BettaVishVish Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Before I go to work, I always check my betta. This morning I found him just stay at the bottom of the tank. I notice his top fins are torn a bit. he still breathing but doesn't seem to react when I knocked the tank. help.. what should I do? He is my favorite betta and I always said to my self.. this betta can't die Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Often a fish that sits on the bottom of a tank and will not respond to tapping or food is suffering from Nitrite poisoning (NO2). First thing I do is a water change. Are there other fish in this tank? Have you cleaned the filter or replaced the media lately? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted August 3, 2010 Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 (edited) what size tank is it? what are you using for dechlorinator? any change lately in food? what filter are you using and what is your maintenance schedule? any changes in the tank lately (rescape, additions, etc)? what is your usual water change schedule? answers to those questions will help us help you. i would hedge a bet on ammonia poisoning. lethargy, fin deterioration, disinterest in surroundings are all symptoms. have you tested your water with a good liquid testing kit (API master freshwater kit) lately and what were the results? as for tapping on his tank, i wouldn't do that. the amplification of sound vibrations within a body of water is crazy 'loud' for fish. Edited August 3, 2010 by BettaFishMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaVishVish Posted August 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 Often a fish that sits on the bottom of a tank and will not respond to tapping or food is suffering from Nitrite poisoning (NO2). First thing I do is a water change. Are there other fish in this tank? Have you cleaned the filter or replaced the media lately? I changed the water last week. There is one gold ram and 2 small endlers in the tank. I haven't replaced any filter or media. I moved him to a smaller tank (1 gal) this morning and don't know how he's doing yet. hopefully he'll still alive when I come home. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaVishVish Posted August 3, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2010 what size tank is it? what are you using for dechlorinator? any change lately in food? what filter are you using and what is your maintenance schedule? any changes in the tank lately (rescape, additions, etc)? what is your usual water change schedule? answers to those questions will help us help you. i would hedge a bet on ammonia poisoning. lethargy, fin deterioration, disinterest in surroundings are all symptoms. have you tested your water with a good liquid testing kit (API master freshwater kit) lately and what were the results? as for tapping on his tank, i wouldn't do that. the amplification of sound vibrations within a body of water is crazy 'loud' for fish. The tank is 6 gallon. I don't make any changes in the tank & type of food. I will do a water test as soon as I'm at home. when I saw his fins this morning I have a thought that my betta might fight with my gold ram. The ram is now almost the same size as the betta. I don't know for sure what cause him sick, I hope I can still see him alive tonight. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Often a fish that sits on the bottom of a tank and will not respond to tapping or food is suffering from Nitrite poisoning (NO2). First thing I do is a water change. Are there other fish in this tank? Have you cleaned the filter or replaced the media lately? I changed the water last week. There is one gold ram and 2 small endlers in the tank. I haven't replaced any filter or media. I moved him to a smaller tank (1 gal) this morning and don't know how he's doing yet. hopefully he'll still alive when I come home. thanks. The ram and it will get the best of the betta. Rams scrap, duke it out with each other and go on their merry way after a fight, bettas tend to fight to the death and become exhausted and highly stressed after a long scrap. This is likely the cause of the problem, but the betta should recover if his gills are not too damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaVishVish Posted August 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Just to give an update..my betta is still alive and he seems better after I moved him to 1 gal tank. The water test result is also good. So..I guess regardless whether or not he sick because of the fight with the gold ram, I'll need to separate them. Thanks all for your info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted August 4, 2010 Report Share Posted August 4, 2010 Good to hear!! If you want to help him recover faster, heat him up(around 80 degrees), add a little aquarium salt and some Indian Almond Leaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.