sick fish advice needed! NOMI!!

[funkychunkymonkey]

So my precious nemo (beta fish) is sick! He seems to be having a hard time swimming. I have noticed (I put him in a tiny cup to watch) he is leaning to one side for the most part. I have noticed he doesn’t eat as much as he used to (he’s a pig). It has also started getting colder in our home (room temp used to be around 75 and now is in the 70s). Right now he is in a 5 gallon tank. I tried to put him in a smaller tank with a bit warmer water after floating him in the tank he seemed to be having a even harder time berating so I plopped him back into the bigger tank with a little bit of warmer water with his original water. What the heck is wrong with my fish? He used to be such a ippy little thing and the cat LOVED watching him (from her stand thats a full foot and a half away)

 

[Tammi67]

Feed him frozen peas. http://www.ehow.com/how_4729433_cure-sick-betta-fish-peas.html It really does work.

 

[vanillarum]

I raise and breed many types of tropical fish, but I have never had any luck with bettas. I know little about them. I would suggest you check out the site called Aquaria Central. They have an entire section for bettas there. Good luck.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Im not a beta person either LOL this was a carnival fish that my freind dumped on me. Will have to run out for frozen peas. cats would miss fish face.

 

[vanillarum]

I have used frozen peas. Put 1 or 2 in a little water, put them in the microwave for a minute. Let them cool, then shell the peas. I usually mush some of them up for the smaller fish, and leave some whole. It may or may not solve your problem, but it won't hurt either way. Good luck.

 

[StacyMarie]

Frozen peas work! I hope your fishy gets better. We used peas on a beta that we had for 5 years. He/she was swimming sideways and seemed to be having trouble. I did some research and found out about the frozen peas and it worked. Within 24-48 hours, he/she was fine again! Fingers crossed for a well fish in a couple days!

 

[I*heart*MickeyMouse]

I had a betta for 7 years... SEVEN!!! LOL!

Get a heater for his tank. You can get one relatively cheap. Set it for 78-80, bettas prefer it warmer than 70-75. While you're at the store get a small thing of aquatic salt... add 1 tablespoon to your tank. The salt will help coat his gills and will aid in healing. If you have a shallower bowl that he can live in for a while to heal, that will help him as well. Since they have to go to the surface to breathe, his 5 gallon tank may be tiring him out going all the way to the top. Think of it as you laying in bed to get over a cold, same thing for him. Depending on how big the bowl is you only want a little sprinkle of salt (1 table spoon for 5 gallons)... I used to use a large glass salad bowl for my guy when he got sick (twice, he had swim bladder issue) - it was just shy of 1 gallon, about 6" tall and 1 foot diameter. I put a large book over the top of the bowl so he wouldn't jump out. It will look like he's uncomfortable in the bowl because its so small compared to his tank, but he'll be ok. Bettas live in mud puddles in the wild!

Good luck!!!

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I have a heater but I didnt think I would need it so soon in the year (so I packed it for my move). Hes a very spoiled fish, living in a 5 gallon tank. Hes moving to a 10 gallon (mabey 20) when we move. I will have to try the pea thing. Can one use cooked peas or raw peas that were frozen? Im low on cash and thinking about begging our cook at work to stash me a pea in a baggie. She already thinks Im crazy so this wont be too odd of a request!

 

[wildernesslodgelover]

I am glad I opened this thread...I had NO IDEA about the pea thing! I thought everyone was going to say what I am going to say...that the fish is probably on it's deathbed. I had a betta (his name was Max...get it? "Beta Max?" You may be too young, google it) and he died such a slow death...and people told me that bettas die slowly. For that reason, I will never get another beta. I had no idea I would feel so bad, watching him struggle to swim day in and day out.

Now I feel awful, I would have tried the peas if I had known.

Good luck, I hope he is better soon!

 

[Nomi]

Yup, everyone beat me to it: PEAS. MAGIC PEAS. They really help with swim bladder issues (the fibre clears out blockages). Just defrost it in some tank water and make sure to de-shell them before you feed 'em. Cooked peas should be ok too, just remember to de-shell them as well. Get the heater going too, and a small amount of aquarium salt could not hurt. One tablespoon for 5 gallons should be ok (it's easier if you dissolve it in a cup of tank water first). The extra heat and salt should help just in case he has a parasite, but if not they'll still help keep him nice and comfy.

Remember that bettas are easy to overfeed. Is his stomach overly round?

 

[tinkerdorabelle]

Sounds like u overfed him which is VERY easy to do with bettas bc they continually act hungry, they are known for this. We had one a couple yrs back that lived almost 3 years but eventually died from this very thing. I know we had overfed him. Definitely do the pea thing, small amount. You definitely need to keep his tank more shallow. We have another betta now who is in a 5 gallon but we keep it a little shallower, and have plants and a live plant so he can lay towards the top. This is especially true with swim bladder. You also need to still make water changes, we take out a couple gallons a week even with our filter, keep the pH the same AND use a heater. We also add a small amount of salt and he is really healthy. I am so careful not to overfeed now. I also notice my betta likes it when his tank has less water and is more shallow, that is their normal environment. I keep his 5 gallon filled around 60-70%. Also keeps him from jumping bc he is a jumper, lol.

 

[Christine]

Yep, sounds like swim bladder disease. I've used the peas once and they worked. Sadly, two weeks ago my fish had it bad. The peas did not work this time and he died. The other fish is absolutely fine. I guess some fish are more prone to it than others.

 

[Nomi]

How's your fish doing, Funkychunkymonkey (your screen name is fun to type)?

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

I have to feed him the pea? are you nuts? this fish hates me! off to try this

ETA:
What do I do if the dumb fish wont eat the pea peices?

 

[SandrA9810]

If you always use the heater in his tank, and recently took it out, it's probably made his water to cold too fast.

I had a beta that lived happily in a 10 gal tank. And I always kept it full. He did much better being in the bigger tank rather than the little 1 gal tan he was in originally.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

If you always use the heater in his tank, and recently took it out, it's probably made his water to cold too fast.

I had a beta that lived happily in a 10 gal tank. And I always kept it full. He did much better being in the bigger tank rather than the little 1 gal tan he was in originally.

I never had a heater in his tank, it was from my last batch of fish (who died when I moved). My fish seems happier in the 5 gallon than the 2 gallon he was in. I feel bad that hes going to have to go back in the two gallon when we move for a week.

I ended up leaving some pea peices on his sunken ship hoping he would snack latter. He seems to be moving a bit better but hes still not his zippy fish self

 

[Nomi]

Keep trying with the peas. If he isn't eating it, take it out after about 30 minutes or so and try again later. He might just not know it's potential food yet! Even if he doesn't seem to want to peas, give him a day or two to fast. He might just work out any blockage on his own.

Other than that, just keep his water warm (around 75-80 degrees is perfect) and keep changing his water as usual (or a little bit more often if you feel it helps him). If he doesn't improve, try the aquarium salt.

 

[StacyMarie]

When I used peas for my betta, I noticed he would not even touch them once they hit the bottom of the tank. So then I stuch a piece of the pea on the end of a toothpick and held it towards the top of the water level and he would swim up and nibble on it, sort of where his food would sit when I would feed him regular food. That was the only way I could get my betta to eat some of the pea. Good luck!

 

[IFLOSIRI]

Feed the fish worms and have the water at room temperture.poland springs works well with my fish

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

were on fasting day 3. Still no instrest in the pea. he had a little nibble off of the chuck stuck to his boat.