is his excessive sleeping a cause for concern?

[brinyveg]

He's been sleeping way too much lately, it's actually getting me worried. I remember when I first got him, he was super active, always darting around. What could be causing this sudden loss of energy? His fins are all tattered and his tail is literally just a thread, plus he's stopped flaring altogether. Should I do a water change today, maybe that'll perk him up?

[coltin]

Can we see a pic or vid of your fish, just to get a better idea? Also, what's the history with him and the tank - how long has he been in there and what's the setup like? And what about water quality - have you tested it lately?

[brinyveg]

I've had him for around 3 weeks now, and I have to say, he's changed a lot since I first brought him home. He was super active back then, always on the go, but now he's spending way too much time napping. His fins are in pretty bad shape, all tattered and his tail is basically just a thread.

I did add the meds you suggested for his tail, 1 and a half heaped tablespoons, just like you said. I've been keeping an eye on the water quality too - ammonia and nitrite are at 0ppm, and I've been making sure nitrates stay below 20ppm. Recently, I added some Salvinia to the tank, hoping it might help.

[brinyveg]

@coltin

A pic of him would be great to see, also a vid of him swimming would be super helpful.
His history is he's a young betta, been with me 3 weeks now.
Water quality - ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm and nitrates are below 20ppm.

[coltin]

For a 20L tank, try using 2 heaped tablespoons of salt.
Have you run a test for ammonia and nitrite levels today?
Did you recently do a big water change, including cleaning the gravel?
When was the last time you cleaned the filter?
Also, remember to wipe down the inside of the glass before doing water changes.

[flavorman]

Is this your only fish in the tank, or are there others that could be stressing him out?

[brinyveg]

Is this your only fish in the tank, or are there others that could be stressing him out?

Thanks for the advice, I'll switch to 2 heaped tablespoons of salt per 20L. I'll check the ammonia and nitrite levels after dinner, been meaning to do that anyway. His tank is due for a big clean, so I'll get that done too - filter, gravel, the works. And yeah, I'll make sure to wipe down the glass from now on.

[brinyveg]

@coltin, just a heads up, my JBL liquid test only has a test for NH4, not NH3.

[coltin]

NH4 is essentially the same thing as ammonia, so you've got a handle on that.

Finish up dinner, then get to work on that tank - give the glass a good wipe, clean out the filter, and do a big water change along with a gravel clean. Once that's all done, add in those 2 heaped tablespoons of salt.

You can repeat this process daily for a week, adding salt with each water change. If things don't start looking up for your betta after that, we'll need to take another look and see what else might be going on.

[brinyveg]

Can we see a pic or vid of your fish, just to get a better idea? Also, what's the history with him and the tank - how long has he been in there and what's the setup like? And what about water quality - have you tested it lately?

I feel like such an idiot, I had no idea NH4 was actually ammonia. Guess my science knowledge is a bit rusty.