Is my betta fish showing signs of illness?

[clever]

I've got a bit of a situation with my fish Shoto, and I'm hoping someone can offer some advice. I've been noticing some weird behaviour from him, and I'm getting a bit worried.

First off, for those who've been following my threads recently, I'll fill you in on a couple of things. Shoto recently had an issue with his fin - it got torn and some kind of "fluff" grew on it, but that's all sorted now thanks to Colin's flour bath procedure. Also, I replaced the internal air filter about 10 days ago, as the old one was creating too much current and stopping Shoto from swimming around the tank.

Anyway, Shoto's been acting really strange. Yesterday, he was his usual self - came up for food, swam around, all that. But this morning, my partner fed him, and I didn't see him much after that. I've been working on my PC all day, and I can see the tank from where I'm sitting, but I didn't see him swimming around like he normally does.

I went over to check on him, and he was hiding in his little shelter, with his Sprig sticking out a bit like he was having trouble breathing. At first, I thought he was stuck, but when I opened the lid, he came out to say hi, so I knew he was okay. However, when I closed the lid again, he darted away from the light and back into his shelter. I also noticed his colours looked a bit dull - more grey than his usual bright white and red.

I turned off the light, thinking it might be bothering him, and I did a water test with my API master test kit. The results were good - Ammonia was almost zero, nitrite was zero, and nitrate was around 10. But I know my fish, and I know something's not right. So, I decided to do a small water change.

During the water change, Shoto didn't come out at all, which is really weird. He always swims around when I'm doing a water change, and I have to keep an eye on him to make sure I don't suck him up. But this time, he just stayed hidden. When I was adding new water, I accidentally made it a bit warmer than usual, but Shoto seemed to like it - he swam out and lay down in the current. However, when he swam away, he seemed to scrape himself against the floor, and I noticed one of his scales is missing, although it looks like it's healing.

I've also noticed that he hasn't eaten anything today, and his little pellets are just floating around in the water. All these signs are telling me that Shoto's ill, and I'm getting a bit worried. Physically, he looks fine, except for the missing scale, but his behaviour is all off.

I've taken a few steps to try and help him - I've increased the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius, turned off the light, and done a 50% water change with tap-safe water. I've also included a picture and a video of his "breathing" - I just saw him swim up to the top of the tank to get some air, and now he's back in his shelter, laying on his side.

If anyone can offer some advice or help, I'd really appreciate it. Shoto's my little buddy, and I want to make sure he's okay.

[brookstream]

I'm no expert on fish but I'm really hoping Shoto pulls through, he's obviously a much loved little mate.

[clever]

Thanks @brookstream, appreciate the kind words, means a lot for Shoto's well-being, mate.

[coltin]

I'm having trouble deciphering the details of your post, but since you recently changed the filter, it's possible that ammonia or nitrite is present in the water, which would definitely stress Shoto.

You've already checked the ammonia and nitrite levels, but I'd still recommend doing a 75% water change and cleaning the gravel every day for the next week or so, until the new filter is fully established. Also, make sure any new water you add is free of chlorine and chloramine.

It's worth noting that even though your test kit showed low levels, it's still possible that the water quality is affecting Shoto's behavior.

[clever]

I'm having trouble deciphering the details of your post, but since you recently changed the filter, it's possible that ammonia or nitrite is present in the water, which would definitely stress Shoto.

You've already checked the ammonia and nitrite levels, but I'd still recommend doing a 75% water change and cleaning the gravel every day for the next week or so, until the new filter is fully established. Also, make sure any new water you add is free of chlorine and chloramine.

It's worth noting that even though your test kit showed low levels, it's still possible that the water quality is affecting Shoto's behavior.

Thanks for replying, I know my post was a bit of a novel, I just wanted to give you the full picture of what's been going on with Shoto.

I did change the filter 10 days ago, and I made sure to seed the new one with media from the old one, so I'm hoping that's not the issue. I tested the water parameters and, as I mentioned, they all looked good - ammonia was basically 0, nitrite was 0, and nitrate was around 10.

I also did a 50% water change and cleaned the substrate, using tap safe water as I always do. But despite all that, Shoto's still not himself. He's still coming up to the surface for air, then swimming back down to his shelter.

I'll test the water again in the morning and see if anything's changed. I just hope he makes it through the night, I'm getting a bit worried.

[Snout]

I think I've found the issue - the temperature is way off. 22 degrees Celsius is far too cold for a betta like Shoto, it's no wonder he's been acting lethargic. I've bumped it up a couple of degrees already, but I think I need to go higher, maybe around 26-28 degrees Celsius. That should help him perk up a bit.

[bronze_shield]

I've got a bit of a situation with my fish Shoto, and I'm hoping someone can offer some advice. I've been noticing some weird behaviour from him, and I'm getting a bit worried.

First off, for those who've been following my threads recently, I'll fill you in on a couple of things. Shoto recently had an issue with his fin - it got torn and some kind of "fluff" grew on it, but that's all sorted now thanks to Colin's flour bath procedure. Also, I replaced the internal air filter about 10 days ago, as the old one was creating too much current and stopping Shoto from swimming around the tank.

