Sick Fish?! EDIT- RIP see last post

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

I think my purple betta may be sick, injured, or dying. =( We have two males (kept seperatly of course.) I think I've had Poptart between 6 months and one year. For a while he's been a paler color, but I didn't think anything of it. Well, we left to go away for the weekend on Friday and I fed them right before I left and as soon as I got back (today.) Well, Poptart is sorta tipping backwards? Almost as if his tail is too heavy. If I tap on the glass he moves and straightens out, but he keeps tipping again and sorta just sitting there. I put food in and he didn't eat it. We do have two cats but they've never bothered them before. Is he sick? Is there anything I can do? Any help would be great. Thanks! And please do not say I'm a bad pet owner because I didn't get someone to feed my fish while we were gone. It was only for two days and we've left them before. =P

Alabama · September 2010

Unlike furry pets, fish can do just fine missing a feeding or two. Betta's don't have a long life span, but he does sound like he's sick as well. You might check at a local fish store about conditioning tonic for fish, or they may be able to tell better what he might have and what might help him.

SirPopcorn · September 2010

o.o My betta always tips over >.> It'll go lay 'on' the plant and just.. tip backwards for a minute or two.. then swim around normally. He's done it ever since I've had him.. which is about 6months too :P He also sends to 'sit' around for a while and not move. I've been told it's just boredom though.. which I find plausable as when I'm near the tank or somethings happening nearby he's all up and darting around..

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

If he's acting lethargic towards the top of his bowl, then he could definitely be sick. He was most likely 6-12 months old when you purchased him, so age shouldn't be the cause of his lethargy. Bettas can also do just fine skipping a few days of food if necessary, so don't worry about that. What is the size of his tank? What are the temperatures? Do the temperature tend to fluctuate a lot in the room he's kept in? Are you using a filter? Did you recently change the water? What chemicals do you use in his water? What is the the pH, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites of his tank? Is paling in color and lethargy his only symptoms? No spots, black rimmed fins, redness, or swelling?

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

He seems to be more active now, and he ate a little bit. Recently the temperature dropped, (in the air not his water) I wonder if that could effect him? His bowl was cleaned and the water was changed a few days ago and the water normally stays at room temperature. I may just give it good cleaning, I don't know if that will help though. Thanks for all the advice.

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

I want to confirm, he lives in a bowl? How many gallons is it, and is there any type of filter on it? His lethargy is most likely because you are keeping him in a bowl. Bettas that are kept in bowls tend to only average a lifespan of 2-3 years, while a betta kept in a filtered tank can average twice that. They sell cheap 2.5 gallons, and Tetra makes a fantastic air pump powered carbon filter for small tanks called 3i. I highly recommend switching him into a tank. You can probably pick up both from a pet store for $20. If you want to save money, large plastic kritter keepers also work for bettas. However, plastic kritter keepers do turn brittle over time, made worse if kept near a window. Bowls are really just fish killers. Things once accepted, but now proven to be a poor environments for fish. Just because a betta can survive in one, doesn't mean it's a good home. It's like saying that just because a dog can survive in a cage means it should live their it's whole life. Do you get what I'm saying? Regarding the temperature. I'd recommend a digital probe thermometer to get accurate readings of the water. If his temperature fluctuates a lot throughout the day, the you might want to consider a heater. Tropical fish are a lot more sensitive than cold water fish when it comes to temperature, so a few degree rise or drop can sometimes cause them a lot of stress. Be careful when changing the water as well. If he's lethargic, then changing the water could stress him out. Be sure to use a water conditioner if you do, and maybe a pinch of aquarium salt. Keep a close eye on him.

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

I never knew that keeping them in bowls could be harmful to them....Someone told me bettas could live in very small areas. My friend has a tank for her two males, and it has a divider in the middle, should I get that instead? We could also dig our old goldfish tank out of the basement....if we still have it. We don't have a filter at the time, but we clean them fairly often. Although we are careful to make sure the new, clean water is the same temperature as the old water. To be honest I'm not sure how many gallons it is, I guess it's the average sized fish bowl, my sister and dad bought them. I'll definatly look into getting a tank. When I was little I kept my goldfish in a bowl, all my friends have their fish in bowls, and the petstore said they do fine in bowls, so I really didn't know any better, but I'd like to get a tank now that I know. Thanks for the help.

