I have this pet beta fish. I change it's water like once a week (that's what the pet store owner said), it's eating normally and he looks ok, BUT! Instead of staying horizontal, it sits up vertically instead...what can I do? Can he turn back to a normal fish again?
2007-01-08 20:05:47 · 3 answers · asked by Mirror 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
He sounds a little sick :( Betta fish swim vertically when they are no longer able to keep themselves oriented properly.
I have a couple questions.
Do you keep him in a small bowl? Contrary to popular belief, bettas cannot live in bowls. A 5 gallon tank would be fine, but they NEED heat - in the wild, their water is 80F, and they need this captivity to metabolize their food. They should also have proper filtration - otherwise, when they poop, they produce ammonia, which just adds up in the tank until you remove it. It would be like using the toilet on the floor and only cleaning it once a week - gross, right? And very unhealthy.
Do you use dechlorinator in the water? If not, do, because chlorine which is found in tap water is toxic to your fish.
When you do water changes, are you careful to keep the water the same temperature as before? If not, it can shock your fish. If you must keep your fish in a bowl, put him near a lamp so the water is warmer, and do water changes every day. Get a clean turkey baster, remove half the water and any uneaten food and poop, and replace with fresh dechlorinated water. It will only take a couple minutes, and you won't ever have to completely clean the tank which is time consuming, and stressful for the betta.
What do you feed him? Bettas kept in cooler waters have trouble metabolizing their food. If he is accepting food, try offering him some pieces of shelled pea to clear any blockages, and always soak his pellets before feed them to so they don't expand in his belly.
Frankly, the best thing you could do, would be to get a cheap used 5 gallon set up with filter and heater. It would cost you maybe 10$ and he would likely recover.
If kept in a bowl, he will not live for much longer.
2007-01-09 02:59:03 · answer #1 · answered by Zoe 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try getting him a slightly bigger, like a 1 gallon.
2007-01-09 04:09:37 · answer #2 · answered by Krazycricket 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is there a fan or something moving above him? Maybe he feels threatened.. or maybe he just likes the view. ^_^
2007-01-09 04:19:42 · answer #3 · answered by MissBrittney 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