# HELP..My Betta has been lil sluggish, laying on his side against plant/rocks, etc.



## Kellecherie

Help, My Betta has seemed different the last 2-3 days. He's not as active, has been laying a lil sideways against his plant and down at the bottom of his bowl against the rocks, seems like his back end is sluggish. He'll go up to top of bowl and then just kind of drop float back to the bottom. His color doesn't seem like its changed, maybe a lil bland. He really hasn't been eating and normally he lets me know when he's ready to eat and is very very social. Ive had him almost 2 years and haven't changed anything in his normal daily life. What could be wrong and how to I help him??

Housing 
What size is your tank? Its a Glass Bowl, not really sure but no more than 2 Gallons
What temperature is your tank? Dont check the temp of tank so not sure
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No, but not sure what this is.
Is your tank heated? No, just normal room temp.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Betta Micro-Pellet Food, Color Enhancing Diet by Aqua Culture
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2x a day, about 5-6 pellets

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? Stress Coat+ made by API, has Aloe Vera, Replaces Slime Coat, Reduces Electrolyte Loss, Removes Chlorine, Chloramines, & Ammonia in tap water.

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No, have never tested the water. Its town water

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

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? It really hasnt, his color may be a lil bland, and just looked and maybe 3 small white spots on his side.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Hes normally an active, very social fish, if you put your finger on the outside on the bowl, he'll come to it and just float and socialize. He seems sluggish and just lays on the rocks or his plant kind of on his side. Seems as if his back side is droopy.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? 2-3 Days ago.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No, I'm not sure what is wrong or how too. HELP!!
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Never been ill.
How old is your fish (approximately)? About 2 years old. I would like to know what there life span is.

Any suggestions or help will be very much appreciated. I don't want to lose my Finny fish and want to help him get better if I can. Thanks!!


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## Aus

Has it been cold lately? If he's unheated, and you don't live somewhere tropical, sudden temp changes could be contributing.

Since bettas can live up to 7 years, I don't think 2 years is "old" -- but do you know how he was when you got him?



> How has your betta fish's appearance changed? It really hasnt, his color may be a lil bland, and just looked and maybe 3 small white spots on his side.


Maybe he has ick? Do the spots look like salt grains stuck to him?


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## Karebear13

Maybe post a picture of the white spots to identify if it is ICK or maybe something else?


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## Kellecherie

The temps in the house stay about 68 degrees..and outside temps have been in 50s and at nite 30s....He's in the same place since ive had him. Also...I mistook air water bubbles for white spots...He's just sluggish and its like his back end is droopy and then when he goes up to top he just floats right back down to bottom...Im not sure how old he was when I got him but it was from a local store that kept the bettas clean. I just want to help my poor Finny fish and dont know how....


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## Silverfang

well if the temp in the house is 68, and no heater, he's probably cold. They prefer warmer temps, 78 is the ideal area. Living in colder water may have lowered his defenses. A heater is a must for bettas. Also when you say bowl, they are usually either .5 or 1 gal. In either of these sizes more frequent water changes are required. It is important to find out the size for proper dosage of dechlorinator.


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## peachesxo

He is definitely cold.
If your house temperature is at 68 and his tank is not heated the water in there is probably around 63 degrees which is much too chilly for a betta, and it possibly goes even lower than that at night, and since they are tropical fish they should have temperatures of about 78-82 constantly which is really only possible with a heater. He may have been okay with the unheated bowl for the past 2 years but now that he is older it is probably taking its toll and now you're seeing the symptoms (unactive, staying at the bottom, ect.)

It could also have something to do with water quality but the temperature is probably your main issue here, you may want to bump up your changes to two times a week, one 50% change mid week and then your 100% change that you've been doing at the end of the week.

I strongly recommend you get a heater though!

Edit: Can you post a picture? Maybe we can figure out how big the tank is, as Silver said, bowls range in size from a 1/2 gallon usually up to 2gallons, but most that I've seen are usually only one gallon. Small tanks are usually harder to heat, so upgrading your tank size so you can heat it properly would be a good option as well.


