Sick betta...

kateryo

My betta was sick awhile ago, barely swimming. Now she's gotten better, but she still doesn't look to well.
This was my attempt at a decent photo:

seattle 003.jpg

she's got red and purple streaks in her fins. She seems rather lethargic, kind of hanging out at the bottom of the tank. when she swims, she seems bottom-heavy.

We clean her tank about once weekly, and it's kept (since it's winter, the heater can only do so much) at about 74 degrees. I have a solution I use when I change the water to keep it clean.

Whatsup with my betta? any ideas? I have an all-natural treatment I used for awhile that was supposed to make her better, and it did slightly, but she still seems sick.

MoneyMitch

from the looks of the photo i dont see anything wrong with her, but there could be somthing going on inside her. bettas aret that active dfrom what i know about them (which isnt much) if a treatment that you used to use worked try that again.

just my 2 cents

aunt kymmie

What size tank do you have her in? Do you have a heater in her tank? IMHO, the absolute minimum temp a betta should be kept at is 78. Anything under 78 and they'll be lethargic. It's hard for me to tell from the picture what could be wrong. What is the "solution" you are referring to as far as keeping your water *clean*? What, and how often do you feed her?

dramaqueen

She looks bloated to me. As Aunt Kymmie already asked, what and how often do you feed her?

kateryo

I have pellets, and I feed her 10 pellets a day, just throughout the day. sometimes more or less... no less than 7, or more than 13. my tank isn't too big, only a couple gallons but she IS the only fish. the heater is a mini-one, and so you can't adjust the temperature. it can only keep it so warm.

and yeah, the "solution" is like a liquid that we put in the water when we clean it so that it can prepare (?) the water betta's, I guess.

and her fins just look kind of ratty too.

Mecal

Well, that certainly could be 1 problem, as the general consensus I've heard has been no more than 3 pellets a day.

dramaqueen

She's definitely getting fed too much. Most people feed theirs 2-3 pellets 2 times a day. Try cutting back on the food, fasting her 1 day a week and feeding her daphnia one meal per week.

aunt kymmie

If it were me (and it's not) I wouldn't feed her anymore than two pellets in the am, two pellets in the pm. That is all I feed my betta when giving a meal of pellets. 10 to 13 pellets is WAY too much. Overfeeding a betta is the surest way for a swimbladder disorder to present itself. The excess food and cooler temp is most likely why your fish is so lethargic.

Drama- you beat me to the post! :)

dramaqueen

Sorry! lol

kateryo

oh, GOSH! thank you! on the bottle of my food, it said more than that, but really, good to know!

I will for sure start feeding her MUCH less! Would like, 2 pellets in the morning, 1 afternoon, 2 evening, be okay?

and this is the food I use: Top Fin® Color Enhancing Betta Bits - Food & Treats - Food - PetSmart

is that still okay to be feeding her? and can I just buy a daphnia at the pet store?

also, thanks a ton, everyone. I'm still new to this betta thing, and everything you read says something different so I really appreciate this!

so starting... soon... five pellets a day? one daphnia a week?