Betta struggling after water change

[Riveroak]

On Wednesday, my mom cleaned my betta's tank while I was at school, and when I got home, he was breathing really hard and hiding at the bottom. Yesterday, he didn't move from his hiding spot in the tree cave thing, still breathing hard, and didn't come to the surface for food. Today, his face is all red and looks like it might be cut, I'm not sure. I fed him yesterday and the day before, but he didn't swim up to the surface like usual. He's still panting, but not as bad as yesterday, barely moving around, and not himself.

I tested the water a little while ago, and it was mostly normal. I just feel so bad! Here's what happened:
- 100% water change on Wednesday
- my mom said she didn't do anything different, we've done this before and he's been fine
- I'm thinking maybe temperature shock since my mom puts him in a little 3-gallon tank with 2 inches of water while cleaning. We made sure the temperature was normal before putting him back, but he might've been cold in the 3-gallon one. Does temperature shock last this long?

Here are the tank details:
- 5 1/2 gallon tank
- water change every 2 weeks
- nitrate (No3) 0
- nitrite (no2) 0
- pH 7
- KH 80
- GH 120, which is a bit high, how do I fix that?
- my tester strips don't have an ammonia test, should I get some that do?
- we boil our tap water, let it cool, and put it in the tank until it's normal temp, is that wrong? We don't add anything to it
- the tank has a heater set to 78 degrees, but it's 80 right now
- the tank has a filter, which was changed when the tank was cleaned
- he's panting and breathing hard at the bottom of the tank

He's not usually this pink. I have some stuff that might help him, will it work? Please help me, I need your advice!

[oakleaf]

Do you have a bottle of BettaFix anywhere near the tank? My mom once grabbed the wrong thing and put BettaFix in my brother's tank by mistake, and it didn't end well for his betta. I'm worried that might have happened to you too.

Also, I want to ask, is there a little solid stuff on the cap of the chlorine neutflakeizer? If so, your mom might have accidentally not put enough in the water. I'm trying to think of what else could've gone wrong, but I'm stumped. Was everything okay with the 3-gallon tank she put him in while cleaning? I really wish I could help you more, I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

[Riveroak]

Do you have a bottle of BettaFix anywhere near the tank? My mom once grabbed the wrong thing and put BettaFix in my brother's tank by mistake, and it didn't end well for his betta. I'm worried that might have happened to you too.

Also, I want to ask, is there a little solid stuff on the cap of the chlorine neutflakeizer? If so, your mom might have accidentally not put enough in the water. I'm trying to think of what else could've gone wrong, but I'm stumped. Was everything okay with the 3-gallon tank she put him in while cleaning? I really wish I could help you more, I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

We just boil the water and let it cool down, we don't add anything to it, so I don't think that's it.

[belleora]

I'm so sorry to hear about your betta, and I'm more than happy to help you figure out what's going on.

First things first, I think you really need to get some water conditioner. I know you mentioned you just boil your tap water, but that's not enough to make it safe for your fish. You see, tap water has chlorine in it, which is great for us humans, but really bad for fish. To get rid of the chlorine, you'll need a product like Seachem Prime. It's a bit pricey, but trust me, it's worth it.

I'm not sure what's available in your area, but you'll want to find something that removes chlorine and chloramines. If your mom is willing to grab some, that would be amazing.

Now, I know you've been doing water changes a certain way, but I'm afraid it's not the best method. Don't worry, we can work through it together and figure out a better way to do things. For now, let's focus on getting your betta into some clean, safe water.

Here's what I want you to do: fill a bucket with tap water and let it sit for 24 hours. That will give the chlorine time to air out. Then, you can heat it up to the same temperature as your tank water and do a partial water change. You'll probably need to do a few of these over the next few days, so be sure to refill that bucket as you go.

Also, please remove any food that your betta hasn't eaten. And if you could, check online or at a pet store to see what water conditioner options are available to you. Some products aren't safe for bettas, so we'll need to make sure you get the right one.

If you can get to a pet store and grab a bottle of water conditioner, that would be great. The sooner you can get it, the better. I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm here to help, and I'm sure we can get your betta back on track.

[Riveroak]

I'm so sorry to hear about your betta, and I'm more than happy to help you figure out what's going on.

