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RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

CryHavoc — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:41:31 GMT

Dragina I am glad to hear that you moved to a bigger container. Hagen it the company that makes that heater you have and its for 2.5 to 5 gallon tanks. Try turning the dial all the way down. The setpoint of the heater is probably set to be used in 5 gallons and may be why it's overheating. The fin thing is probably a burn from the heater being too hot. Just doing partial water changes and time should fix it. Best of luck.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

crazysqurrel06 — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 01:36:07 GMT

I don't know if I could dignose it without pictures. I have 4 Betta Bowls (Two are in Tanks) my self, and they have only have fin rot and ich. But I've have other fish with a variety of diseases, so I might be able to help. It might just be a burn: One of my Betta's favorite places to hide is around the heater, and he's been burned before. Like I said, pictures would help too.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:09:30 GMT

At least 90% of sick fish are not a disease at all, but water quality issues, stress, or shock. I have no reason to believe this fish is actually infected with any disease.

I understand you are trying to be helpful draco, but please stop diagnosing "diseases" with that book when there is little to no evidence that the fish has the disease. Fish TB is nothing like what this betta is experiencing so you are just needlessly scaring Dragina, and increasing the likelihood that unnecessary meds will be used. Either the book is wrong, or you are jumping to conclusions...either way it would be more helpful for you to speak from your own experience rather than relying on this book.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

draco — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:53:41 GMT

thanx to the 100% water changes it CAN be a bacterial infection such as swim bladder disease or what paradise fish and fighting fish are most susceptible though very rare in farm raised fish but possible is FISH TUBERCULOSIS and if you have any OPEN SORES OR INJURIES and touch the water it can transfer to you so be careful!!!!!! This info comes from the book SUPER SIMPLE GUIDE TO COMMON FISH DISEASES BY: LANCE JEPSON

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

draco — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 07:46:22 GMT

one thing i found with raising bettas is they do need about 2 gallons min to really be stress free he might have parasite or the 100% water change with rapid change in temp might actually have put him on the road to a swimblader disease trust their bad news or even worse but rare what their highly susceptible to according to a fish disease book i have is Fish Tuberculosis and if you have a unprotected cut on the hand the book says it can transfer to us for this bacterial infection! please post pics to further help diagnose

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

princessotfu — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:27:13 GMT

If it is indeed a burn, it'll heal on it's own, with clean water.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:03:35 GMT

Well, I'm trying to find a appliance timer that will work for 24 hours, my mom had a old one but apparently it doesn't work anymore, i figured if i can set it to go off for so many hours and be on for so many hours that will help solve it from getting too hot.

And well I stayed over night somewere and came home today, I think my Betta might have burned his left fin a bit, because he only swims with the right one now, and usually has left one folded back now, but sometimes he moves it a little. And he was laying ontop of the heater resting/sleeping when i saw him though it was unplugged apaprently by my mom when I was gone, since I told my parents to unplugg it if it gets too hot.

Would it heal over time with clean water, or would I need something for the water to help heal it?

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

David Lass — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:06:48 GMT

The 25 watt heater is designed for a larger tank, and it just may not be able to respond fast enough in a 2 gallon to avoid the temp getting too high. I think we may need to go Plan B -- whatever that is -- before you cook your fish.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:18:58 GMT

I'm not familiar with that brand, but I would test it out and figure out how to use it in another container. If operating it according to the instructions isn't working, it may be malfunctioning.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 10:00:01 GMT

Well I moved him to a bigger container, I believe it may be 2 gallons,

and got him blood worms which he likes, and a 25 watt Aqua Clear heater

it was the smallest one I could find at the one store, it says it's suppsoed to be for 2-5 gallons, I'm not familier with operating heaters, but it seems the temperature keeps on going up even though I turned it to the - sign to make temp go down, it also says it may take 12 hours for it to get to the correct temperature and that the indicator light should go off, but it still hasn't, we have a stick on therm on it too to read the temp, so far it's over 86, and pretty much has gone off the scale, i used soem other therm that can read alot higher, and isn't exactly for a fish tank, it says the water is at 90, so I unplugged the heater earlier to let it cool down, and not boil my Betta.

