I just got a Betta fish,and he's losing his scales and not swimming around like he used to.Please Help!?

Question

Hey I got a betta fish named finn a week ago, and he's been swimming at the bottom of the container, his color is fading, and hes practically still all the time.The pet store manager was no help at all.He was some sleezy high schooler.I feed him a few flakes a day, and I just want him to be happy and healthy! Any advice or links will help!I have never owned a fish before so dont hesitate to give any advice.Much Love- xoxoxo ~Keri

Answer 1

He will be much more healthy and active in a small 2.5 gallon tank with a heater and filter.When bettas get to cold they can be much less active,he also could be suffering from poor water quality ,if he is in a bowl you should change all his water about every 3 days and make sure you use something to remove the chlorine.Here is some information about about cycling if you decide to get a small tank.:
http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

Answer 2

hi keri

First of all a betta needs at least a 2.5 gallon tank with filter, heater and a live plant he can rest on
A 5 gallon would of course be even better ;)

you should also have some gravel for the bottom

The heater is a must, to provide him with constant temperature at 76-82 degrees, that's where they really start to thrive their colors

Before you get a fish you're suppose to cycle a tank
here is a link that discribes all that in detail, how it works and what that means
http://fishlesscycling.com/articles.html


your betta sounds like he's affectet by ammonia poisening, that means it happens when you don't clean the tank, in your case i assume it's a bowl, which must be cleaned everyday, with a gravel siphon, take out 25% daily, and replace it with conditioned water

For right now do a 50% waterchange right away, and put 1 tablespoon of aquarium salt in there

here is also a link that describes caring for a betta in detail
http://fishlesscycling.com/articles/caring_for_bettas.html


Please read all that carfully, and if you have any more questions feel free to email me through my profile

If you get a tank, I can guide you through the emergency setup, to save your betta even in an uncycled tank




Hope that helps
good luck


EB


Edit*
a male from the petstore is only about 8-10 months old when they're sold, so no it's definately not old age
they can live up to 8 years with proper care

Answer 3

Your betta might have had some problems with stress while your where taking it home. Usually when a fish turns white or fading in color, it means its old. You betta might be old and will leave you soon.

I would not go back to that pet store again. I would try a better store. I don't know how a high schooler would have a pet store.

Answer 4

go to www.about.com and look up Betta fish then scroll down to you see a profile of Siamese fighting fish including habitat care feeding and breeding i hope this helps and your fish gets better

Answer 5

If you are using tap water this is why. This happened to me, so I started putting the stuff to take chlorine out of tap water in his bowl (I forgot what it is called) and he started doing a lot better.

Answer 6

He is definitely sick!! He may have had some bad bacteria in his water. You will need to take him to a vet, or see if there is something you can put in his water to help. Unfortunately, it might be too late, and you may need to get a new fish before long. It's hard to make them better, once they get sick. Sorry!!