Betta fish down. HELP please

Question
QUESTION: Hi Karen,

I was wondering if you might know whats wrong with my fish because for the past two days my fish hasnt been swimming around but has just laid low on the rocks on our tank that we just got like one month ago. We think its strange that it has just recently been feeling down. One more characteristic we found was that it has some white pigments on his chest and seems to have trouble breathing because his gills open really wide and his face just doesnt look like it did. Not that there's a difference. My mom has been really worried for him. He also doesnt have any fish friends so he's lonely (i guess). He's an only fish in the tank. Can you help me please. OH one more think we took him out of the tank and put him in the bowl where he just to live before so maybe we thought it could help him. Was that a wise actions or not. Thank you and i hope you can help us out.
ANSWER: Hi Becky,
Sorry to hear your betta isn't feeling well.
It is hard to be totally sure what could be wrong but I will try to help.

First of all make sure you keep your betta's water very clean and make sure that he is warm. They do better at a temperature around 76-80F. If they get too cool they can get sick or even act sick. Also, you have to be sure to do regular and frequent partial water changes to keep from ammonia making him very sick. The ammonia starts to build up fast in a small tank and especially in a small bowl. I have found that whenever I have kept a betta in bowl I needed to change their water at least 2-3 times a week to keep it from being to toxic to the fish. When I keep them in a tank that has been cycled then I would change 1/3 of the water once a week. When they are in tanks you always have to make sure that the filter doesn't make too much current in the water. They really hate that and will act sick or just hide when the current is to strong. You can slow down the current by placing a plant that is large and tall enough to block some of the current. Also, be careful what type of plastic plants you use in a betta tank. The hard plastic type will tear their fins when they swim through it and can cause their fins to get infected. Try to use either real or the softer cloth-like fake plants.

I know you think that your betta might need friends, but most of the time they don't. Sometimes you can get a betta to do well in a community tank with peaceful fish, but many times they don't like to  have too many other fish around and prefer their own tank. It really depends on your betta's personality. They are all a little different as to whether they will tolerate another fish in their territory.

Look carefully at the spots you are seeing on your fish. Could it just be that he is changing coloration? Sometimes, when you first get a betta they are one color and as they start to get older they will change. If you don't think that is what the spots are then look carefully to see if the spots look like bits of salt. If so, then it could be ich which needs to be treated. If the spots look sort of white and fuzzy then it could be a fungus infection. The fact that his gills seem the be having a hard time makes me think that it could possibly be that his water is bad and causing some of his problems. As I'm sure you know bettas are labyrinth fish and will come to the top the get air and I don't know it he is having problems doing that or not. Be sure not to over feed him since this will get his water dirty faster.

I would look closely at him to look for the things I mentioned concerning the spots. Next I would make sure his water is clean, whether he is kept in a bowl or in a tank. Make sure his is warm enough too. Be sure to use a really good dechlorintor when you do water changes and make sure the replacement water is the same temperature as the water he is in. I don't like to over medicate fish since it is really hard on them but if you notice any of the possible diseases I have previously mentioned, get back to me and I will suggest some type of medication to try to help your fish.

I hope this has helped,
Karen

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

QUESTION: Hi Karen,

Hey thank you for the advise. I have been cleaning the water for the betta fish. Eventhough i changed him from the tank yesterday into the bowl(he has lived for the past 4 months before the tank) he is still not swimming and laying at the bottom of the tank and he lays tilted to one side all the time. I checked him this morning before i left to school and he was still the same. He does go up for air but then goes back down and tilts to one side. So today after work i am going to buy some betta fish medicine to see if that can help too. Well thank you for your help and i hope he does feel better.  

Answer
Dear Becky,
How old do you think your betta is roughly? I know this may be hard to take but some bettas are already a year old when you get them. And on average, the lifespan of bettas is about 2 years. Although many bettas live longer, for the majority this is the most common lifespan.

I don't think medicine is the best thing right now. We don't know what we're treating for and it could only stress him more.

He may just be slowing down from old age. I'm very sorry...

What I would do if he were my betta is to try to make him as comfortable as possible. Make sure his water temp is warm, bettas are comfortable at 80-82F (I know I mentioned this before but just make sure to do this so he'll be comfortable) Change half his water everyday, or even twice a day if you can. Ammonia builds up in astounding levels in bowls in just a short time. Make sure you add plenty of dechlorinator to his water also.
You can also give him a plant (either live or fake) for him to rest on instead of just on the tank's bottom. Although he may still choose to lay on he bottom it's good to allow him the option of resting on plant leaves if he wants to.
And if you feel that he struggles to get the top for air, you can lower his water level down somewhat so he doesn't have to struggle so much to breath.

All these things can help make him more comfortable, if his problem is old age. It will also help if he just has a sickness too. Sometimes there is nothing we can do if there is some internal problem occuring.

I understand how you feel and I welcome anymore questions or concerns you may have.

Best wishes,
Karen~