# Lethargic after water change



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

I did a 100% water change and now my fish is just floating in the corner. His fins are clamped too


----------



## Fermin (Apr 18, 2010)

serenityroyal said:


> I did a 100% water change and now my fish is just floating in the corner. His fins are clamped too


Hi there. Can you provide a little more info on tank size, water temp, chemistry parameters, your typical routine... Is this the first water change this fish has experienced? 

Was the water treated? Did you clean the empty tank with anything during the water change? Was the water temp consistent? Did you remove the fish using a net instead of a cup?


----------



## prettylittlefishy (Aug 12, 2010)

Please answer these questions. At least as many as you can.

Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

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

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?


----------



## naturegirl243 (Aug 1, 2010)

Sounds like your betta might be cold? What's the temp. of your tank? Do you have a heater?


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

He's in a two gallon tank, at the moment it's not heated but he's been fine with the lower water temperature. I change the water weekly, I usually soak everything in hot water and clean the decorations thoroughly. Then I put in aquarium salt and water conditioner. When I put my fish he's usually just fine, he ate his food just fine then went back to floating in one place


----------



## prettylittlefishy (Aug 12, 2010)

Ahhh AS shouldn't be used every time, it causes kidney problems I believe. Only as a cure for things so-to-speak, such as ripped fins. Sounds like he could be cold though.


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

That's what I've been using the aquarium salt for, he's had reoccurring causes of fin rot all summer and I put it in there to help his fins grow back. Currently the water isn't very cold :/ maybe I should do a quick water change without the salt?


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

Now he's kind of floating on his side  I'm worried he's gonna die T_T


----------



## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

I think you should just leave him alone and hope he pulls out of it. It's possible he didn't acclimate long enough to the new water and the temperature shocked him--shocking him again with another water change probably won't help things. You do need to get a heater, they are not optional. I highly suggest an adjustable heater, such as this one: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+11368&pcatid=11368 mini pre-set heaters often don't heat the water enough or can overheat the water since they don't have a thermostat. Adjustable heaters give the fishkeeper more control and keep the temperature from fluctuating. Until the point that you can get a heater, you should keep him in the warmest, most stable place in your house and next time be sure to match the temperatures of the old and new water with a thermometer and allow him to acclimate for a longer period of time.


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

I do have a heater but it's at home, since I live on campus at school. I do plan on getting it this weekend. I think it might be temperature shock  I hope I didn't just kill my fish T_T


----------



## naturegirl243 (Aug 1, 2010)

probably a temp. thing but if he gets really bad and you are positive it is not temp realated post on here and give an update.


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

update- woke up this morning and found him floating vertical. he's pretty much staying in one place, not moving, and his fins are clamped shut. I don't know what's wrong or what to do


----------



## LoveSGSE (Aug 2, 2010)

As what someone said, the temperature shocked him. In a 2 gallon, I would take a pail of water, pour out 80% of the old water, then pour the other 20% into a pail. Add 80% of water to the new tank, put it in your fish area to let it adapt to the temp at the area. then pour back the 20% water into the tank, You may then put your fish back in. Thats what I always do for my 2gallons... I hope your boy will be all right..


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

update- well he's not getting any better and I don't know what else to do. He's not moving and just floating on side, occasionally twitching around a little. I'm pretty sure that he won't make through the rest of the day. It's extremely irritating because this'll be the 4th fish that has died within the past two weeks. Don't know why they died either :/ I also find it irritating that I do everything I'm supposed to for little fish...and my friends who also have bettas do pretty much nothing for theirs, yet mine keep dying and theirs don't.


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

Well i did an 80% water change with warmer water, I hope that works  though there isn't much improvement so far


----------



## karlhague (Aug 9, 2010)

you are using a water dechlorinator right?


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

yes always do


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

went and picked up a heater that's set to 78 degrees. When I got back my fish wasn't doing any better, I think he's gotten worse actually  he's still not moving and floating on his side, and his fins are tightly clamped. More clamped then when I left, he's still breathing though and occasionally twitches around, but not much. Thin he's gotten paler too. I don't know what else to do T_T


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

Well wasted a trip to petsmart cus my fish died soooooo sick of my fish dying!


----------



## LoveSGSE (Aug 2, 2010)

It could be the tank problem. Or the water poblwm. Did you do a cycle? Did any fig died of ichs etc. In that tank before?


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

I think it's a water problem. I had two fish when I moved into school, Roxas (male), Gypsy (female). When I put Gypsy back in her tank she died that next morning, then I bought another fish, that one died the nest day, then bought a another one and that one died in less then 6 hours. Cleaned by last first, Roxas' tank yesterday. Do what I always do and that never seemed to bother him, and he died. I have multiple fish tanks and my first two fish were just fine over the summer in their tanks. Roxas had fin rot the whole summer but pretty much recovered from that and he was in the same 2 gallon tank since april. I don't have cycled tanks because that's never been an issue, and I don't know how to do that.


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

What kind of water conditioner are you using?

Sorry you are having so many problems with your Bettas

You say others at school with the same source water have not been having problems...right? if so, talk with them and find out what dechlorinator they are using
If you just moved your fish from home to school-was the water in their tank from home or school? or how long from the time they died to the change in source water
Or, have I miss-understood...just trying to help you figure out why you are having so much trouble......


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm using Aqueon Betta Bowl Plus dechlorinator. Been using it for a couple of months now with no problems. My first two first, Roxas and Gypsy were in water from home, then I put water from school in their tanks, Gypsy died that same day, Roxas was fine. I bough two more fish, they both died after I put them in their tanks with school water. Roxas, I've had since March and he was in school water till I brought him home for the summer so he was used to it I'm guessing? I have a supposition that it's the school water, but my room mate has fish in the same water and they are fine. I had a suggestion to use bottled water instead of the school's tap water for the fish tanks, but I don't know :/


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

It does make you think that it is the school water......and I wonder if there is a big pH difference in home and school water......that pH shock can be deadly especially if there is a big difference...and small slow change would be okay...but big changes could be deadly
Your roommate fish has always been in the water and so they would not have the pH shock...if that is what is going on.......just a thought.......
Or if the school water had high nitrate levels that would do it too...just like the pH shock issue.....

Can you test both school and home water for pH and ammonia, nitrite, nitrate...pH needs to gas out for 24h but the other 3 don't.....got a science lab at school? that would be awesome to use lab quality test/reagents......even meter and get really accurate readings.....some city have their water prams posted on-line on the public water supply.......just ideas......

Hope you get this figured out so you can keep Bettas without such a mess.....takes the fun out of it.....


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

I think petsmart tests your water for you here. I'll try that before I get any more fish. Though does bottled water have any negative affects on fish?


----------



## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

The problem with bottled water is that it is not regulated and can be filtered tap water that can still contain chlorine and chloramines and then the filtering process can also remove the needed minerals that the fish needs...it just changes one ion for different ones
You can do a 50/50 mix with tap water or buy an additive to replace the minerals that are filtered out...like for RO/DI water you can buy at fish store (usually for saltwater tanks) Seachem has a product called Equalibrium that will work for this too.

Distilled water is the worse.....


----------



## serenityroyal (Mar 8, 2010)

Alright, ugg this is frustrating. Whoever said fish were easy to take care of was an idiot


----------

