Other Turtle Discussion :: Needing Help

[butterfly]

I know this is a turtle forum but theres some people on here that have betta fishes and might be able to help me.

Ever since yesterday my betta has been acting funny. He doesnt swim around his bowl and he doesnt eat that much either. Today when I woke up, his little tail seemed to have been caught in the plant I have inside his bowl and a piece of the tip was ripped off. I went right now directly to Petsmart and bought a product called "Splendid Betta-Betta Fix". I added it to his bowl and I removed the plant.

My betta was bought about two weeks and hes in a one gallon bowl with distilled water. I change his water regularly. I feed him betta pellets only as directed on the package.

I am so distraught. I dont want anything bad to happen to my betta, I just got him. Hes only in one little corner of his bowl and he only moves if he sees me and sometimes not at all. That is not how he was before.

If anyone has any advice on another product or remedy, please advise.

[daredevilgirl013]

Ok first off, the plant, try and get one with smooth leaves. I know Patrolman when he was alive caught his fin on his plant and it didn't have smooth leaves. What your fish may be doing is relaxing to heal his fin. If he's still swimming that's good. Also don't go by what the package says for bettas, especially the feed as little as possible, that's a lie right there. Feed them twice a day and give him like four pellets a feeding (that's what mine eat)

As for the splendid betta betta fix I've never heard of it or used it. What you may want since he ripped his fin is Bio-Bandage® Powder for Fish found here http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 6485006867

That might help as I have a feeling he's not swimming around due to the fact that his fin is ripped and may hurt him to move.

And also maybe get him some blood worms, that'll help out with his strength and give him a boost of energy.

Fish are kinda like cats, when they are hurt they're going to want to go off on their own and heal by themselves, because just like in the wild if they are found hurt they'll become dinner or dead. So I would suggest that you also just find a smooth leaved plant and put that in too as that would help him feel safer and possibly even heal faster. If nothing else, get the paper plants that are attached to rocks of even the plastic anomie plants, those won't hurt him.

[butterfly]

Thankyou so much for your reply. Im so concerned for Alpha. I dont know if maybe this can also be related to stress. I remember when I first got my RES, he was fine for a week but then became very lethargic until he got used to his surroundings. It seems like my betta is doing the same thing.

He was fine the first week but now he is to one side. He started doing this yesterday and ripped his tail last night. I dont know if he was real active last night and thats when it happened.

The betta fix product I bought is also like the one you suggested. Its supposed to help his wound and cure him fast. Its also suppose to fix any disease he might have. He is swimming but only in one corner. He moves towards me when I go near him but he is really not behaving actively like he was before.

I am feeding him twice a day also but I just fed him and he didnt eat except one pellet. He usually eats a lot. Im trying not to bother him. I just hope he gets better soon. I will buy him the smooth plant but Ill put it in once hes better because I dont want him to be scared. He is always so scared at water changing time.

[daredevilgirl013]

Water changing may play a part in his stress too, mine get changed once every two weeks (which is when the water gets cloudy). They aren't really like turtles where they need constant changes. And most fish will freak out during water changing because they are being moved around.

One thing you can test and it's said to be good to do this once in a great while (I don't know if it's true or not, but I do this like once every three months) is to get the betta to puff out and show his aggressive side. (Ice though does this everytime someone walks by) They say it's good for the fish because it gets them active and moving. So what you may need to do is get him to puff out (by this I mean where he moves his gills outward so that they stick out from his sides and make him look bigger) Though I wouldn't try this right away. But I know that a sick betta will not puff out. (Patrolman didn't puff out when I noticed he was getting sick) Since you don't have two bettas it will be hard to get them to puff out. With Ice though I'll just run my finger along the bowl, chasing him and he'll puff out. (some fish will hold the puff out for a while, others like Ice, it will be quick)

