suicidal betta fish

Question
hi, i am so sad, i just found my betta fish lying on the floor because he jumped from his jar. i put him back in his jar and he is still alive but he looks like he is dying... he just floats on the top and is not eating. pls help me!! what can i do?

Answer
Hi Danella;

Poor fella! They do that sometimes if startled or if there is something wrong with the water.

Change most or all of his water and use a product called "Melafix" to help prevent infection on his damaged skin, eyes, gills and fins. A good water conditioner that adds slime coating like Stress Coat or NovAqua is a good idea too. You can use quite a bit of it, like a teaspoon to a gallon of water. In emergencies I have used even more than that with excellent results.

Bettas are pretty hardy little fellas. I hope he makes it. Change the water in his bowl at least once a week and put some kind of cover on it. Many hobbyists use a piece of screen. Even a cotton cloth or gauze pad secured with a rubber band is good.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Come on over and join us on the freshwater fish forum at About.com to get even more information too;
http://freshaquarium.about.com/od/questionsanswers/a/naavigateforum.htm

My member name is ChrisR62. See You There!