SICK BETTA PLEASE HELP!

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I have a Betta and his is sick right now, but i don't know anything about Betta so i was hoping i could figure out what to give him. He barely eats at all, gasps for air, stays in one spot at the top of the water, isn't active, and once i found him on his side.  I don't know what clumped fins look like so i don't know if he has it.  I think he might though, but i'm not positive.  On a site I saw that it said if he has white stuff on his body..... than so and so....and i don't know what white stuff on his body should look like so i don't know if he has that either. PLease help me, thanks.
Answer -
Hi Katy,
Thank you for your letter. It sounds like real trouble. My best guess is that the problem is overfeeding. Please read over my rules for fish care posted here:
http://steamboats.com/aquarium.html
If the fish dies, you can always try again and be successful with proper tank management.
Don't worry, this happens to all of us.
Feel free to write back after you read the information. I hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Nori



response:
what do i give him to help him feel better? because he looks sick to me.
Answer -
Hi Katy,
Here's what I would do. Go to the fish store and by a small bottle of "Cycle." It will be about $15. That is "biology" or "good" bacteria. That's what will help the fish. Then use a syphon or syphon vacuum cleaner and clean out 20-30 percent of the water. Fill it back up with bottled water the same temperature (room temperature). Add about 1/8 teaspoon of Cycle.
Do that once a day. This will gradually clean out the water, which is probably contaminated with amonia.
Do not touch the fish. Leave the fish in the bowl when you do this. You will only take out part of the water each time. Try to get as much fish waste out as possible, using the syphon tube.
Do not feed the fish for a day or two.
The Cycle is most important.
After a few days the fish will should look a little better.
The Cycle helps them breathe the water. Regular pure water is not right for fish. They need an environment of bacteria that the Cycle will provide.
The problem with putting food in the water is that it will just contaminate it. Fish can go for a few days without eating. If he acts hungry, give him one pellet or one flake of food per day until he gets better.
Once he starts to come around, we may use some "Stress Coat," but don't put any other chemicals in for now, except Cycle.
Please stay in contact and let me know if this helps.
Nori





well before u gave me this message i was already using something else called bettafix or something that the person at the store said i should try but she wasn't sure if it would work.
Answer -
Hi - How's the fish doing? I don't usually recommend using the fish store remedies. They are often worse than the disease itself. The real cure is to provide clean water with good biology (Cycle) and reduce feeding. The main cause of fish sickness is overfeeding and fouling the water. Putting additional chemicals, such as anti-biotics and anti-fungals in does not usually help.
Believe me, I've been through this a LOT. That's the world of aquarium fish - sickness and death. Oh, sorry to be so dark. It is a good hobby, once you get the hang of it. If you reduce the fish's food intake you might feel like you're starving the little guy, but really, fish do not need to eat very much.


response:
my fish doesn't live in an aquarium he lives in a bowl thats about a gallon plus there is white stuff, they look like dots, on the bottom of his bowl do you think it could be from the bettafix?

Answer
Hi Katy,
Yes, a fish bowl. That's what I meant. The white spots could be from the bettafix or it could be from overfeeding. When you clean the bowl take a handful of rocks out and clean them off under running water. If you can get the white stuff to go away, let the rocks dry a bit, then put them back in the tank. The more foreign gunk you can remove the better. That's one problem with aquarium shop remedies -bad side effects.
I really hope you have gotten a bottle of Cycle, because that's the only aquarium store chemical that really works.
Let me know if you have used it and how the fish is doing.
Nori