First things first, I think you really need to get some water conditioner. I know you mentioned you just boil your tap water, but that's not enough to make it safe for your fish. You see, tap water has chlorine in it, which is great for us humans, but really bad for fish. To get rid of the chlorine, you'll need a product like Seachem Prime. It's a bit pricey, but trust me, it's worth it.

I'm not sure what's available in your area, but you'll want to find something that removes chlorine and chloramines. If your mom is willing to grab some, that would be amazing.

Now, I know you've been doing water changes a certain way, but I'm afraid it's not the best method. Don't worry, we can work through it together and figure out a better way to do things. For now, let's focus on getting your betta into some clean, safe water.

Here's what I want you to do: fill a bucket with tap water and let it sit for 24 hours. That will give the chlorine time to air out. Then, you can heat it up to the same temperature as your tank water and do a partial water change. You'll probably need to do a few of these over the next few days, so be sure to refill that bucket as you go.

Also, please remove any food that your betta hasn't eaten. And if you could, check online or at a pet store to see what water conditioner options are available to you. Some products aren't safe for bettas, so we'll need to make sure you get the right one.

If you can get to a pet store and grab a bottle of water conditioner, that would be great. The sooner you can get it, the better. I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm here to help, and I'm sure we can get your betta back on track.

I have those water conditioners, but my mom stopped using them because the measurements were confusing for her. Two of them, including the one that removes chlorine, have instructions for 10 US gallons, but I have a 5.5 gallon tank, so she wasn't sure how much to add. I can start using them again if I can figure out the measurements.

To remove uneaten food, I'm not sure what to do since it's pellets and they've kind of dissolved on top of the rocks. Can I just siphon them out or is there a better way? Also, is it safe to add the liquids while my betta is in the tank? And, I wanted to ask, the middle one leaked, can you see the words on the bottles?

[Riveroak]

On Wednesday, my mom cleaned my betta's tank while I was at school, and when I got home, he was breathing really hard and hiding at the bottom. Yesterday, he didn't move from his hiding spot in the tree cave thing, still breathing hard, and didn't come to the surface for food. Today, his face is all red and looks like it might be cut, I'm not sure. I fed him yesterday and the day before, but he didn't swim up to the surface like usual. He's still panting, but not as bad as yesterday, barely moving around, and not himself.

I tested the water a little while ago, and it was mostly normal. I just feel so bad! Here's what happened:
- 100% water change on Wednesday
- my mom said she didn't do anything different, we've done this before and he's been fine
- I'm thinking maybe temperature shock since my mom puts him in a little 3-gallon tank with 2 inches of water while cleaning. We made sure the temperature was normal before putting him back, but he might've been cold in the 3-gallon one. Does temperature shock last this long?

Here are the tank details:
- 5 1/2 gallon tank
- water change every 2 weeks
- nitrate (No3) 0
- nitrite (no2) 0
- pH 7
- KH 80
- GH 120, which is a bit high, how do I fix that?
- my tester strips don't have an ammonia test, should I get some that do?
- we boil our tap water, let it cool, and put it in the tank until it's normal temp, is that wrong? We don't add anything to it
- the tank has a heater set to 78 degrees, but it's 80 right now
- the tank has a filter, which was changed when the tank was cleaned
- he's panting and breathing hard at the bottom of the tank

He's not usually this pink. I have some stuff that might help him, will it work? Please help me, I need your advice!

I figured it out, 2.75ml for my tank. I can start putting it in now. My mom stopped using them because the measurements were too confusing, but I can handle it. Do I just siphon out the uneaten food with a gravel vacuum or something? The pellets kinda dissolved on top of the rocks. And is it okay to put the liquids in while the fish is in the tank?

[belleora]

On Wednesday, my mom cleaned my betta's tank while I was at school, and when I got home, he was breathing really hard and hiding at the bottom. Yesterday, he didn't move from his hiding spot in the tree cave thing, still breathing hard, and didn't come to the surface for food. Today, his face is all red and looks like it might be cut, I'm not sure. I fed him yesterday and the day before, but he didn't swim up to the surface like usual. He's still panting, but not as bad as yesterday, barely moving around, and not himself.

