BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish my sons betta

HI my name is Rhonda, I changed my son Tony's betta water, his name is rainbow element, and the fish is just sitting at the bottom of the bowl he seems to be having a hard time to breath and he is not moving a lot, leaning on a rock. I am afraid that it is going to die.And I dont know what to do? maybe someone could help me. We have only had rainbow for a week and he has never been very active I put a light by the 2.5 gallon tank to warm the water, thought this might make him happy, but the water change may have been a bad idea. please help. tap water sat for 24 hours befor and rainbow was climatised befor entry. Please help.

He may be cold. See if you can get a small heater. I know they sell one at wal mart for about $7. Bettas are tropical fish, so they need tropical water. Keep in mind "room temperature" water is usually about 4 degrees cooler than the room temp. At least in my house. Glad to hear you don't have him in a tiny little bowl with about 2 inches of water! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> sounds like he has a good home. Try the heater and see if it helps. If not we'll try to think of something else it could be. Nothing pops into my head, but if I think of anything, I'll post it.
HTH!!!

Amber

Changing water is always good for fish, not bad. Unless you introduced some toxins inthe water, like dish soap, room deodorizer droplets, metal contamination, body lotion from your hands, whatever. If the water is clean, then you did it just right and you can never change water too much for healthy fishes.

How new is this fish? Is this new behavior or did he come home looking sick from the pet store?

We need more information on specifics to help you. It sounds like you are being a good betta parent.

Welcome to the forum!

rainbow has been with us only a week and he has not been active since we got him,tending to gravitate to the bottom of the tank. I have placed a lamp by his tank to keep the water a bit warmer, but his fins are clamped and he is on the bottom leaning a bit to the side. I placed a few drops of ultra shiel skin protector in the water, as it said to use when fish are handled injured or stressed. I am very worried.

Fins clamped are usually a sign of disease or discomfort. He could be cold, but there might be something else going on. If he's sick, it's likely he was already sick when you got him <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> How are his fins? Do they look frayed at the ends? Does his belly seem to be bloated, or are his scales sticking out like a pine cone? Is his color very pale? These are ususally signs of fish illness, but if he's just sitting at the bottom with his fins clamped, he could just be cold and/or stressed out. Maybe the area of the house you have him in is too active? If his tank gets bumped around a lot, that might make him unhappy. Possibly try adding a pinch of aquarium salt to his next water change, as it is said to help improve gill function. This might be enough to make him more comfortable and happy. Hope some of this might help you out! Let us know more!

I am sorry to say but rainbow did not make it. we went yesterday and perchased a new betta his name is rusty, after seeing how active and happy rusty is.(perchased from a pet store and not walmart this time) I believe rainbow must have been sick when we got him. rusty is beautiful all fins are out and he is exploring everything.
we have the water warm and a light on to keep it that way. he ate this morning and even played with himself in a small mirror, all seems well. My son seemed a bit distant with rusty, I believe he is afraid he will loose rusty to. This morning he fed him and talked to him. So time will take care of his feelings of loss. Thank you for your help. I Wish I could have done more for rainbow. Love this site.

Those are all good signs for your betta <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> It's sad to lose a fish, we've all been there I think. You did the best you could for rainbow, but you're probably right that he was sick when you got him. The first two weeks to month that you own a fish are the most crucial part of having it in your house, because this is when any pre-existing illness begins to show. You should be happy that you could provide him with a loving home for his last days, and know that he was probably more comfortable with you than in a tiny little cup on the shelf surrounded by other bettas. When picking out a fish at the store (if you decide someday to get a third), you should generally look for an active fish with good looking fins, no spots on his scales, no clamped fins, etc. It sounds like you found a good one this time though! I hope all goes well, they're really great fish to have!

hi beautifullyrusty, welcome to the forum. I'm sorry to hear about your son losing his betta. If you are new to bettas it can be diffucult choosing your first one. They usually look so pretty and you can't see them being very active in a little cup of water. I don't think many of us have good things to say about fish from Walmart. I'm glad you didn't give up, your son will be glad to have his new little guy. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Elisaboo and Fishwife are completely right - you did a great job with the sick fish and gave him a nice home for his last days. Please tell your son this - it will help him feel better and also learn how to handle grief in a way that isn't too devastating. Rusty sounds like a wonderful fish! Keep reading the articles on this site and asking questions here in the forum. Also please share your experiences in the Betta Journal. it's important at first, when you are learning about bettas, to document your progress and see how things are improving, or to get advice to learn more betta parent habits. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> That also helps us learn too.

We're glad you are here. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

thank-you for all your kindness. I am glad to be here.
rusty has had a great first day with us he is even making bubbles on the top of the water, good sign right? very active he must see his reflection at one end of the tank, because he keeps going over and fluffing himself up. I could watch him allday. My husband laughs at me spending so much time watching him. But I find him very relaxing. And beautiful. I will share our progress in the betta journal.
I put a tiny mirror up for him to see himself for a while he seems to enjoy it, and when I take the mirror away he looks for the reflection at the other end of the tank so he can do it all over again. funny little guy. Tony has asked me to thank-you for your thoughtfull words(he said carming notes)