# My fish looks like it..Sitting???



## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

Well my female betta fish has been doing this lately. She always looks like she is swimming up then she lets her self float down and then she looks like she is sitting. 

*Housing*
What size is your tank? Kind of like a fish bowl
What temperature is your tank? luke warm,but it gets kind of cold at night
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? I dont know what that is 
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? *BettaMin* Tropical medley, with color enhancers
How often do you feed your betta fish? In the morning @ 7:00 A.M then sometimes when i get back from school around 2:40 p.m

*Maintenance *
How often do you perform a water change? When the fish bowl get's dirty
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? All of it (is that bad??:shock: )
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? I just started using AQUA CULTURE's *Betta Pro* _Water solution for betta fish_

*Water Parameters:*
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No, i just use normal tap water which is why i started using Betta Pro 

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? No, not that i can see
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Yes, she seems more slow and she only stays at the bottom of the bowl she doesn't swim around alot anymore. OH, and she stays still for a *very long time*!! Almost like she is dead!!
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Like around the end of May 
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Not yet. That's why i made this post, I want to know how/ what to use to treat my fish 
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No, I got her in April
How old is your fish (approximately)? I don't know, i got her at a wedding. She was new tho. She was from pet store, because all the fish at the wedding were still in those pet store containers before they put them in a vase thing


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## xjenuhfur (Jan 30, 2012)

What is 'kind of like a fish bowl?' Do you know how many gallons it is?
Also, he may be cold. Try to see how many gallons it is and get a heater. They are tropical fish. When you figure out how many gallons it is, we can tell you how many water changes to do a week. 
Bettas don't need aeration, so don't worry about that. They breathe air through their labyrinth organ.

Edit:
Also, always use water conditioner. It takes the nasties out of your tap water that can kill your fish.


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## Alcemistnv (Jan 29, 2012)

As xjenuhfur said, finding out the size would help 
What I did was use a empty and cleaned out gallon of water, and I poured it into the tank to measure it 

Usually if the tank is anything below 2 gallons, it needs to be cleaned everyday, and anything above varies depending on if you have a filter or not ^^


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## Bethydan (Mar 22, 2012)

Yeah, a heater would make her healthier and happier. Non-heated water will make bettas sluggish and sick. If you can't find a heater that is usable with your bowl, then I would upgrade her to a small tank that you can fit a heater in. A temperature of 78-80 degrees is ideal. Also, water replacements should be done on a weekly schedule, regardless of how clean the water seems to be. If the water is looking dirty, it's too late and there has doubtless been some ammonia build-up from the fish's waste. Which is very toxic to every fish. For a tank/bowl that is around 1 gallon, I think two water changes is the standard. The first water change means taking out 50% of the water and replacing it with treated water. The second involves replacing all of the water. So ammonia doesn't build up to harmful levels. 

Don't worry about an air stone/aerator. Also, you could consider adding some aquarium salt for a week to 10 days just to perk her up and help her out. Gradually add 1tsp for each gallon, I believe. If it's a swim bladder issue, I hear that epsom salt will work wonders. I'm not entirely sure of the dose, though. :-?


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## Olympia (Aug 25, 2011)

Before we start jumping to medical problems, the cold is probably taking a toll on her body. The best thing you can do for her is warm, clean water.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

xjenuhfur said:


> What is 'kind of like a fish bowl?' Do you know how many gallons it is?
> Also, he may be cold. Try to see how many gallons it is and get a heater. They are tropical fish. When you figure out how many gallons it is, we can tell you how many water changes to do a week.
> Bettas don't need aeration, so don't worry about that. They breathe air through their labyrinth organ.
> 
> ...


Thank You sooo much..And the betta pro solution is to make the regular tap water suitible for the fish, but i guess i should get a heater too


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

Olympia said:


> Before we start jumping to medical problems, the cold is probably taking a toll on her body. The best thing you can do for her is warm, clean water.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Yeah  Thank you. & and i will


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

Bethydan said:


> Yeah, a heater would make her healthier and happier. Non-heated water will make bettas sluggish and sick. If you can't find a heater that is usable with your bowl, then I would upgrade her to a small tank that you can fit a heater in. A temperature of 78-80 degrees is ideal. Also, water replacements should be done on a weekly schedule, regardless of how clean the water seems to be. If the water is looking dirty, it's too late and there has doubtless been some ammonia build-up from the fish's waste. Which is very toxic to every fish. For a tank/bowl that is around 1 gallon, I think two water changes is the standard. The first water change means taking out 50% of the water and replacing it with treated water. The second involves replacing all of the water. So ammonia doesn't build up to harmful levels.
> 
> Don't worry about an air stone/aerator. Also, you could consider adding some aquarium salt for a week to 10 days just to perk her up and help her out. Gradually add 1tsp for each gallon, I believe. If it's a swim bladder issue, I hear that epsom salt will work wonders. I'm not entirely sure of the dose, though. :-?


 Thank you soooo much, I've never had a fish of my own so this really new for me :/


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

ok, lets try to measure your bowl visually. 
If your fish looks this size in the bowl  this  or if you have a larger bowl 

do a 50% water change half way through the week and 100% at the end of the week. repeat weekly.

if it looks anywhere like This or This Do a water change everyday, and get him a bigger home ASAP. atleat a 1 gallon. if you've seen these kinds of bottled water  that's the minimal recommended amount of water a betta should be kept in.

Hope that helped! goodluck!


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

aokashi said:


> ok, lets try to measure your bowl visually.
> If your fish looks this size in the bowl  this  or if you have a larger bowl
> 
> do a 50% water change half way through the week and 100% at the end of the week. repeat weekly.
> ...


Oh Ok thank you so much . This going to help me so much


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH EVERYONE who replied on this post, just thought i should let you know my fish is doing much fine she swims around more . Again Thank you


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## Leon (Jul 2, 2012)

It seems like you've resolved the issue at least for a little, but I'm just going to second a larger tank. Prior to my current betta, the only bettas I'd seen were in little bowls or vases. If you live near a petstore (local fish store, petco etc) or walmart They sell "critter keepers" which might be a good choice for you. They are good if you want to provide a more tank like space but have limited spaceroom to keep your fish. The largest ones at petco/petsmart arent too expensive and could fit a small filter and heater. Also, I think some petco's and petsmarts are doing a "dollar a gallon sale" which would make getting a ten gallon tank really reasonable ( and would give your bettas a virtual PALACE!)
Here are some links to supplies, so you know what you're looking for! 
Critter keepers (the largest is the minnimum "recommended" size based on what I've seen around the forums)
http://www.petco.com/product/12031/Petco-Pet-Keeper-for-Aquarium-Fish.aspx
Tetra heater, I have one and it has the advantage of being self adjusting. 
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Heater-1-ct/10291808
Thermometer, a MUST.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752255
A small filter. Good for a 2.5 gallon tank
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752355

Those things are a good "starter". Good luck with your new found buddies!


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## HappyG1rl (Jun 11, 2012)

Thanks you sooo much , this very helpful


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