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## Kellecherie

Im not sure if I posted the photo of Finny's fishbowl right and am hoping it worked and as you can see, He is laying against his rocks at bottom of his bowl. What size heater do I get for him? I'll do whatever I have to to make him better. Thanks for all the replies...Its nice to know that there are other Betta fish lovers out there!!!


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## peachesxo

That looks like a 1 gallon to me, but it could be a half..
They are pretty hard if not impossible to heat, but I believe there is a heater out there called the "Hydor mini" or something like that, it is preset and not adjustable, but should work for a tank of that size and keep the temperature around 78 (make sure to get a thermometor while you're at it, they are dirt cheap) - so you could get that, or, if you have the funds to go and get a bigger tank (like a 5 gallon) you could get a better/adjustable heater as well as a filter (which will often come with the bigger tanks), which would also lower the amount of water changes you have to do and allow you to establish a cycle (which you can read up about doing on stickies in the forum)


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## Silverfang

Normally for heaters you want one rated appropriately for the size of your tank. 5W per gallon. In your case one of the zoomed undergravel heaters might warm him up to a slightly better level. I would suggest a larger tank, they are easier to heat (temperature swings can be quite deadly).

My personal favorite is a 2.5 gallon tank (I picked up a plain rectangular one from petsmart) and a 25W Theo Hydor heater. My boy is basking in 81 degrees of fishy bliss. I realize a larger tank is not for everyone, but just wanted to put that out there incase upgrading is an option.


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## Myates

It's a 1 gallon.. I would add in another 50% water only change per week along with your 100% for that size, unfiltered.

Bettas nowadays tend to live more in the range of 2-4 years.. so he is up there in age.. and they can't always tolerate the same conditions once they get older. As they say.. they can live in unfavorable conditions for some time, but eventually it will catch up to them- especially true in colder waters.. the cold water will cause lethargy, lowered immune system, slower metabolism, etc.
You can find a 10-15 watt heater for that size of a tank for relatively cheap. It will make a world of difference for him. 

If you do decide you want to upgrade, you can do it cheaply for $10-12 at Petco- their Kritter keepers are great tanks, from approx 1.75g to 2.75g (medium & large).. safe to heat and gives a little more room to swim and decorate. Same cleaning schedule with them as with your 1 gallon. 

The spots could be ich, or if you changed the water recently, could be bubbles.. if they look like grains of salt, let us know and we can recommend treatment.


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## Kellecherie

Ok...I've been looking at tanks and found a Mini Bow 2.5 Gallon Aquarium Kit with UL Listed Full Incandescent Hood with a 15 Watt Bulb included....Will this work or do I need to buy a seperate heater for it??


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## Karebear13

Kellecherie said:


> Ok...I've been looking at tanks and found a Mini Bow 2.5 Gallon Aquarium Kit with UL Listed Full Incandescent Hood with a 15 Watt Bulb included....Will this work or do I need to buy a seperate heater for it??


I would still buy a separate heater. The light only keeps it about 70 degrees and if you turn it off at night it drops a lot. Also when you use the heater increase the temperature by degrees slowly because raising it too high too fast can cause your betta to go into shock


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## Kellecherie

*New Home for Finny*

*Ok so I wanted to update and let you know that I bought a new home and heater for my Finny fish. Its a 2.5 Gallon and I bought a heater that automatically regulates the water at 78 degrees. Do you think that this is ok?? I just hope that this will help to make him better and he'll adjust fine to the change. I've added a picture of his new home. So far he still seems the same, a lil sluggish and his back end seems droopy. He does seem to be coming up to the top more, and then swims around a lil and floats back to the bottom and lays til he repeats same thing again by going to the top. Not sure if thats good or not. I do have a question about the heater.... It won't burn him if he swims up against it will it?? I'm really glad that I found this website and appreciate all the feedback and help i've gotten! Thanks to everyone for giving me advice when i'm clueless.*


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## Silverfang

I'm sure he'll be much happier in his new home!

