# What is wrong with my betta?



## joygomez (Jul 28, 2008)

We are relatively new to having a betta fish, so we have ours just in a small betta bowl with rocks and an artificial plant. It has been doing fine for months, but recently it started burrowing down into the rocks and just hanging out there all day. Its mouth will be in the rocks and it looks like he is standing on his head. Then the last couple of days he has stopped eating. Something most be wrong. We changed his bowl recenlty to a bigger one, could something have happened there? I think I might have been changing the water wrong because I had been doing 50% water changes weekly. Any help would be appreciated.


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Have you checked ammonia? Do you use tap water conditioner to remove chlorine? Does he have any other symptoms? Just trying to cover all the bases.


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## joygomez (Jul 28, 2008)

Yes I use a tap water conditioner, but no I haven't checked for ammonia. The only other symptom he has is that his tail no longer looks all full and pretty like it used to, but it doesn't look like fin rot either. And now he is just floating at the top of the bowl and only showing signs of life occasionally.


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## JMeenen (Apr 7, 2008)

In a small "Betta Bowl" I would think that a 50% water change weekly is not enough..If I had a Betta in a bowl I would make sure that daily you suck out poo & uneaten food with a turkey baster or small piece of hose..then every other day replace 50% of the water using a dechlorinator...that may be the problem..does the water ever look off color or cloudy during the week prior to your water change?


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## anecia78 (Jul 28, 2008)

My Beta has also been staying at the bottom of the tank as well. I do change him weekly, water conditioner and everything. My other one seems to be doing just fine in his bowl. My Beta looks like he is going to die and I don't know what to do. I am in the same situation as JoyGomez.
What is happening? Is this normal?


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## JMeenen (Apr 7, 2008)

like I said previously...in a bowl you will need more than a weekly water change


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## okiemavis (Nov 10, 2007)

Do you know what your water parameters are? Ammonia, nitrites, nitrates and temperature?


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## joygomez (Jul 28, 2008)

Thanks for the replies but I still do not know what to do. I cannot afford to get a larger tank at the moment. And my betta is now just floating sidewise at the top of the bowl. He looks dead, but if you go up to the bowl he will start swimming around the bowl like normal. He has been like this for over a week now. His fins look stuck together, not beautiful like they once did. And he does not eat. I'd really like him to get better what should I do?[/img]


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

Have you changed his water recently? It's hard to diagnose anything over the internet but an aggressive set of water changes could quickly lower the levels of any dangerous pollutant in his water. A 50% change daily for the next several days will cut down on any ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates in the water.

Is he breathing heavily, like he's in distress?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I was wondering if his water was too cold. I have mine in gallon bowls, too.Two of my bettas were given to me and both had been exposed to fluctuating temperatures. They both floated on their sides for a long time , even after being in warmer water. I keep them upstairs, in my room, where its warm.


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