My Betta is sick

Question
QUESTION: I purchased a Betta from a local WalMart store about two weeks ago.  Our WalMart is not the best at taking care of their fish.  The Betta was already on his side in his little bowl when I bought him.  He was the only one left and I felt very sorry for him so here I am.  I've researched the web and thought that he might have Swim Bladder Disease.  He swims on his side at the top of the water and occasionally darts to the bottom or side to side.  I got him on a Wednesday and did not feed him anything until Saturday.  Tried the pea idea but he won't touch it.  Who knows last time he eat or what he eat so I gave him one pellet of Betta Bio-Gold.  Once he found it he gobbled it up. Waited a couple more days without food no difference so have been feeding him a pellet a day now.  He is no worse but no better than the day I got him. He still swims on his side and looks pitiful. I have him in a one gallon Betta tank with a air pump, hood light, gravel and a plant that floats on the top of the water for him to rest under. I have lowered the water level in the tank to half.  So right now he cannot have the air pump.  How can I heat a one gallon tank?  Do they make heaters for one gallon?  I've had the little guy for two weeks what can I do to help him.  I also have 6 other healthy Bettas in one gallon tanks of their own.  Yes, I feel sorry for a lot of them in stores?  Is there someone who regulates what size Betta bowls need to be for stores to sell them?  I know one store that has them in the smallest bowls I have ever seen.  Sorry for the long e-mail.  Thank you for your help.



ANSWER: Hi Sharon,
I agree with you, bettas are so mistreated, and unfortunately there is no law to protect them.  I feel sorry for them too, it just breaks my heart when I see this.  The idea that bettas can live in small bowls, and told they can by shop managers, is simply that they do not know any better.  Sure a betta can live in a small bowl, but he won't be a happy betta, and will not live the life he should be living.  It will be cut short.
The best is a 5 gallon tank with a heater.  A betta should be in 78-80 degree water.  When a betta is cold, he gets sick.  He should have a silk plant with long leaves to rest on, and some kind of little ornament that he can go through like a tunnel.  He does not need an air pump.  A betta can breathe air at the surface.  He loves to blow his nest, and an air pump messes this up.
He should be fed 3 small meals a day.  By small I mean 2 pellets for one meal. He should have a varied diet.  Pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, and bloodworms once a week as a treat.  He should alos have a pea a week.  Some bettas you have to tease them a little to eat it.  The pea should be well cooked, the outer layer removed, and cut into small pieces.  The day he has the pea, he should not have any other food for the rest of that day.
There should be no ammonia in his water, and water changes should be made weekly with a good conditioner.
This is how a betta should be treated.  If treated this way, there is little chance of disease, and he will remain your friend for a long time.
Sharon, feed your Betta more, the poor thing is hungry.  One pellet isn't enough for him.  I know you thought you were helping him, but feed him, he is starving.  When a Betta eats it is a good sign.  I'm not sure he has swim bladder disease.  He could be weak from malnutrition.  Feed him well for the next two days, and put a little aquarium salt in his bowl.  Seeing as the water is low, put in about 1/4 teaspoon of salt.  Change his water if you haven't already done so.  If he isn't any better in two days, you will have to treat him with a good antibiotic.  The best one for swim bladder is Kanamycin.  Tetracycline and Furan2 are good too.  Be careful not to overdose him, follow the directions on the package carefully.  Swim Bladder is curable if caught in time.  The fact that he ate gives me hope.
Unfortunately there is no heater for a 1 gallon bowl.  
I love getting letters like yours.  It shows me that some people really do care.  Bettas are really intelligent little beings, and should be treated with kindness.  I know you will take good care of your little friend, and I hope he gets better.
If you have anymore questions ask away, I will try to answer you as fast as I can.
Lynda

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: HI,

Thank You for your response.  I will start feeding him more and hope it helps.  Don't want to starve him!!  I'd love to upgrade to a 5 gallon tank.  With 7 Bettas it's just to expensive and space would be a problem.  My heart thought before my brain so all I can do is make them as happy as possible in their little tanks. My others are doing great and have had them from 6 months to 10 months. What about a 2 gallon heater for my one gallon tank?  It says it only heats to 78 degrees so wondering why it won't work other than taking up more room in their tank. Expensive but if I have to do it I will.  I live in southern Ca. so it stays warm but sometimes cools down in our house to 67 degrees at night.  We don't have our furnace on yet so I'm sure they get cold. Do their lights on their tanks stress them out when they are on?  They do help a little to heat the tank. I love the look of their air pumps. Does it hurt them?  Thanks again for your help.

