My Beta fish is sick!

Question
My Beta fish has one bulging eyeball and doesn't seem to be as active as he used to be.  I have had him about 3 months.  His color looks like it is changing and he isn't eating like he used to.  I change about 1/3 of his water each week and lately have been adding Beta Fix Remedy to his water, but it doesn't seem to be helping.  Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Genean,

I pulled your question out of the question pool.

If your betta has protruding and/or cloudy eyes this is popeye and is a bacterial infection.  You need to treat your betta with the appropriate anti-bacterial popeye medication found at any pet store.

You also need to make sure that your betta is in the appropriate environment.  95% of fish diseases are environment related.  He needs at the very minimum a 5 gallon tank that is both heated and filtered.  I see most bettas get sick from having no heater.  They are tropical fish and require a consistent temp, around 78 F is best.  Also, all fish need filtration.  Who wants to swim around in their own waste?  This will cause disease.  Anything less than a 5 gallon tank simply does not hold enough water to dilute a problem when it occurs.

Once you move him you'll see a marked difference in his activity and appearance.  And in the right sized tank you'll only need to do maintenance every 3-4 weeks.

Good luck : ) April M.