PS: He seems to be acting more active now....and he did eat.

Shibagirl · September 2010

I've had so many betas.. They're fun. I had three (one after another.. All seemed to live about three years each.) Alien 1, Alien 2, and Alien 3 XD I was young when I got each one haha. Alien 2 survived jumping from the bowl onto the kitchen table, and onto my sister's raviolis XD I read somewhere that they can stay in the air longer than regular fish =] I also had two others later, Saphire and Turquoise. I don't have betas anymore, I have balloon mollies. But my sister's white beta, Heather, recently passed after three years. He was a male XD I really don't know what to say, I'd go check with an aquarium place..

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Yeah, the whole bowl thing is not longer acceptable. Fancy goldfish like orandas, moors, pearlscale, etc. need a minimum of 10 gallons per fish, while large goldfish like commons, comets, shubukin, etc. need a minimum of 20 gallons per fish. This is all to prevent stunting, which drastically reduces the fish's lifespan to as short as 1-2 years, when a healthy goldfish can live 10+. I just find it insane that petstores still justify putting a fish, which can reach 10 inches as an adult, in a tiny bowl. Anyways, back to bettas. Bettas can live in small amounts of water, so that is not false information; however, they still need the essentials, such as a filter, in order to remain healthy and happy. The advantage of a filter and slightly larger tank is that you can "cycle" it. Please read about the nitrogen cycle here: <a href="http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html#how-much-ammonia"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-cycling.html#how-much-ammonia</a>. Here is a good article on the basics for pet betta keeping <a href="http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/mar08/betta-tank-setup.htm"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.fishlore.com/aquariummagazine/mar08/betta-tank-setup.htm</a>. Most of my bettas were kept in more elaborate setups, since I was actively breeding for awhile, but I did keep some pet males in similar setups mentioned in that article. Here's the basics of what you'll need to keep a betta. That's off the top of my head, so I might be missing some things. 1. A tank ranging from 2.5-10 gallons. 2. Filter, and extra filter cartridges. I recommend a Tetra 3i for anything 5 gallons and below. A 10i is pretty good for a 10 gallon. 3. Decorations. Your betta will appreciate pants to hide in. 4. A kit that tests at least ammonia, ph,nitrates, and nitrites. API makes a nice, complete kit. 5. Heater. This is not completely necessary if your house remains between 75-80 degrees, but your betta will appreciate it. 6. Medicine. Once again, not completely necessary to always have, but you'll be glad you had it ahead of time if you fish get's sick. 7. Water conditioner. An absolute must have for changing water. 8. Aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is not for salt water fish, and it's not the same thing as table salt. It's technically used a medicine to promote healing, but works very well for calming stressed fish. 9. A digital thermometer. Stick on ones just don't work. A tip: NEVER listen to petstores. Always go home, and do your own research before buying anything they try to sell you. I swear, some of the stuff in petstores is strictly designed to kill your pets like dreaded calcisand for reptiles, and bowls for fish.

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

Thank you for the info. I'll be sure to read the articles and take a look at the petstore for a nice tank.

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Good luck~

SC`s Stars II · September 2010

Okay, no joke... You know those goldfish you win at the fair? And they live for like 48 hours max? I ad one that lived for nine.flipping.years. If it is kind of lying on the bottom or tipping sideways, etc. it could be (prepare for this...) constipated. No.Joke. Try cooking a pea and mashing it up and feeding it to your fisheh. It might just work! I read it somewhere and it worked on my fish.