And also he may just be acting like himself right now (though I know it's not what you said he was acting the week before) but I know that Patrolman would hardly ever swim around after about a month of being in his bowl, he would just rest on the bottom and sit there till it was time to eat or breathe. So your fish may have just adapted and realized that there is life beyond the walmart betta death bowl, which could also be a part of why he was so active the first week, he was in a bigger environment and wanted to play. Now the environment is kinda old school and he used to it so he can relax now. Ice did this when I got him, at first he wouldn't even go lower in the bowl, he would just sit near the top thinking that was all there was to it. I finally gave him a little shove down and he realized that there was more to it and he wouldn't stop swimming around for about two weeks. Now he's calm and just hangs out wherever he wants, though sometimes he will go into his fits of swimming around like a mad man.

Also signs of a heathly/happy fish are the "bubbles" I told you about. (fair warning some fish, like Ice..eat those "bubbles" so you might have a hard time catching them) if there are "bubbles" around the edge of the water then your fish is fine. If not that's still normal too, the "bubbles" just mean he's really happy and really healthy. If Ice produces "bubbles" anytime soon I'll try and get a picture up. I know yesterday he did but by the morning he ate almost all of them. (he's the only one I've had to eat them....and I don't even want to know why cause he gets feed plenty.)

Here is a website that will explain the "bubbles" a little bit. http://www.betafacts.com/betafishmating.php and show you a little picture of them (though I believe in that picture there are eggs in the bubbles) and from what it said there bettas are kinda used to their fins getting hurt a little, so I would give your guy a few days and see if he livens up, and this may just be his new relaxed behavior since he realizes that no one is going to send him back into a tiny little bowl.

[butterfly]

Yes, my betta was real active when I first got him, he was swimming around and around and then he would get into fits of swimming like a mad man.

I think I stressed him out with water changes. The recommended change is once a week and I also remember when you told me you did your change every two weeks but Ive been changing every four days because I see the water cloudy or I thought that they needed a lot of changes like turtles. I hope I wasnt the one that made him sick... Ive tried to do everything right.

I dont know what their natural behaviour is so its hard to tell if they are real active or not. My fish puffs out when I change his water. He hasnt ever done it while in the bowl. Ive seen the bubbles also.

Alpha is purple and blue and he is lovely. He has a great personality and when he was real active he would jump from side to side when he saw me. I cant bear the thought his fin might be hurting him. I become attached with my animals very fast.

Im more concerned about him not eating than anything else. Today he hasnt eaten hardly anything.

[daredevilgirl013]

Blood worms for fish is like meat for turtles or the shrimp for turtles, it's good stuff and they love it. If nothing else that'll get him to eat again so go out and get some of those.

Some bettas just won't eat in front of you, others will. Ice wouldn't before just a few days ago and now he does. And every four days for water change is a little excessive. For fish they need the bacteria that's in their tank and if you keep changing the water that all goes away. If the water is a little cloudy it's no big. I have my tanks in front of wood (they're on a piano that no one uses anymore) and I can tell when I need to change the tank because the wood starts to look murky in the back. If nothing else put something behind the tank to help out with deciding if the water needs changed.

Like I said, give him a few days, he may not want to do too much and be like an animal in the wild where they hide, as that is their nature. Just keep an eye on him and grab some blood worms. If nothing else mix blood worms with pellets.

[butterfly]

Well I just administered Alpha his medication again. This has been the second day and he seems livelier today. I think the medication is working. I gave him four pellets and he ate one but spit it back out. Ive seen him do this before though when he was eating correctly and he would go back to it later. Im going to go get the blood worms today and a smooth plant. Im not going to put the plant in until some days, just to not stress him out.

Yesterday he was just in one corner very still, I even thought he had died twice because he was so still but today when he saw me, he started swimming around. He was also in his same spot but swimming instead of being still. He seems to be active at night though because some of the pellets that had floated down from yesterday are not there anymore. I think he ate them and also at night Ive snuck a peak at him and he swims to the bottom of the tank and around it like he used to. Dont know why hes still in the day.

