# some one plz help me (i think my beta is sick)



## hpfeather (Aug 21, 2009)

*:-(My beta fish isn't moving. His gills move but he's just lying there sideways.He stays in one area. He doesn't move...except for once. It's been like this for over a week. I've had him for two months in a 1 gallon fish tank. This is definitely not typical behavior for him. I change 25% of the water biweekly, so its not a cleanliness issue. He doesn't even go up to get the food.*

Some one please help me  i been doing research on what could be wrong but cant find anything.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Hello and welcome to FishForum. The water in a 1 gallon tank needs to be changed twice a week, 100%.


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## BabblingFish (Aug 15, 2009)

Or do 50% water changes every other day like me. (3-4 times a week)

Have you been testing your water's Ph, nitrate, ammonia, etc?

Are you using a water conditioner when doing your water changes?


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## rb500 (Jul 12, 2009)

Does he have a heater? How much are you feeding him? Maybe he has SBD, that could be why he is leaning to the side, its a symptom, same as him laying on the bottom. SBD is caused by overfeeding, so how much do you feed? It is really easy to overfeed them, they have delicate digestive systems.


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## rb500 (Jul 12, 2009)

And they are right about the water changes...


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## hpfeather (Aug 21, 2009)

thanks everyone for responding 

i hope im not killing him b.c im new at this whole fish thing  and my b/f told me he knew what he was doing so i trusted him so this is what i been doing.

i been using clear water every time i change the water 
i haven't tested the water didn't know i had to do that  
and i been feeding him Betta min trodpical medley one time a day n only a lil pinch of it...and most of the time he wont eat...and the last time he has ate anything was about a week ago not to sure if its b/c he doesn't like the food or he is bored with it 

if it is sbd what can i do to treat it


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## Elena (Aug 1, 2009)

You need to do a 100% water change immediately. It's probably ammonia poisoning. Waste in a 1 gal bowl accumulates very fast and the other people who posted are right about the frequency of water changes. Use water conditioner to remove the chlorine/chloramine from the water (I use Prime but anything else would work). Also when you put him back after the 100% change you need to acclimate him slowly to the new water. How to do this: put the fish in a cup/small container with some of the old water and clean his bowl. Add a little bit of the new fresh water from his bowl to the cup he is in every 10 min or so. Do this about 3-4 times and then gently release him back into his 1 gal. The whole process should take about 30-40 min. If you don't acclimate him the difference in the water chemistry (old water with high ammonia, new water 0 ammonia) will send him into shock and he may die, especially if he is weakened. Good luck and keep us posted!


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## hpfeather (Aug 21, 2009)

when i clean his bowl i would clean it with just hot water n find the right temp for the bowl n add the clear water stuff that is suppose to remove odors and cloudiness and just waited until the temp is just right n adding him right into the bowl. is it bad to do it that way if so plz let me know 

i so hope he doesn't die  
im going to the store in a little n getting sum test things n the prim thing that u where talking about

thanks you so much for helping me out ill keep u posted on how he is doing


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## Elena (Aug 1, 2009)

It sounds like you were taking your fish out of the bowl during the 25% water changes? If it has been more than a week since you last changed his water fully it would be a good idea to acclimate him to the new water. If in the future you change 100% of his water twice a week as it was suggested here and use the same water source at the same temperature, there is no need to acclimate anymore because waste will have no time to accumulate at high levels and the water chemistry would be the same. I hope this makes sense.
It sounds like you may already have the water conditioner- the stuff you use to remove odors and make the water clear- does it remove chlorine? If you are not sure take it with you to the pet store and ask. You don't necessarily have to use Prime. If you end up using Prime, two drops of that per gallon of water will suffice. You can use hot water for cleaning the bowl, and when you are done fill it with room temperature water and add the Prime/your conditioner. Then acclimate the fish. I really hope he gets better soon!


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## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

1. Use punctuation and capitalization, please. It helps.

2. _".... n add the clear water stuff that is suppose to remove odors and cloudiness..."_ So what is it that you're putting in, exactly? What is the name of the brand? Also, if you have clean water, you shouldn't have an odor. 

3. Are you using water conditioner? Some places have lots of metallic chemicals in the water. Water conditioner breaks down these chemicals quickly so your fish isn't affected by them. Here's an image of the brand I use:









4. Did your boyfriend recommend those water changes to you? :shock: 

5. Okay, Bettas usually don't eat flake food. If I'm correct, Tropical Medley is flake food. Bettas need pellet foods. Like this:









Okay. I'm sorry if I'm coming off a little blunt. Just trying to get a better understanding of what you're telling us. Good luck and let us know how things go!


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## hpfeather (Aug 21, 2009)

Well i just got back from the store from buying sum stuff for my fishy
i tested the ammonia and it came out to be it was in the stress zone. 
After testing i cleaned the water 100% and put sum ammonia clear in it and its back in the ideal zone. i also put some water conditioner in the bowl.
Now that the fish is back in a clean safe bowl he is doing some what better. 
He is swimming a little bit more then he was.
I even got some pellet food and he is eating YAY 
ill keep you updated on how he is doing 
thanks so much for helping me everyone


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## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

You're welcome. Glad to hear he's doing better.


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## Elena (Aug 1, 2009)

You're welcome. I'm so glad he's doing better. Feed him 2 pellets twice a day.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad to hear that he's doing better.


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