around now that I turned off the air stone and he ate today so I think he is getting better I hope!!


----------



## Canuck Fins

With pineconing, their scales start to "stand up" a bit and make the fish look like a pinecone. 

I hope you are right he's getting better. Keep us updated!


----------

