Betta Splendens/Saimese fighter acting very strange - dull colouring...?

Question

I have recently bought a betta, which was very colourful (blue and red) for the first few week, now it has gone a dull colour, showing dull horizontal lines across its body. Its no longer splaying out its fins and hides in small spaces or near the bottom - however it does seem to be eating. What is the problem with it? is it ill? Thanks

He is in a 36 inch tank with other non-aggressive fish, and the temp. is at 81-82 F. I have done water changes with no fatalities

Answer 1

The conditions in which it's kept is a good place to start. These are tropical fish, so first I would ask if you have a heater? They should have a water temperature around 76-86o to thrive.

What are you keeping it in? Although they are shown in the little cups in most stores, this is only meant to be temporary, since the males need to be separated from each other (better pet stores put one male per tank with other species, and all females together in another tank). Each fish should have at least a gallon of water, and 2.5 or 5 gallons (or larger) is even better - this size more easily accomodates heaters and filters (yes, they should have a filter, just like any other fish).

If the water volume is small, especially if it's unfiltered, this needs to have 100% changes every 2-3 days to prevent a buildup of ammonia and/or nitrite, both of which are toxic to your fish. In a larger volume with a filter, you should only need to change 25% of the water every week. You could test your water (or have your pet store test a sample for you) to see what the ammonia and nitrite levels are: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/ammoniapoison.htm , http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm , http://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

Also, if none of these seems to be a problem, observe your fish under a bright light and see if you notice a "powdery" substance on it's body, especially toward the fins where it may be more noticable. This would look grey-white under normal lighting, but id you shine a bright flashlight on the fish, the powder will look more gold-rust colored. This is a sign of velvet, a parasite I've seen frequently on bettas. You can treat this with formalin/malachite green (Quick Cure & Rid Ich are two brands). You also need to have any tank lights turned off during the treatment, since the parasite has a photosynthetic pigment and can make some of it's own food. I've been running treatments for 3 weeks to make sure it's out of the tank - I had one fish recently that I treated for only 2 weeks, and it came back: http://www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/health/othprotist.shtml

Answer 2

Okay...what types of other fish. Although many fish may be considered nonaggressive, this doesn't mean they will never pick on other fish, especially those with long, flowing, colorful fins. Temp's good for the Betta, and that high you shouldn't have to worry about ich. It sounds like there's another fish that is dominant, so the Betta is backing down.
NEVER do a 100% water change. Generally one quarter at most, and once a week.

Answer 3

You're taking care of him perfectly fine, don't worry. The same thing happened to my betta fish, and he died one year later, which is the lifespan of an average betta. Just keep on with your routine, and feed him more brine shrimp and freeze-dried bloodworms. (another thing, if your water is chlorinated, it is vital to let the water sit [without the fish inside] for about 24 hours, so it becomes distilled. Still do this process even if your water is well water. Sorry if you already do it! >.<)

Answer 4

I would think it has not climatised to the water. There could be an inbalance in the ph levels or something similar. If he doesn't pick up I would visit your local pet store to purchase water treatments. Fish can become depressed when moved to new surroundings. He may have an illness so get him checked

Answer 5

Do you have any idea what you water parameters are?...IE Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate? Do you add aquarium salt to you water?

I always add salt to my Betta's water. I suggested it to a friend, and she started adding salt to her tanks, and her Betta perked up.

Also, using bottled water in not good. I have found that only Ozarka natural spring water is ok to use. Treated tap water is the best. RO water takes out everything but H2O...that means it takes out all trace minerals that fish need to survive. Distilled water is a huge NO NO!

I hope he gets better soon.