Nacho has been lethargic for two days now. I did a partial water change, as recommended on one of the many "Care for Betta" sites and it didn't perk him up any. I don't see any fin damage or fuzz, so I don't want to medicate his water. Help me! He's just floating (but alive) near the top. Occasionally, he'll swim to the bottom and then up to the top of the other side of the tank. What could it be? He hasn't eaten in two days. He's just not my sweet Nacho of two weeks ago. I'm doing a full-on water change this weekend.
If anyone out there has any sage Betta advice, I'd love to hear it. Poor Nacho.
[edit] I did some more research and one site suggested shining a flashlight in the tank to more closely inspect his fins and sure enough, they don't look as pretty. She, the Betta expert, also lives in LA and said our PH tends to run high and that's most likely the problem. I'm hurting him!! So, I am heading to Petco after work for a PH tester and a tank thermometer and everything else I can possibly get to bring my darling Nacho back to health. Oh, and did you know fish can get depressed? I'm thinking of getting a figurine of Freud to place in the tank just in case.
4 comments:
He isnt too warm is he? We just had a really hot weekend (ok, so about half as hot as you are used to, but hot for us and the fish - Cyril) And anyway Cyril was floating all lethargic like for most of the weekend, and has stopped since it cooled down some.
Poor baby! Betta are tropical so try to make sure the water isn't too cold. When you change water, make sure the temp is the same as the water he's coming from and ease it in by doing the partial changes like you've done. They like more than 1 gallon of water in their tanks.
Make sure you use a "water conditioner" so that it will take all the horrible chemicals out of the water.
Also, please accept the fact that he may have been sick before you got him. Petco and such places are not known for their wonderful pet rearing when it comes to fish. If, heaven forbid, he goes to the great rice paddy in the sky (that's where they come from), do some reading online and go find yourself another lovely. I can recommend some good shops in the valley that take very good care of their fishies and have great Betta sized tanks for purchase.
BTW, the "water conditioner" is stuff you can buy at Petco.
Here's a crazy suggestion that has worked for years for me (not for actual illness, but for that floating/seriously bored lethargy that Bettas get into when left Alone): get another one. NOT in the same little tank, but in one beside it so that they can see each other. (If you've got a big tank, then insert a clear divider). They will spend some time seriously telling each other off (fun to watch), but also eating, snoozing, and building bubble nests...in fact, when one of mine was injured, the other one mooned around for the few days acting very lost. These boys DO benefit from being around each other--just NOT in the same tank, and not where they can jump out!
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