Just curious, did you acclimate him to the water in the new temp? Usually done by floating them in a cup or tupperware container, or even a plastic bag, adding some water every 10 minutes or so then releasing him back in.


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## Kellecherie

Yes I did using a plastic baggy! So far he seems to be adjusting well. Not as active as he used to be but i'm hoping in the next couple of days he'll be back to his old self again!! Never thought i'd be this gung-ho over a fish..but i've gotten quite attached to him and you could say he's one spoiled fish lol...Just hoping my Finny gets better!!! So glad I found this website!!


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## Karebear13

Has he improved from the last couple of days?


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## Kellecherie

He seems to be doing a little better....yayyyyy and he ate really good tonite!! He still seems a lil droopy on his back end and has been a lil more active but not like he was before...His water is at 76 degrees and im hoping that as he gets adjusted to his new home and warmer water he'll be ok!! I will keep everyone posted...thanks again so much for all the advice!! Its so very appreciated!! : )


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## ANHEL123

I hope he will get better, keep us update.


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## ANHEL123

For 2.5 tank you will need to do 1-50% and 1-100% a week  Always check thermometer make sure it not overheating ...


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## Kellecherie

Ok HELP again.....Today he doesnt seem to be doing well!!! Hes been laying in his plant at the top near the top of water..I could touch him if i wanted too...his fins seem closed and not open and wavy like they should be...its like he doesnt have the energy to swim!! If I tap the tank he start swimming but then he goes right back to lay at top of his plant near the top of water...the temp in his tank is 76 degrees and his water is clean...i fed him this morn and he ate 1 lil morsel and tonite same thing.....usually hes all over his food...and soooo very active...I hate seeing him sooooo sluggish and weak...I dont know what to do to help him? I dont see any white spots on him or not rot on his fins....what could it be?? Im sad to see him like this!!


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## Kellecherie

*Pics of Finny that I just took 030812 858 pm*

Here are some photos that I just took of Finny and you can see how close to the top he is...Sorry that they are so big..I have to change the settings on my camera. How do I help him? Or is it just a matter of time before he's gone


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## Karebear13

Sorry I wish I could help you but it doesn't seem like there is any visible problems... Maybe someone can give you some advice... Is he still eating?


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## Kellecherie

He ate like 1 lil morsel of food this morning and 1 lil morsel tonite....I just dont know what else to do for him and I hate seeing him like that....my poor fishy : (.....


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## Karebear13

I know its so hard but You have done a lot already. I think patience is the best thing now


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## ANHEL123

Hello, i just saw it before Myates did. She definitely more knowledgeable then me so if she would recommend something different then me then follow her advice.
How is he doing? Is there any new visual symptoms? I really recommending to do Aquarium salt treatment. You can find aquarium salt probably in any pet store. Do you know instructions on that?


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## Kellecherie

Good morning Everyone...Just wanted to let you know that My Finny died this morning, well sometime in the night...I woke up and he's gone    
    ...I did everything I could to help him and he was just sick...I don't know if i'll get another one right away or not...I had Finny for 2 years and its going to be hard without him...its funny how you get attached to a fish lol....He was one spoiled lil fish and he will be missed!!! Thanks for all the advice I received in trying to help make him better. RIP My Finny


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## wystearya

I'm sorry you lost your fish friend. It is amazing how attached you can get to them!

Maybe you can take your time, invest in a filter, and cycle your tank before you get another fish. This website has a lot of great information and knowledgeable people to help you!

Best of luck!


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## ANHEL123

So sorry for Finny  It so difficult when our little friends die, but he was loved and happy with your care. 

Take your time but definitely rescue another betta. They so cute and lonely in those store cups. Also when you decide to have another betta make sure you disinfect the tank . You have that small green gravel that you will need to replace...Sorry.
Good luck.


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