Beta Fish Not Well

Question
I have had a beta fish for about 7 months now, I bought him from petsmart. He lives in a 1 gallon bowl. I do not treat the water with anything. I usually give him just normal tab water or bottled water.

By beta fish seems to be really ill. He is laying on the bottom of his bowl and not moving a lot. He does still swim a little however but it takes a lot out of him you can tell. His color and totally drained from a beautiful red to a pale pasty white/pink color. He has not really ate well since I got him. I bought the beta food that they said i should get but he really does not eat a lot. I have let his water get a little dirty in the past from forgettign to clean it often enough. I am just wondering how I can revive this fish if possible. I am heating his water now to about 75 degrees with my tank heater I have for my goldfish. I feel terrible and I want him to get better. If he does not seem to improve when should I "put him down". I read that if you put him in the freezer in a cup is painless. Thanks! Megan

Answer
Hi Megan;

He needs to be even warmer. Get his tank up to 80 degrees. His body can't work properly when below 78 degrees. It may help his appetite return too. Also, change half of his water twice a week. Get a water conditioner and use it too so it can help him with stress involved in having his water changed. It will also remove harmful chemicals like chlorine and chloramine. These don't always evaporate if the water is left to sit overnight before it is used. Be sure the new water is the same temperature as the old water. It will help prevent shock.

If he still doesn't get better, there are many ways to put a suffering fish 'to sleep'. The freezer method does work for bettas. Here is more about other methods and how to make the decision;

http://www.nanfa.org/euthanasia/EuthanasiaTFH.htm

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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