Is my betta fish going to die?

Question

My betta fish has not eaten in about a week. I am really worried because he has no energy and basically just floats, tail up, on the bottom of the tank. He has been very aggressive for the past two months, blowing up trying to fight anyone that approaches the tank. I have only had him for about 6 months and have read that they can live 3-5 years. He just doesnt look well he is not inflated or scaling or anything like that. However i did notice his color is not as bright and his face has gotten darker? almost as if he is dirty.. he tries to swim and if he can get enough energy to he can but there are times that he just sort of twitches in his attempts..Today especially i have been keeping close watch and noticed that he tends to lay still at the bottom breathing heavily continuously inlfating his gills until he gets a random burst of energy and swims frantically to the top and then into the glass until he finds a new spot at the bottom.. i dont have a good feeling..is there any hope?

Answer 1

I agree with you, my feeling is not good either :(
Do you test water quality. You should test for Nitrite, nitrate and ammonia on a weekly basis. If they are up its a death sentence for any fish in the tank.
The following forum is great, you will get lots of help if you ask a question there...good luck, I hope he makes it...:D

Answer 2

This sounds like ammonia/nitrate poisoning, and/or a disease. Also it's likely he has swim bladder disorder which causes him to sink to the bottom. Remember his gills like all betta don't function. So he needs to reach the surface to fill his labyrinth organ with air.

I'd reduce the amount of water in his tank/bowl, and be sure to keep his water clean, and warm. Regular cleaning of the bowl is a must, but be sure not to subject him to rapid temp changes when you do.

Take a look at the betta talk disease section, and reexamine him. Things like velvet are pretty hard to see if you don't no what you are looking for. You could try treating him with trisulfa in case it's a bacteria infection.

PS- A betta in this state will likely not survive more than a few days. Be sure to read up on betta care on betta talk before you buy a new betta.

Answer 3

Your fish is very ill and is probably not long for this world. I'm so sorry...

First off, is his water clean? If not, take a thermometer and measure the temperature of his water. Then make a clean drought of pure bottled spring water and make sure it's the exact same temperature... remove water from his bowl slowly until there is just enough for him to sit comfortably in, and then pour the new water slowly in through a funnel or straw. You do not want to disturb the fish at all, or change his water temperature at all, as his health cannot handle it. But he definitely may be in need of clean water. It's possible you unwittingly contaminated his water, and some clean water may be what he needs to restore his health. It's like getting a human out of a smoke-filled room, if you will.

That's the only thing I can think of. The pet store may sell vitamin drops which you can use to enrich the water and get some nourishment to your starving pet, maybe boost his health.

Try changing his food, as well. He may respond to live food.

See if you can find a veterinarian who handles fish. Some exotic aquarium stores have employees who can help. Other than the things I mentioned, there's not much else to be done except wait and see.

Here is a good site I found: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/betfdgfaqs.htm

Answer 4

Sorry to say, But, yes your fish could die! BUT you could try some thing and it could cure him..... Buy some Medflex. You can find this at any walmart. It's about $7 a bottle But it's good to have around. change the bettas water and pour a small amount in the water. Your fish might be sick and this medication could help him get better, But seeing that he hasnt eaten anything for a while, you should act fast, their could still be time to save him. When you feed him after treating him, feed a pea, he could be constipated, and if not, the pea will be good for his stonache.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

It sounds like some kind of contamination. Try changing his water. I would also recommend trying to figure out what caused the problem to begin with. Never use any kind of soap on his bowl. Don't use airfresheners in the room he's in. Try not to smoke around your fish (lol...I know it sounds funny). Don't use carpet fresheners. He's a Betta so for the most part he's pretty hardy. I would recommend a huge water change if not a complete water change at this point but it is still very important to narrow down the cause of your fish's distress. Try to following website for more tips:

http://www3.sympatico.ca/drosera1/fish/illness.htm#Hydrogen%20Sulfide

Answer 6

Hi,
Hate to tell you this but if they to 3 years your going well i bread bettas have you tryed live blood worms changed hes water it has to be aged for two days does he have a heater etc,,,
put him in smaller tank so its not so hard to get to the top if you have some antie fungal meds put a few drops in with him
shirley

Answer 7

That is what happened to my betta. I was told it was because my tank was not clean but cleaning it didn't help. You could try that food that you put in your tank and it dissolves in the water so they breath it in. But other than that you can't really do anything. I had to flush mine because it was like 4 weeks and it was not any better.

Answer 8

Maybe the food you give him is just not to his taste. It could also possibly be your water. If it's none of these, I think you bought an old fish. It's probably dying of old age now.

Answer 9

Unfortunately it sounds like your fishing is on his last fin.

I have a betta fish, he is blue. If your fishy dies you can have mine, but you have to come pick him up. He lives in Bakersfield, CA. I'm sick of cleaning his tank.

Answer 10

Try going to Petco