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

Wow. Actually, when I was little I had a carnival fish that lived for almost 5 years. I think they either live a really short time or a really long time. Okay, something new I just noticed is that it's almost like he chews his food and spits it out. I put in a few little pellets and suddenly there was a big, mushy clump of them floating. :shock:

Jellybeanjoe · September 2010

I don't totally agree with PrinceSushi on tank size. I'm more of the frame of mine that while the bigger that bowl/tank the better, as long as you're willing keep up consistent water changes and are vigilant on keeping the tank clean and suitable for Betta's you don't necessarily need a bigger tank. My current one holds 5L (approx 1.5 gallons if google is correct - I only quickly glanced). Other than that, I agree with everything else said xD I would suggest looking into getting a heater. I've found my fish were happier with a more constant temperate than that I was able to supply room-wise. As for chomping on food and spitting it out? My current boy does that

I started him on pellets (cause that's what I fed my previous boy), but he thought they were fun to play with (-chomp chomp- -spit- -watch/chase it floating to the bottom-

His main diet now consists of a flake Betta mix (he hunts the flakes on the top xD), supplemented by pellets (when he actually decides to eat them xD) and bloodworms as a change. If you have another sort of food, I suggest trying that and seeing what he does. He might just be bored with what he's on currently (if fish can get bored of course O.o)

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Jellybeanjoe wrote:

I don't totally agree with PrinceSushi on tank size. I'm more of the frame of mine that while the bigger that bowl/tank the better, as long as you're willing keep up consistent water changes and are vigilant on keeping the tank clean and suitable for Betta's you don't necessarily need a bigger tank. My current one holds 5L (approx 1.5 gallons if google is correct - I only quickly glanced). Other than that, I agree with everything else said xD I would suggest looking into getting a heater. I've found my fish were happier with a more constant temperate than that I was able to supply room-wise. As for chomping on food and spitting it out? My current boy does that I started him on pellets (cause that's what I fed my previous boy), but he thought they were fun to play with (-chomp chomp- -spit- -watch/chase it floating to the bottom- His main diet now consists of a flake Betta mix (he hunts the flakes on the top xD), supplemented by pellets (when he actually decides to eat them xD) and bloodworms as a change. If you have another sort of food, I suggest trying that and seeing what he does. He might just be bored with what he's on currently (if fish can get bored of course O.o)

I highly disagree, and also suggest you switch your bettas home to something larger. I would never keep a betta in anything less than 2.5 gallons. When completely filled a 1.5 gallon bowl will hold about 1.5 gallons(5L is actually between 1-1.5 gallons). However, you have to factor in the room the decorations take up, the lower water level to avoid jumping, the room the heater takes up(a heater is NOT safe in a 1.5 gallon BTW), etc. By the time you are done, you're lucky if the bowl is holding 1 gallon, which is not acceptable for a betta. Having that low of water also tends to cause the parameters to fluctuate like crazy, which stresses the fish, which lowers the immune system, and leaves them susceptible to life threatening illness. Just think of the general(though not always 100% correct) rule for stocking fish; 1inch per gallon. An adult betta, which has not been stunted should average 2-2.5 inches, therefore the bare minimum should be 2 gallons total(after factoring what will be put in the tank). I did just like everyone else, started with bowls, but until you've kept your fish in better setups, you don't even realize how pathetic the fish look and behave in bowls. Once I set up a racked drip system for all my breeders, I got bright colors, healthier fish, and fish that lived longer. Though it's not really important in terms of pet bettas, all of mine kept on drip systems or in large tanks also bred better. I also must say, that keeping fish is not simply just changing the water, and cleaning the bowl. A betta is just as much as fish, and any other fish, and therefore you will need to know the biology and chemistry behind maintaining water quality. Having a cycled tank is a lot more beneficial to your fish than a bowl, which generally gets completely new water every couple days. In summary, it's near impossible to cycle a small bowl. It can even be hard in a 2.5 gallon, but still do-able with careful monitoring of parameters, so some betta keepers won't even go under 5 gallons. As for food. Be very cautious with peas. Peas are digestible for goldfish, because goldifsh are omnivorous. Bettas are carnivorous, and can not always properly digest peas, because their digestive tracts aren't designed for digesting plant material. Try frozen live food such as blood worms or daphnia, and switch to some different pellets. My bettas were normally fed Hikari brand pellets.

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

Poptart died yesterday. =( I guess he was sick, or something else was wrong. R.I.P.

tarnish · September 2010

Im sorry about your fishy. Mine behaved like yours did awhile ago and his colors seemed dull. He died a few days after I noticed it. I hadn't wanted to mention anything because I didnt want to be a downer. I have a new fish and he's doing a lot better than the other one. Seems like some just dont last while others do.

