# Please Help Something's Wrong



## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

Something is very very wrong with my little betta True Blue. I found him laying (vertically though not on his sides) inside his hideout on the gravel, not moving. I dipped my finger into the tank, and he swam right out but he swam funny. His pelvic fins are constantly folded. Typically he drop them every so often for me to snap a pic. He also looks lethargic, if you know what I mean. It's like he's trying to swim somewhere but he doesn't have the energy for it. The moment I left my desk (his tank is atop my desk) he'd go back to his hideout, laying on the gravels again. Then when I go back and stick my nose to the tank glass, he'd shoot out of his hideout to do several lazy laps around his Roman pillars ornament. He has never, ever behaved like this. Something is wrong but I don't know what. 

OK, now let's speak technical. Ammo is at 0 ppm, and that's API test kit speaking. pH level is at 7.0 yesterday morning. Yes, it's winter in Michigan. But my room has a central heater and the tank temp is at 78F. It was 76 earlier today but I changed 25% of the water with steaming hot water to raise the temp by two degrees. I have a 50 watt Aqueon submersible heater, bought this morning. The filter is a regular power filter with those "replaceable" cartridges but I don't replace them ever. I upgraded True Blue from 1.5 to 5.5 only yesterday. The old filter from the tiny tank is placed behind the new larger-sized filter, so it's still doing its job. 25% of the large tank's water and 100% of the gravels come straight out of the old tank. All new ornaments are washed before placed inside the tank.

Where did I go wrong? Is he just sleepy? I mean, the kois in my dad's pond 'sleep' at night. But this little guy is typically too hyperactive to sleep. H.E.L.P


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## chenowethpm (Jan 8, 2014)

What are the other water parameters? Nitrite and nitrate. I would think that adding water that is significantly different temp could be a shock to the fish, usually should shoot for a 2 degree max difference when adding water. The more I go the better. Did you forget to dechlorinate the water you added? Just trying to cover all the bases.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

chenowethpm said:


> What are the other water parameters? Nitrite and nitrate. I would think that adding water that is significantly different temp could be a shock to the fish, usually should shoot for a 2 degree max difference when adding water. The more I go the better. Did you forget to dechlorinate the water you added? Just trying to cover all the bases.


Right, sorry. Zero on those too, and I never forgot the Prime. I've just done another pH test and realized that it's a little too alkaline. So I added pH down, not sure if that's stupid or not. True Blue is not in this five gal right now though. I've moved him to his half-gal hospital tank for easier monitoring. Goodness knows if it'd help, but I also added half a teaspoon of dissolved aquarium salt into the hospital tank. No behavior difference still. Honestly I feel like I'm losing him right now. 

Not-so-fun fact: True Blue was just fine this morning. I came home twice to check on him during the day. Last I seen him before he turned sick was at 2 PM this afternoon. It is now almost 11 PM at night in MI. What in this ever-loving Earth could turn a feisty, healthy fish into this lethargic blue ribbon in eight hours?

Not-so-fun fact #2: I live in the fourth floor where there's no wi-fi. I got to run all the way downstairs to the lobby to connect to this forum. Do forgive me if I can't update this thread as fast as you'd like me to


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Zero across the board is non cycled, but my concern is his swimming. Is he bloated? Any chance you could have hit him with hot water? For now slowly raise the temp up to 82, he will feel much better. What has he been eating?


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

majerah1 said:


> Zero across the board is non cycled, but my concern is his swimming. Is he bloated? Any chance you could have hit him with hot water? For now slowly raise the temp up to 82, he will feel much better. What has he been eating?


Guilty as charged. I thought as long as I keep the filter it'd be okay. The filter comes from a tank that has been cycled for four weeks...

I don't think he's bloated, no. But I'll check him again. His last meal was a piece of those freeze-dried, cubed worms. He was way down at the bottom of the tank when I added the hot water... what are the chances? Gosh, how am I going to sleep tonight?