Ive heard that bettas are very finicky eaters and Im afraid that he might get used to the blood worms and not want to eat his pellets afterwards. Have yours been finicky or they pretty much eat what you give? Mines has eaten the wardley pellets and also the Hinaki (or something) pellets. He didnt seem to be finicky to me.

[marisa]

Just wondering--is distilled water necessary for betas?

[daredevilgirl013]

I use distilled for mine, it isn't really necessary but mine lived well in distilled water for three years.

My bettas actually would not eat the packaged blood worms (they come in cubes and you try and stick them to the side of the tank) they would only eat their pellets. But if you only give him blood worms like you do for turtles as a treat he won't become fascinated by them and want them all the time. So maybe if nothing else just give him one a day to help him feel better.

And my bettas at night..I never really pay attention to them at night though once in a while I'll hear one of them playing at the top of the water or in the rocks.

Also one thing, bettas like heat, like turtles, but don't put a heater in the tank. I noticed when I had the bettas in my room (before I got the space heater) they wouldn't move around too much cause it was cold in here, so that may be a bit of a problem too is that it might be too cold in the room. They like 70s and above. (just don't place your betta on a heater..one girl did that at college and it wasn't pretty) So your betta might be getting a wee cold. And they like to see the sun too, so maybe put him in an area where some sunlight gets in. That might help to.

[butterfly]

Thankyou so much for your help. I bought the blood worms that are made for them but he went up to smell them and swam away. He still hasnt eaten anything. He scoffs at all food.

I looked at him in detail and see nothing visibly wrong with him. I bought the soft silk plant and put it in there and he swam around it for a little while but then went back to his corner.

I bought a water conditioner for bettas even though hes in distilled water. The conditioner says it reduces stress and builds a slime coat on him to help healing so I figured it wouldnt hurt to put it in there.

The temp in my house is a steady 75 degrees even though the temp has dropped a lot outside.

I guess all I can do is wait it out and keep giving him his medication. Hopefully little Alpha will pull through. Again thankyou for all the help.

[ellman605]

no wonder mine died, i fed him to freezed shrimp things all the time

want so pet literate then...

[butterfly]

Good news is that Alpha is now swimming around his tank like before. Everytime I get near him or pass him, he responds and swims rapidly side to side like he used to do when I first got him. He puffs his little cheeks also when I get near him just like he used to do. This has been the third day of his medication and it seems to be working well. I cant change his water for 7 days because of the medication but the uneaten food that he had there before is sunk to the bottom. Im going to use a turkey baster to get them out.

Only thing left is that I have to get him to eat because he still hasnt. Ive given him the freezed dried blood worms and tried pellets but he will swim to them and then swim away. He tried to eat a pellet today but he spit it back out.

At least hes becoming more active. Hopefully he will begin eatting again.

[daredevilgirl013]

How did this turn out?

Also Code Blue is getting ready to pass on, he's acting the same way Patrolman did before he died. So I'm giving him about two weeks. He's been acting really odd, he won't go into his plant like normal and he always creates his "bubbles" almost every week. Now he doesn't. Plus he is a bear to catch to clean his tank and this time I had him in under 10 seconds which has never happened. Plus he isn't acting like he's Jaws when it comes to feeding time by swimming as fast as he can to the top and taking whatever food he can down to the bottom with him.

So hopefully his passing will be short when it happens. But I know where I will get my next betta, Petland. They keep them in itty bitty glass bowls that are smaller compared to wal-mart. Plus they had a beautiful gold betta in there that I would love to have as I have never seen a gold betta. Plus they had a peach colored one too. So they have a little bit more variety as I just don't think I'll be ready for a red betta yet since that is what Patrolman was and I know I won't be ready for another blue one.

[cam722]

I belong to a forum for my fish and they have a wonderful section for bettas... thought maybe you'd like to read some of their solutions to this type of problem. Seems that their recommendations work minor miracles

Fish Forum

Good Luck