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Hey guys, I'm getting a bit desperate for some advice here. I got my Dragon Scale Betta, Taki, from Pet-smart last Saturday and he was doing great at first. Ate his pellets like a champ for the first two days, then suddenly got picky and only wanted the tiny ones - had to hand-feed him or he'd just suck it in and spit it back out. The next day he only wanted bloodworms, and now he hasn't eaten since Wednesday. I know Bettas can supposedly go 7 days without food, but that's not my only concern - his color's gone from this gorgeous red with holographic scales to mostly white and gray, except for his fins. And get this, he's stopped fanning his fins too. He just lies at the bottom of the tank, comes up for air, and then slowly floats back down. Only time he gets active is when he's startled, but even then, he just sorta... breathes and sinks back down. I'm seriously worried I'm gonna lose Taki and I have no idea what's causing this. Please, if you've got any advice or questions, I'm all ears.

Can you please share some pics of Taki?

Are you familiar with the aquarium nitrogen cycle, and did you cycle Taki's tank before adding him? What are your current ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels? I've got a hunch you might not have cycled first. Do a 75% water change and report back with your water parameters ASAP. I'd recommend checking out this link for more info on cycling your tank: http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/to ... ater-tank/.

It's possible that Taki is constipated, which could explain why he's stopped eating and is now having trouble swimming. If his stomach is bloated, it might be putting pressure on his swim bladder, causing him to sink or float. Can you take a look and see if he appears bloated, specifically around the throat area? There should be some noticeable swelling if that's the case. Posting a picture would really help us get a better idea of what's going on.

I agree with @Deanasue's point, it seems spot on. Has there been any improvement after the 75% water change, or is this still pending? If not done already, this needs to be done ASAP.

Can you please tell us what size tank Taki is in and what type of filter it has. If PetSmart advised on the setup, it's possible the tank or filter might not be suitable for your betta.

I did the 75% water change and Taki seems to be doing a bit better. I'm still working on figuring out how to test for nitrates, but I'll get there. He doesn't look bloated, so I'm not too worried about constipation. I'm using a 2.5 Topfin tank with a filter and a tank heater, and I also have a water conditioner to keep things stable. I actually did my own research and chose all the equipment myself, so I'm hoping I didn't mess anything up. I also switched his food brand, and I think he's really liking it - he started swimming around more last night. I'm still having trouble uploading pictures, but as soon as I figure it out, I'll share them with you all.

I was totally clueless about this aquarium nitrogen cycle thing, but I did let the tank sit for a bit after setting it up and adding conditioner before putting Taki in - I think it was around five hours or maybe more, I was waiting for the heater to warm up the tank too. I'm really glad I did that 75% water change, he seems way more lively now, and I also switched up his food, so fingers crossed he'll keep improving.

I think it's crucial to understand the nitrogen cycle, especially since you're doing a fish-in cycle with Taki. To monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels, which are toxic to fish, you'll need to get a test kit ASAP. Until you have one, I'd recommend changing around 50% of the water daily. Just make sure to add dechlorinator and match the temperature to the tank. Large water changes can be beneficial as long as you follow these steps.

For a better understanding of the cycling process, I'd suggest checking out this thread: https://www.fishforums.net/threads/cycl ... st.421488/. You can ignore the second part, as it's about cycling before introducing fish.

As you're now doing a fish-in cycle, daily ammonia and nitrite testing is crucial, and you should do a water change whenever either reading is above zero. Since you don't have a test kit yet, I recommend a daily 50% water change to keep your betta safe. As long as you remember to add water conditioner and warm the replacement water to the same temperature as the tank, large water changes are actually beneficial.