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Sorry for the delay. Freeze dried foods are never good for bettas. I would look for pellets and frozen and live, only. Yes it could have hit him, easily. Just watch him.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

I can't have the last two in my dorm room due to roommate agreement. So when Blue started to lose interest on his pellets I got him the freeze-dried thing. I thought as long as I soak it beforehand it'd be fine  

It's now noon of the following day. Last night close to midnight, True Blue perked up quite a bit in his 82-84F hospital tank so I went to sleep. At 7:30 AM today, the temp on the hospital tank has dropped and he's worse than ever before. I moved him back to the warmer main tank (only 2 degrees F warmer to avoid shock) and changed a portion of the water to add 2 more degrees. He didn't perk up. He literally sunk to the bottom of the tank like a piece of paper. I left for service learning at 8:10, thinking there's nothing else I can do. I came back just nine minutes ago. He's still alive, so that's a relief, but he's not in full health either. I've changed the water again. It's now at exactly 80F. I now have two heaters plugged; a 50watt I just bought yesterday and a 7.5 watt that used to run on his old 1.5 gal. NONE of them could maintain an above-eighty temp. The water's temp kept slipping back down to 76 no matter what I do. Is it because this five-gal is lidless? My old 1.5 has a lid that probably kept the heat inside. But then again, if I have TWO heaters running the water should remain warm lid or no lid. Another thing that made me wonder is that I 'hospitalize' Blue in 72-74F water every time he chipped his fin. Even in 72 he never behaves like this. So why would 76 harm him? 

Once again thanks for all your advice @majerah1 and @chenowethpm.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I think it is due to the changes in temp. It may seem like small but it is still significant. Do you have saran wrap? You can place some over the top of the five to retain the heat and moisture for him. Don't move him, just leave him in there. You can soak pellets in garlic to help their appetite.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

I'm getting one right now, thank you.

EDIT: he's a little bit better than this morning. Temp is 78 (see? slipping again).


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Glad to hear, now let us hope he improves daily until he is back to himself.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

UPDATE (6:27 PM EST)

OK I have bought plastic wrap so the temp should stay above eighty now (if not I'm seriously gonna start pulling my hair off). But goodness gosh for the love of all things holy _he now has cloudy eye_. I did add pH down last night... must be it. But the current pH reading is still 7.6, and I've done goodness knows how many 20-25% water changes since last night to keep up with the temp loss. A minute ago I did a 50% before sealing the tank with a plastic wrap. Shouldn't water change balance the pH level? Anyways, back to the main topic: I'm honestly readying myself to lose Blue. He was as still as a rock when I left to buy that plastic wrap. I'm honestly amazed he's still alive when I arrived home an hour later. He's been swimming around a little more within the past hour, but still with the pelvic fins folded. So you see his activity level is going up and down like a roller coaster. He's been going better, and then worse, and then better again and then worse again. I feel sooooooo stupid I shouldn't have added that pH down last night just because my reading says it's a little alkaline. Maybe I'm just not a fish person. I'm literally not doing Blue any good right now. Should've just stuck with dogs...


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

PH is fine, he will adjust to that much better than ph Up/ down. It is all trial and error, and we do the best we can. Best thing now, is since you have changed his water, let him rest. The activity is stressful on him right now I am sure. Change a little tomorrow, drip it back in if you have to, and do so for the next few days.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

Thanks for staying with me. Blue's been swimming around a lot more than early today, though still not as much as usual. No more water changes until tomorrow, noted.


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## OliviaS (Sep 18, 2014)

I would like to once again thank you, @majerah1, for staying with this clueless newbie all the way through thick and thin. Unfortunately, the battle ends here. True Blue Fantasy lost his life this morning at 10 AM, only three weeks and four days since I brought him home. He was still alive when I woke up at 9, and tried to wriggle around when I called his name. I did another 50% water change and he did half a lap around one of the tank ornaments before collapsing upside down on the gravels. The area where his pelvic fins are attached to were snowy white. He tried to get up and swim to the surface, but his effort fell short and just like that, I lost him. I don't know if I want another Betta after this whole ordeal. I don't even know if I want another fish. Clearly I did something very, very wrong and it killed my little guy in less than a month. On that note, you might not see me around in this forum anymore. But I deeply thank you all who have answered any questions I have asked regarding my little Blue. Farewell.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I am truly sorry for your loss. It could have been age or even genetics. May he swim in peace.


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