Any idea how to operate it?

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

kommander15 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:30:29 GMT

good news i would try to mix in those flakes with the shrimp but it doesnt sound like he's taking to it. i have never gotten a betta to accept flake food

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:49:37 GMT

Well, I got him to eat again after I turned off the heating pad I found to let the water cool off, he's swimming around today, his fins are no longer clamped, but the water is cold again.

He's still eats yet, except he now ignores the flakes and pellets, and only will go after the tiny brine shrimp pieces thats mixed in the flake container.

He used to go after the flakes but he'd spit them out.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 19:04:18 GMT

If you have a bigger container, I would use that for starters. You don't need a light...that is only for your viewing experience and does nothing for the fish (and can in fact cook a betta in a small volume of water). You could just make sure it is in a well lit area so you can see him. As for the heater, if you are moving him to the larger container you can use a regular preset heater (they sell 25 watt ones at Walmart for $14 or so). The filter is less necessary as long as there is gravel for the bacteria to live on, you don't overfeed, and you do regular water changes. Not overfeeding is the key...betta's stomachs are only as big as one of their eyes, so two or three of those little betta pellets once or twice a day is plenty.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:14:43 GMT

Yeah I stopped using PH and salt, I also have betta plus water conditioner now, if I knew were I could find a heating pad for fish bowl I would try to get one, but that all depends on my mom, and if she will just let me buy the stuff I need for him, I do have a blue plastic fish container thing that's alot bigger than the bowl, but I would need to buy a light I could stick on it somehow, the ones I saw u can stick on the lid and are pricey, and a filter, and a heater, but those probably won't fit on unless the lid is taken off, then I'd have no clue were put the light on if I can't put it on without the lid. So far from what I know she didn't like how I was trying to get even more stuff for the fish.

He's still making his bubbles too like he used to.

Any idea how much those types of heating pads cost anyway?

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:52:53 GMT

Oh, and I just noticed the post about the heating pad and bacteria. Be very careful using a heating pad unless it is made for a fish bowl (I have seen those in pet stores occasionally). It will heat the water too fast, can cook him, and can cause a fire because nothing is ever supposed to be placed on top of a traditional heating pad, which can cause a short. What you need is something designed for heating bowls with very little volume, and that has a thermostat so that it shuts off if the water exceeds the target temperature and comes on if it drops. Remember, high temperature is not the main requirement...consistent temperature is.

As for the bacteria, yes, partial water changes as opposed to 100% water changes will preserve the bacteria (as long as you don't rinse the gravel or ornaments). Just remember that while the bowl is cycling, you will start seeing ammonia and nitrite readings, and will need to test for them.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:47:04 GMT

50% water changes are still very large. Are you no longer adding salt or using the pH adjuster? If that is the case, you may be causing shock by altering the pH and salinity too rapidly. That is why I recommended 10% water changes until the water in the bowl matched your water source exactly (then larger ones are safe). Now it is probably a moot point because the 50% water changes have no doubt made the water match the source water, just much faster than is safe. If he is suffering from shock, there isn't much you can do. If he'll recover, he'll do so on his own as long as the water conditions are good.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:39:16 GMT

Okay, well I've been changing only half the water daily atleast 2-3 times so far, only change I've seen is he's now like floating at the top of the water sitting there, and looks like he's dead or sleeping because he hardly moves except for breathing, it doesn't even disturb him if i put my finger near him which usually it would. He's not upside down or anything.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:48:05 GMT

If I were to leave some of the old water in the bowl I wouldn't loose the good bacteria in the gravel right? And im aware of of the bacteria eating ammonia making nitrites, then another type may eats Nitrites and make Nitrates and stuff.

EDIT: Well I found a heating pad so now I'm able to keep the water warm.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:07:38 GMT

The ammonia is going to be all over the place, safe one day and dangerous the next, because you are doing 100% water changes. It doesn't allow the tank to cycle, so there won't be anything to remove the ammonia other than water changes. Read this so you know what I mean. http://fish.orbust.net/cycling.html

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 10:34:01 GMT

I tested the ammonia today, it looked like it was either on safe, or stress, it's hard to tell since sometimes the color's are very simular.

