My betta

Question
QUESTION: Hello! I have a question reagarding my veiltail betta fish and my sister told me about you so I thought maybe you could help me. When "Sparta" was given to me, he was in a 1.75 gallon tank w/out filter or heater. He was very feisty and loved flaring his fins. Sparta had a mild case of fin rot, but after I treated him with BettaFix his fins healed. I decided to move him to a 5 gal. tank with a small heater and a light. His pectorals clamped up and he had no energy. The people at Petco (who gave me clear directions on how to move my fish to his new tank)said this was "new tank syndrome" and he would be fine after a few days, and that I needed to wait until he got better before adding the small filter I bought. I treated him with BettaFix again, but once his pecs relaxed, his dorsal clamped up again. He goes through periods of ups and downs. He'll swim around for quite a while, but he spends a lot of time in a little "cave" in his tank. His appetite is fine. Fish Deeva, I'm at a loss for what to do next. Sparta gets stressed very easily and I want to do what's best for him w/out stressing him out. I've been doing water changes and testing his water frequently, but I still don't know why he's hiding and low on energy. Can you help me? Sorry this is so long.

ANSWER: Hello Leah,

The first signifigant things standing out, to me, are the hiding, and the low energy.  Both, are signs of poisoning.

You test the water, but what are the levels of Nitrates, Nitrites and Ammonia?

My guess is, because the tank is so new, it's still cycling.  Cycling sparks huge ammonia spikes, which is why he can't stand to swim in his own water.  It burns his little gills and eyes and his fins, which is why they remain clamped.

I hate water test strips, because instead of actual "levels", with numbers, they just say "safe", "unsafe", "Caution", etc.  These are extremely innacurate.

If there are any nitrites, ammonia or nitrates at all, he needs clean water.

When a tank is cycling (for the first 8 weeks), it will need 25% water changes every single weekend and more frequently if any chemicals are present.  Dip your test strip in and let me know if there is anything on it which indicates any chemicals in the water.  If you are above 0 on all 3 the chemicals above, then you need an immediate water change.

I'd suggest at least 50% water change tonight.  At least 25% tomorrow and 25% the following day, and then a heavy monitor of the water every weekend until the cycle is done.  

I certainly would watch how much food I'm feeding.  Bettas require just one small meal a day.

I would love an update once you get this all done and am here anytime you need advice, so please feel free to email your questions.

Happy fish-keeping and I will cross fingers for Sparta. (I love his name).  Mine is named Daryl.

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

QUESTION: Hello again. Here are the results of the water test: Nitrite and nitrate both 0, however the ammonia level is at 1. A couple of days ago I did about a 50% water change to correct the ph and it showed the ammonia as "safe". I agree that the test strips are way too vague. I'll go ahead and do another change. Another question: should I continue using the BettaFix for his dorsal clamp, or should I wait until he's feeling better?
Daryl- I love that! Thank you so much for your advice.

ANSWER: I would stop using the medication.

Let's see what water changes provide for him, first. :)

Begin meds in a few days if he looks worse, rather than better, but my guess is he may improve soon.

Try adding a couple live plants.  They tend to really improve water quality for bettas.

Thanks, I love Daryl very much.  He's a dork!

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

QUESTION: Hello again! Update: Sparta is much more active and I can tell he is feeling better. All of his fins have unclamped and he hardly ever hides during the day! I've kept up with the water changes and the testings have all been good. However, I noticed yesterday when he was swimming around that he kept swimming up to his live plant and gently brushing his left side against it. At first I thought it just felt good to him. But this morning I noticed he was doing it again on the same side, only his movements were a bit harder and jerking. He also did it against his little cave. He's never done this before. Does he have an external parasite? My sister checked him with a flashlight and didn't see anything on him, but to the naked eye it's so hard to tell.
Thank you so much for your knowledgeable advice. So far you've hit the nail on the head each time!

Answer
Hi,

It can indeed be a parasite sign.  That's called "itching" and it happens when the parasite burrows into the skin, but don't worry unless you see something actually develop there.

My betta goes into moss and sleeps.  Watch him.  He might just be mating it. :)  They're really characters.

If something develops, go to Wal Mart.  Buy Ich Away.  Treat the tank...it will cure it. :)

Happy fish-keeping.