ANSWER: Hi Sharon,
I have seen small heaters at the pet store, and maybe you could adjust it to your one gallon tank.  You may have to regulate it so that it keeps the same temperature.  The one I saw was a small submersible one.  Sometimes you adjust it to 74 degrees but it keeps the water warmer than 74, so you will have to watch it in the beginning so that it doesn't overheat your water.  Lights on tanks should only be on 3 hours a day for the betta.  Bettas are not very comfortable with lights or sunlight.  If the lights are low, and not too bright, you could leave them on a longer.  Since your temperature cools down to 67 degrees at night, the water cools down too, making it even harder to keep your water at a stable temperature. This is really bad for your sick betta.  I'm happy that the others are doing well, you must be doing something right!  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for fish.  
I live in Canada, and we have 2 gallon square glass tanks that aren't very expensive.  I was wondering if you would have them too.  For this sick betta it would be worth it, and it is never a loss.  You always need a hospital tank at one time or another.  I understand you, I have been there.  I started out with a two gallon, and from that day on read so many books, and bred so many fish...I went from a 2 gallon to a 200 gallon.  I had 26 aquariums in my home...so I know how you are feeling right now.  This didn't happen overnight.  I would breed fish, and the Pet Store would give me stuff, sometimes an aquarium, sometimes a heater, depending on the fish I bred.  It is very expensive, but I love them so much, it is my passion!  Do the best you can for him, this is all you can do at the moment.  I hope he pulls through.  If you buy the heater, and feed him well, and he remains the same, you will have to buy the antibiotics I told you about.  Hopefully, he will regain his strength, and warmer water will surely help.  I think you have the passion too, and your instinct will guide you.  You are doing well with the other bettas, you should be very proud of yourself.
Lynda


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Lynda,

I've found a heater that will work for my Bettas.  They are a for a 2 gallon tank but seem to be doing fine in my 1 gallon.  Well I think they are?  They heat to 76 to 78 no adjustment.  I cleaned my betta tanks yesterday and added the heaters to their tanks.  Unfortunately I think maybe I shocked them or they do not like the heat since they are not used to it. I really did not think about the water warming quickly so I may have got them to warm to quick. They are all hanging around the bottom of their tanks and barely moving. Even when we go in front of their tanks only a couple out of my six barely move.  A huge difference from what they were before the heaters and water change.  Everything in the water change was the same so that's why I thinking maybe I shocked them.  Please give my your expert advice on what can I do to help them?  I was trying to help them stay healthy by warming them up and seem to have hurt them instead.  My seven year old daughter is very upset with me.  

P.S. my sick betta is not any better so I will have to give him some medicine that you suggested.

Thank You so much
Sharon

Answer
Hi Sharon,
When you warm the water you have to do this slowly, very slowly, like 1 degree each day.  Write back to me, and tell me what temperature they were in before, how long they have been in the warm water, and what temperature were they in now.
Thank you
Lynda

Sharon, I can just imagine what you are doing....It's late here, and I must go to bed.  
Put 1/4 teaspoon of salt in each tank, and one drop of "Aquarisol"
This helps them cope with stress.
Turn of the heaters, and let the water go down on it's own.  Do Not add any cold water to the tanks.  When your Bettas have recovered, and this could take one week...bring the temperature up one degree every two days to be sure that they don't get stressed again.
We all make mistakes, so don't feel bad.  You were trying to help them, and it would have been really good for them, only in small tanks the water goes up to fast.
Lynda