What is wrong with my Betta?

Question

Almost every time I clean him which is about once a week after he sits in the water it seems like he begins to die. He will float at the surface and seem to begin to turn over on his side like he is dying. after about a full day of making me believe he is going to die all of a sudden he is fine. Any ideas on what I might be doing wrong or what is wrong with him would be appreciated

Answer 1

First of all, how big is your tank? 2 gallons should be the bare minimum. (Don't listen to all the rumors you hear about 'they live in puddles in paddy fields'. Bettas can jump, giving them lots of lateral room to jump from puddle to puddle. Those 'puddles' can also be 3 or 4 feet deep.) Think of it this way, you can SURVIVE in a closet your whole life if someone came in to clean it and give you food, but you wouldn't like it. The smaller the space, the more frequent the water changes. Otherwise, the ammonia and toxins from his wastes build up super duper fast.

Changing the water once a week is what you should be doing. When you take him out for tank cleaning, you should scoop him out in a cup. It's much less stressful than using a net. Those nets feel like sandpaper on their bodies (yes, even the super duper fine ones).

Distilled water or bottled water is a NO NO. Although pure H20 sounds ideal, it lacks the beneficial materials found in tap water and the water they live in in the wild. Put a few drops of dechlorinator (try AquaSafe) in the water, and MAKE SURE THE WATER IS AT LEAST 75 DEGREES F before you put your betta back in.

Bettas are often listless because the temperature is too cold. Invest $4 in a thermometer (the sticker kind you put on the outside of the tank are fine) to keep the temperature regulated. If you find that the temp goes below 75 degrees, you should buy a heater or move him into a warmer part of your house. I keep my tanks around 78-80 degrees.

As far as the floating on his side, that might be a swim bladder disorder, which is causing him to be off-balance. For more info on that, read this: http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/Disorders/sbd.php

Feed him twice a day. I've had great success with 3 pellets in the morning, and 2 in the evening. Bettas have teeny tiny stomachs (their stomachs are the size of one of their eyes), so it's very very easy to overfeed. Don't feed your poor baby flakes. They just pollute the water, and don't contain the betta-specific nutrients found in betta pellets. Substitute a dried bloodworm for the evening meal every couple days as a treat. Bettas are carnivorous, and bloodworms are like candy.

Answer 2

Your Beta is going into shock! When he does that and it could eventually kill him. I don't know how many time a fish can go into shock and come out of it just fine, but yours is probably reaching the limit.
Just based on what you wrote, I would venture to guess that the temperature is vastly different from the old dirty water to the new clean water you put him. If that is not correct, my next guess would be that you may not be decontaminating the new water.
When you refill with new water make sure you are adding afew drops of tap water conditioner. One common brand is called Stress Coat, or more generically, Tap Water Conditioner. This removes harmful metals, chlorine or other poisonous toxins.
If again I am not right about that the only other guess I have is that the transition from old water to new water is for some reason too traumatizing. Maybe you are not gentle enough, or maybe you are running the water from the tap into the bowl with the fish in it. Without knowing exactly how you normally do it, I can't be certain, but If you can take ANY of the above mentioned suggestions to help, please do so for the sake of your pet.
Also here's a hint.... Rock Salt for aquariums, 1-2 teaspoons, will help ease the effects of stress. Put some in when you change the water.
Good Luck--And don't worry too much. Bettas are VERY resiliant. I once took one across four states in a Mountain Dew Bottle when we moved. I've also accidentally dropped one in the soapy dish water. Rinsed him off and put him back. All of mine have lived for at least two years.
And my mother had one that she forgot about for 3 months-no food or anything, and later found it in VERY dirty water, it lived for another 18 months.
They are amazing.

Answer 3

How big is your bowl? If it is large enough, you are better not completely changing the water, because the changed chemistry of the water is very stressful. If he is in a little betta bowl change 3/4 of the water, if a larger bowl, 1/4 to 1/2. The gunk settles to the bottom, so you are best off siphoning the water from the bottom with a hose. If you do not know how, most employees at good pet stores can demonstrate.

If you are using tap water for your changes, let it sit out overnight. This will evaporate the chlorine. Make sure the water is the same temperature as the water he is in, as well. Ading Start-rite to the water is a great way to condition the water, and remove chlorine and other impurities. Do you have a plant for him? Plants help condition the water, too, and help absorb stress/ shock of sudden changes.

Answer 4

nicely regrettably the surroundings that you've presented isn't healthful for a betta. he gained't thrive in a bowl. a million. Betta's are tropical fish. they are interior reach to Southeast Asia the position it really is continually warmth so the Betta's favourite temperature variety is 78F-82F. a lot higher than room temperature many times is, rather this time of year so an aquarium heater is significant mostly. - even as fish are kept in a temperature that's purely too low they are going to be torpid, not likely to devour, and susecptible to affliction. 2. ALL fish kept as pets must have filtration. A filter out not in common words aerates the water, notwithstanding it really is responsible for the ruin down of fish waste. Fish waste is given off in the fashion of ammonia that's poisonous. once you've a cycled filtration equipment valuable bacteria enhabits the media and breaks down ammonia into nitrite (it is also deadly) and ultimately into nitrates that are a lot less risky and extremely kept at a workable element with the help of performing weekly partial water alterations. 3. A a million/2 gallon bowl is purely too small for any fish. Many evaluate the minimum for a betta to be about 5 gallons. It promises adequate swimming area, is secure to warmth, and makes for a extra sturdy surroundings than smaller volumes. - also, bettas are commonly used jumpers and would bounce out of uncovered bowls. So a suitable tank with an finished lid is significant.

Answer 5

Betta's like to hide. Do you have a plant or something in the water that can give him some seclusion? Before you clean his water, do you notice a bubble nest? A happy male Betta will make a bubble nest hoping that a girl Betta will come along someday. Of course, male Betta's don't have much use for the girls once the babies come along. Then the male raises the babies.
I digress - I just suspect that your Betta likes things a bit dark and dirty and is having a hard time adjusting to housecleaning.

Answer 6

This sound like you are putting him into shock. It's fine to use tap water. (Bottled water may actually be worse for him than tap.) What you need to do is dechlorinate it, and match the temp of his water. Generally all you need to do is leave the water out for a day or two to remove the chlorine. To equalize the water temp all you need to do is leave the water in the same room as the bowl for a few hours.

Answer 7

make sure the water is not too cold.. I make the water body temperature.. when its filling, I feel it with my hand and get it to where I'm only feeling the water, not it's temp. Not cool, not warm.. just right...he may be hiding until the water warms up after a couple days... also never forget to put the water conditioner to regulate it..
Otherwise, he's probably not a very active fish... some love to hide a lot..give him shrubs or flowers to sit on, too.. they love that

Answer 8

It's probably the stress of being netted and having all his water changed. Look for a larger bowl that you won't have to clean so often. Flake food makes the water dirtier, so if you are using flakes you may try betta pellets.

Answer 9

My fish is funny like that to. He scares me all the time that I am hurting him but I am like the best fish-mother ever. I feed him every day at the same time and he knows how to play with me. Lol. Love my little fishy. But yea my betta does the same thing, I think it is because I didn't used to have a fish net and I used a spoon. GOod Luck!

Answer 10

no idea why he is doing that but 24 hours b4 u are going to clean him out distill the water this means getting it outta the tap and letting it sit out, and then pour stress coat in it then do what u need to do to his tank p.s. try cleaning it once every 2 weeks dont over clean