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

That's okay. I wasn't really attached to him or anything. It's a lot different then a dog or cat dying. I do have another one. (Pepsi.) Hmm, I wonder if that's something that's common in fish/bettas?

tarnish · September 2010

Oh ok, I just didn't want to be insensitive.

Mileysmybaby · September 2010

will you post pics please

Garnet · September 2010

Did you have the two fish in he same tank or their tanks close to each other?

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

No they were seperated lol. But the bowls were right next to each other.

Garnet · September 2010

Some Beta fish, if the bowls are placed close enough to each other, will ram the sides of their bowls trying to fight the beta in the other bowl.. my brothers did that and they both died a few days later =(

iluvdogs111 · September 2010

Interesting, I never noticed either of my fish doing that.

SunnyDaysDontLie · September 2010

PrinceSushi wrote:

 A tip: NEVER listen to petstores. Always go home, and do your own research before buying anything they try to sell you. I swear, some of the stuff in petstores is strictly designed to kill your pets like dreaded calcisand for reptiles, and bowls for fish.

So THATS what killed my lizard...

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

Garnet wrote:

Some Beta fish, if the bowls are placed close enough to each other, will ram the sides of their bowls trying to fight the beta in the other bowl.. my brothers did that and they both died a few days later =(

It's the constant stress that kills them in those situations. Males, and even some females are highly territorial, and will try to defend against other bettas until they have to hide(not easy in a bowl), or until they tire themselves out so much that they die. However, some males can sit near each other without constantly trying to get at each other. It just depends on the fish, and since iluvdogs111, correct me if I'm wrong, has kept them near each other for a whole year without too much fighting, then that probably wasn't a problem with her fish. However, it is always a good idea to keep males from seeing each other. A piece of paper between two tanks is enough to do that.

So THATS what killed my lizard...

It's hard to say for sure if that's what did it, because I don't know what species you had, or if you had all the correct equipment, but it's a possibility. Almost every case of impaction I've seen is due to someone being told by a petstore that calcisand would help their reptiles, or that keeping -insert species- on sand would be fine.

SunnyDaysDontLie · September 2010

PrinceSushi wrote:

 

So THATS what killed my lizard...

 It's hard to say for sure if that's what did it, because I don't know what species you had, or if you had all the correct equipment, but it's a possibility. Almost every case of impaction I've seen is due to someone being told by a petstore that calcisand would help their reptiles, or that keeping -insert species- on sand would be fine.

I had a leopard gecko. And he was fine on regular sand ): And mom decided calcisand would be better and his...uh. Genitals swelled and he got impacted bowels even though we were feeding him correctly [crickets, mealworms], but he would eat the sand...I kept his tank -spotless- and the sunlight was always on ):

RoyalRaccoon · September 2010

SunnyDaysDontLie wrote:

PrinceSushi wrote:

 

So THATS what killed my lizard...

 It's hard to say for sure if that's what did it, because I don't know what species you had, or if you had all the correct equipment, but it's a possibility. Almost every case of impaction I've seen is due to someone being told by a petstore that calcisand would help their reptiles, or that keeping -insert species- on sand would be fine.

 I had a leopard gecko. And he was fine on regular sand ): And mom decided calcisand would be better and his...uh. Genitals swelled and he got impacted bowels even though we were feeding him correctly [crickets, mealworms], but he would eat the sand...I kept his tank -spotless- and the sunlight was always on ):

Sand in general is not safe for reptiles, except for those that are specifically from sandy environments(sandfish for example). Leos, though desert dwelling, are found in rocky deserts, and thus sand is a very poor substrate. It could have been the plain sand, the calcisand, or a combo that resulted in impaction. Keeping leos on sand is only beneficial to the owner, who generally thinks that the sand makes the tank a more "realistic" enclosure, even though it's entirely unsafe for leos, because they will eat sand. Always make sure to thoroughly research an animal before purchasing it.

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Sick Fish?! EDIT- RIP see last post

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