I tested the water a little while ago, and it was mostly normal. I just feel so bad! Here's what happened:
- 100% water change on Wednesday
- my mom said she didn't do anything different, we've done this before and he's been fine
- I'm thinking maybe temperature shock since my mom puts him in a little 3-gallon tank with 2 inches of water while cleaning. We made sure the temperature was normal before putting him back, but he might've been cold in the 3-gallon one. Does temperature shock last this long?

Here are the tank details:
- 5 1/2 gallon tank
- water change every 2 weeks
- nitrate (No3) 0
- nitrite (no2) 0
- pH 7
- KH 80
- GH 120, which is a bit high, how do I fix that?
- my tester strips don't have an ammonia test, should I get some that do?
- we boil our tap water, let it cool, and put it in the tank until it's normal temp, is that wrong? We don't add anything to it
- the tank has a heater set to 78 degrees, but it's 80 right now
- the tank has a filter, which was changed when the tank was cleaned
- he's panting and breathing hard at the bottom of the tank

He's not usually this pink. I have some stuff that might help him, will it work? Please help me, I need your advice!

I'm glad you figured out the measurement for the stress coat plus. To remove the uneaten food, a turkey baster would be perfect, but for now, we can work with what you have. When you do the water change, you can remove the food then.

To do the water change, put the betta in the 3 gallon tank with some of his tank water, about a gallon. Make sure the new water for his 5.5 gallon tank has the stress coat plus added and is the same temperature as the tank water he's in.

Also, I noticed you have a thick layer of gravel in his tank. While he's in the 3 gallon, take out about half of the gravel. This will give him more space and fresh water to dilute his waste.

When you put the betta back in his tank, make sure to leave enough space to add the gallon of water he's in. This way, you'll have changed about 80% of his water for nice clean, declorinated water. Don't add any more food to the tank for now until we've got this sorted. Fish can go for days without food, but food rotting at the bottom of the tank will produce ammonia, which is toxic to fish.

If you could do that water change as soon as possible, please let us know if he seems any better. Also, what filter is on the tank? Did your mum remove and replace filter cartridges when she cleaned it?

By the way, does the cap of the stress coat plus have a measurement for 5ml in it? If it does, you can measure out a tiny bit over half a cap and add that to the new water before you put it in the tank.

[Riveroak]

I'm so sorry to hear about your betta, and I'm more than happy to help you figure out what's going on.

First things first, I think you really need to get some water conditioner. I know you mentioned you just boil your tap water, but that's not enough to make it safe for your fish. You see, tap water has chlorine in it, which is great for us humans, but really bad for fish. To get rid of the chlorine, you'll need a product like Seachem Prime. It's a bit pricey, but trust me, it's worth it.

I'm not sure what's available in your area, but you'll want to find something that removes chlorine and chloramines. If your mom is willing to grab some, that would be amazing.

Now, I know you've been doing water changes a certain way, but I'm afraid it's not the best method. Don't worry, we can work through it together and figure out a better way to do things. For now, let's focus on getting your betta into some clean, safe water.

Here's what I want you to do: fill a bucket with tap water and let it sit for 24 hours. That will give the chlorine time to air out. Then, you can heat it up to the same temperature as your tank water and do a partial water change. You'll probably need to do a few of these over the next few days, so be sure to refill that bucket as you go.

Also, please remove any food that your betta hasn't eaten. And if you could, check online or at a pet store to see what water conditioner options are available to you. Some products aren't safe for bettas, so we'll need to make sure you get the right one.

If you can get to a pet store and grab a bottle of water conditioner, that would be great. The sooner you can get it, the better. I know this is a lot to take in, but I'm here to help, and I'm sure we can get your betta back on track.

I was thinking, could he have ammonia burns? I'm not really sure what that is or what cycling means, but someone mentioned it and I'm worried. What if moving him is too much stress right now?

[Riveroak]

I just did a big water change, around 70-80% and added some conditioner and ammo lock. He's still panting though, so I'm gonna give him some time. Sorry if it seems like I'm bringing up random things, I'm jumping between two betta forums trying to get as much help as I can.

[Snout]

If ammonia burns are the issue, it makes sense that his breathing is still labored since it affects how oxygen gets absorbed. Belleora's advice on doing a big water change and adding conditioner is spot on, it's all about minimizing further damage and giving him the best chance to heal in safe water.

Can you test for nitrites now? If they show up, we'll need to do another water change and add a heaped tablespoon of dissolved aquarium salt, let us know what you find.