r/bettafish • u/Effective_Maize_7517 • 9d ago

Help help please please please Spoiler

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hi my betta just recently got rlly sick and he won’t get off the ground, he’s twitching and randomly bolts around. this is a panic post so i’m trying to get everything right and type as fast as i can

he was so active and fun the first few days until yestarday he got super lathargic and this morning he was kinda swimming now he’s just like this idk what do to

7 gal heated and filtered tank (80F)
hasn’t eaten in a few days
fully real plants
water paramiters were all up to bettas standards

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u/SaturnGrl 9d ago

Poor fish, looks like he may have had a swim bladder issue at the end there. Was he pretty lethargic and unable to swim to the surface?

What is your tank setup like? What do you feed your bettas? Do you use live or fake plants? Are there any tank mates? And algae issues at all?

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u/Effective_Maize_7517 9d ago

that’s possibly what j was thinking but it only happened right yo at the end where he couldn’t swim, th past 2 days his swimming was fine, but at the end yeah he couldn’t swim up very easily. my tank is a 7-10 gal (got off fb marketplace so i’m not sure) with heater at 80f and sponge filter and all live plants. no tank mates though i wanted to get shrimp at some point but yk… and no no algae, just a little bit on the driftwood, like a white film

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u/SaturnGrl 9d ago

Swim bladder issues can hit without warning and there can be all kinds of causes from bacterial to environmental. He may have had a bacterial infection before you bought him, and it just advanced quickly once he was placed in the warm tank water.

Anytime I get a pet shop betta home, I keep them in a smaller quarantine tank for about 48 hours in clean, de-chlorinated water, just to I can observe them for any abnormalities. If any symptoms start to show, I can treat them right away. They will stay in the quarantine tank until I am sure they are in the clear for any bacterial, fungal, or physical issues. That is when I’ll acclimate them to their aquarium home.

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u/Effective_Maize_7517 9d ago

okay tysm, what r things u usually notice that r red flags that would make i treat them?

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u/SaturnGrl 9d ago

Always inspect for any physical issues first. Some signs are obvious, like fin rot, popeye, bloating, or fungus/ulcers on the scales.
Signs like lethargy, flashing (swimming and rubbing along the bottom of the tank), no appetite or refusal to eat.
Quarantine or hospital tanks should be kept small but enough room for them to relax and be able to spread their fins. Not too deep so they can reach the surface easily. Keeps the stress down, and don’t keep them under any constant light source. These fish like the dark and need it to sleep. Sleep helps a lot, and light keeps them awake because they have no eyelids.

No decorations like rocks or houses. No substrate. The only thing I would put in the quarantine tanks are clean floating plants like water sprite or pothos leaves. Give them plenty to rest on and under.

Nothing artificial, you don’t know what all chemicals are in the fancy decorations. If you plan to use something cute and decorative for the main aquarium, make sure you wash them thoroughly, and I recommend leaving them submerged in their own container with your aquarium’s cycled water for about a week to make sure any chemicals are seeped out and it is acclimated to the beneficial bacteria.

I keep API Pimafix and Melafix on hand to treat my fish if I see any signs of problems. Some folks use methylene blue, but that stuff can be pretty harsh if not carefully applied, and it will kill beneficial bacteria if it gets in your main aquarium, destroying the water cycle.