The water cooled down a bit today, and he stopped swimming around so rapdidly like he was last night when i noticed the water felt warm.

He swims around every so often, but is still a little twitchy, I got him to go for a piece of food but he spit it out, normally he doesn't spit out this type of food I gave him.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:40:11 GMT

Dragina, I would be looking for a bigger tank so that 100% water changes or extremely frequent partial water changes won't be necessary, and so it can have a heater and filter. You can usually find very cheap (under $20) or free complete 10g set ups on Craigslist or local yard sales, so look around and you may get a great deal. If you did find a 10g, your betta could have some nice tankmates, and the maintenance will be minimal.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

FisheLady — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 07:15:13 GMT

I've kept Bettas in the past and I never put salt in their water. I kept them in a 2 or 5 gallon tank with the water at 78-83 degrees. The water was changed at half the volume bi-weekly. They flourished and lived for over two years at a time.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 20:49:52 GMT

I use Aqua Plus water conditioner, I'm sure the bowl probably holds less than a gallon. I put in a about a pinch or 2 of salt, which is little.

Nitrate - 0

Nitrite - 0

Hardness - 25(very soft)

Chlorine - 0

Alkalinity - 120(Ideal)

PH - 6.8

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Hailey — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:48:44 GMT

100% water changes are very stressful to fish, especially if not all parameters (temp, pH, salinity, etc) are perfectly matched. It could be that you are stressing him and that is why he acts so off a day or so after a water change. Definitely stop using the pH adjuster, medication, and salt, but slowly as princess said. I would start doing 10% water changes every day without adding anything but dechlorinator. If you do this for two weeks you will have easily removed all the chemicals, while keeping the water very clean.

How big is his bowl anyway? Really, bettas should have a filtered, heated tank of a minimum of two gallons. They are tropical fish and must be kept warm (should be 75+ degrees), and fluctuating temps will easily bring on stress and outbreaks of disease.

RE: Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

princessotfu — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 19:27:07 GMT

You don't need the pH adjuster or the aquarium salt, you can stop using it, just do so gradually. How much salt do you usually put in?
You said you tested the water, do you know what the numbers were? Also what water conditioner do you use?

What is the normal temperature of the water? Bettas are tropical fish and require temps up around 78-82ish. Mine is at a constant 80* and he's active and as can be. They tend to get very sluggish and unhappy at lower temperatures.

You should also stop using the para-guard without knowing what you're treating for. Extra stuff in the water is an added irritant, and we don't even know what's going on yet.

Red-colored areas around the gill covers are somewhat normal for bettas. Mine has them. If it looks irritated or inflamed though, this is not a coloring thing, but probably a symptom of ammonia burn.

Betta with behavior that indicate he must be sick?

Dragina — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:40:05 GMT

Well I've had a male Betta for about a week and a half now, He was fine, but today he started sitting around wouldn't eat and has clamped fins. So I put some para guard in the water, and he started moving a little more.

I 100% cleaned his fish bowl the day before, so I'm not sure why he's acting this way now, I don't see any signs of disease. Except the behavior is abnormal. I 100% cleaned the water again today to see if it would help and he seemed to start breathing heavily after I put him in and a little jumpy/spazzy. I also added a little bit of Para guard in here too but he still was acting wierd. But he's swimming around alot more now. he's still not eating and has clamped fins.

I also noticed he seems to have a little tear in his one fin under him, but doesn't seem to be rotting away. I use water conditioner, PH adjuster and aqaurium salt in the water, the water is cold-ish sometimes after it cools off from the warm water. I tested the water and it was fine too, He has a plastic plant in his bowl with him too. I clean the water 2 times a week.

One other thing, he has red-ish marks on top of his gill covers on both sides, but they have been there for a long time, since he is a blue bodied betta with some red, im not sure if it is just part of his color.

I'm not sure what to do to make him stop acting this way.