HELP! I think my Betta is very Sick and Dying

Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I just purchased my beta about three weeks ago. He has been very happy and energetic and always running around his bowl. The past couple days, however, he has appeared very depressed. Gradually over these past few days, he has much less movement, and now he is basically stuck at the bottom of his little bowl. I thought he was dead because it really looked like he was floating to the bottom, and he is so still, even when I try and get his attention. We clean his bowl at least once a week and feed him daily, but what is wrong with him? Please help because I don't know much about fish but I'm pretty sure mine is dying and I want to help him survive. He seldom moves now, and when he does, he is inching across the bottom of his bowl. He looks great, but his movement makes it look like his fins are broken or something? But how would they be? Please help! Thanks!
ANSWER: Hey Lea,

Three suggestions here for you and your betta.

First, test the water quality. Take a cup of water in a bag to a pet store and ask for pH, Alkalinity, Salinity, kH, gH, iron, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and everything else they can test. Make sure the water is super healthy.

Healthy water has little to no ammonia, chlorine, nitrite, phosphorous, or CO2. Iron shouldn't be present unless you have live plants. General Hardness (gH) should be neutral. pH should be around 7.0-7.2 (neutral) Nitrate should be low, low, low unless you have a live plant. Salinity should be around 1.015 (use aquarium salt to raise it).

If water quality is perfect, then consider tank size. Betta are generally inactive to begin with, but keeping one in a tiny tank will make it worse. 10 gallons is the smallest tank i keep for this reason. A betta, 6 neon tetra, and a tank cleaner make for a perfect beginner setup in a 10 gallon. GOOD filtration is also very important! a 10 gallon tank with a whisper filter is perfect. Lighting is also important, 24 hour a day lights will kill off most fish. give them at least 8 hours of darkness for rest.

Last, over feeding is a common betta problem. too much food leads to bad water.


if none of those are the problem, then your fish is either sick, or lazy. Check for white spots, lumps, fuzzy filmy stuff, red streaks, sores, cuts, missing scales, scales puffing out and looking bumpy, shredding fins, flared gills, film over it's eyes, or general clamped fins. If you notice any of these, seek out proper medication to treat the bacterial / fungal infection at hand.

I hope this all helps you out! Best of luck, and let me know if you have any other questions

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

QUESTION: Thanks so much for the quick response. His color appears perfect, but I will get the water tested for sure. The thing is that I only feed him three little pallets a day and I change the bowl once a week. I just checked him again and it appears that two of his lower fins are broken, which makes sense because whenever he moves around, he sinks down again because he cannot propel himself up. If his fins are broken, which I think they are, then do they repair themselves? What do I do about that?

I really appreciate the speedy response and your caring. Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Lea

Answer
Fins generally don't "break."

Fin rot is a common issue in small tanks. What happens is a fin (usually the caudual / tail fin) will shred and tear apart. When this happens, a fish will swim, but not move far. Exhausted, the fish finally dies. However, rapid treatment, and knowing how to treat this condition are key in recovery. If the fins do not seem shredded, then this isn't the problem.

If the fish chooses not to use the fins, then they're not "broken" the bottom fins are used for balance side to side. if there is no water current, they generally dont move much. A fish sinks and floats from use of an organ called a swim bladder. This sack inside the fish fills with air, and lets the fish float boyant in the tank. If the fish loses control of it's swim bladder, it generally sinks to the bottom, and tips on it's side. Swim Bladder Disease is seemingly incurable. Once a fish gets it *causes are unknown, but most claim it's bad water* the fish most likely will die. Some feel SBD is caused by a bacteria, and claim to have results from treating a bacterial infection. I personally have never had any luck with SBD.

To diagnose this properly, Examine your fish closely. If you  notice swelling, buldging, and lumpiness around it's stomach that does not match pictures of betta online, then it's most likely sick. Look up betta pictures before looking at your own fish. Some times panic will lead to false diagnoses.

If your fish seems fine in that area, I'd suggest taking him in his little bowl to a pet store and having a fish specialist look at him closely. Betta are hard to diagnose because everyone fears an inactive betta is sick, when, in reality, betta are inactive fish. If your water is healthy, and he is eating well, then I feel there isn't a problem at this point. Perhaps his water is too cold? or not salty enough? He might be lonely and want to breed, or just be lazy. It's hard to say for sure.

Aquarium salt is never a bad idea, when used in moderation. I use about a quarter teaspoon per gallon on all fresh water fish. Regular table salt will kill your betta, only aquarium salt is safe. Remember, water evaporates, salt does not. the only way to remove salt is through water changes. So if you use salt, only add it once.