Anyway, Shoto's been acting really strange. Yesterday, he was his usual self - came up for food, swam around, all that. But this morning, my partner fed him, and I didn't see him much after that. I've been working on my PC all day, and I can see the tank from where I'm sitting, but I didn't see him swimming around like he normally does.

I went over to check on him, and he was hiding in his little shelter, with his Sprig sticking out a bit like he was having trouble breathing. At first, I thought he was stuck, but when I opened the lid, he came out to say hi, so I knew he was okay. However, when I closed the lid again, he darted away from the light and back into his shelter. I also noticed his colours looked a bit dull - more grey than his usual bright white and red.

I turned off the light, thinking it might be bothering him, and I did a water test with my API master test kit. The results were good - Ammonia was almost zero, nitrite was zero, and nitrate was around 10. But I know my fish, and I know something's not right. So, I decided to do a small water change.

During the water change, Shoto didn't come out at all, which is really weird. He always swims around when I'm doing a water change, and I have to keep an eye on him to make sure I don't suck him up. But this time, he just stayed hidden. When I was adding new water, I accidentally made it a bit warmer than usual, but Shoto seemed to like it - he swam out and lay down in the current. However, when he swam away, he seemed to scrape himself against the floor, and I noticed one of his scales is missing, although it looks like it's healing.

I've also noticed that he hasn't eaten anything today, and his little pellets are just floating around in the water. All these signs are telling me that Shoto's ill, and I'm getting a bit worried. Physically, he looks fine, except for the missing scale, but his behaviour is all off.

I've taken a few steps to try and help him - I've increased the temperature by 2 degrees Celsius, turned off the light, and done a 50% water change with tap-safe water. I've also included a picture and a video of his "breathing" - I just saw him swim up to the top of the tank to get some air, and now he's back in his shelter, laying on his side.

If anyone can offer some advice or help, I'd really appreciate it. Shoto's my little buddy, and I want to make sure he's okay.

For future reference, a sponge over the outlet can slow down an internal filter's output, it's a trick I'll keep in mind for next time. I've already taken steps to address the temperature issue, bumping it up 2 degrees, but I think I'll see if I can get it a bit higher still, maybe to 26 or 28 degrees Celsius as you suggested.

[clever]

I think I've found the issue - the temperature is way off. 22 degrees Celsius is far too cold for a betta like Shoto, it's no wonder he's been acting lethargic. I've bumped it up a couple of degrees already, but I think I need to go higher, maybe around 26-28 degrees Celsius. That should help him perk up a bit.

I've already adjusted the temperature slightly, but to be honest, I don't trust the thermometer inside the tank. I've ordered an electrical one which arrives tomorrow to double check.

bronze_shield said:

For future reference, you can slow the output of an internal filter by placing sponge, like that used in simple sponge filters, over the outlet.
I concur that the temperature is too low.

I actually created a baffle for the internal filter initially, by shoving sponge in the spout, then attaching an acrylic tube with holes drilled in it to the spout. This dispersed the water along the length of the tank, but even with that, it still didn't help and Shoto was getting blown around, which is why I switched to the air filter. When I move, I'm planning to set up a 2-foot still planted tank for him.

Regarding the temperature, I've read that 22-30 is the ideal range for betta, including on these forums. I've always kept it on the lower end because I've seen fish get burnt and I never wanted that to happen to Shoto. However, if the lower end of the acceptable range isn't doing him any good, I'll definitely increase it.

I'll give you a better readout tomorrow when the new thermometer arrives. I don't want to increase the temperature anymore because I genuinely believe my current thermometer is giving an incorrect reading. The heater says it's 25 degrees, but the thermometer says it's only 22, which is a three-degree difference.

[clever]

I'm really sorry for the double post. I re-read my previous message and I can see how it might have come across a bit stand-offish. To be honest, it's nearly 1am here and I woke up to your replies, so my brain wasn't exactly firing on all cylinders.

I just want to say thanks for your advice, I really appreciate it. I'll check the water temperature again tomorrow with my new thermometer and adjust it if necessary. I did notice Shoto seemed to prefer the warmer water when I was doing the water change, but what's really worrying me is how suddenly this all started. He's had the same tank conditions for 6-7 months now, so I would have expected any changes to be gradual, not overnight.

I just popped downstairs to check on him and he's still lying on the substrate. I'm really hoping he's okay and I just want tomorrow to come already so I can get a better idea of what's going on.

[clever]

This morning I came downstairs and Shoto swam up to me as he usually does, which was a relief, but within seconds he went back to his shelter. The new thermometer finally arrived, so I was able to get some accurate readings. It turns out my old thermometer was way off, by about 2-3 degrees. Here are the current tank parameters -

Ammonia is less than 0.25ppm, Nitrite is 0ppm, Nitrate is 5ppm, and the temperature is at 27.1 degrees Celsius.

What's really caught my attention though, is that Shoto darts away from anything he touches, it's like he thinks it's going to hurt him or something. I've never seen him do this before and it's got me a bit concerned.