Is my betta fish dying? He is very inactive and used to be the life of the party...?

  • Thread starter Thread starter WorriedNavyPersonel
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WorriedNavyPersonel

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I bought a betta in April and set it up in a 10-gal tank with a divider and guppies on the other side... Eventually the guppies started breeding and I decided to see if the betta would get a long with the guppies. He LOVED them and thoroughly enjoyed chasing the newborns hoping to get a snack. :) There are about 10-12 guppies ranging from newborn up to the 3 adult breeders. ANYWAY, He hasn't been moving or coming up to eat the last week or so and it's worrying me. He used to be really active and always active and now he lies at the bottom just breathing. He has a filter and a heater and has always seemed very happy. I change the water regularly and make sure his levels are right on... Please let me know if you have any suggestions. I bought him for my mom and she just thinks he's the bees knees... ANY advice would be wonderful. I thought he could have had dropsy but he doesn't really show the signs, body wise. Thanks for your time.
 
Have you checked the ammonia levels? Livebearers are very dirty fish, so your betta could be reacting to increasing ammonia in the tank. It could even be so slight that a regular test isn't showing it yet. (The tests in stores that show your ammonia levels by color only show a vague range of what your levels might be...) Some fish are just more sensative than others.

How long has he been living with the guppies? If it's only been a week or so, he could have stressed himself to the point of exhaustion...

Finally, perhaps he ate too many of the fry, causing constipation...?

These are just a few guesses...anyways, I hope he gets better soon!
 
If the guppies are breeding and he is eating..then perhaps he is overfed himself. Plus now the tank is overstocked with so many guppies. have you tested your water recently? Bettas can and do get depressed but in a community tank i would think enough would go on to entertain him. If he has overfed himself,then fasting will help. Daphnia is a fishy laxative and my guys love it. they won't touch green peas,hich are also fishy laxatives.
 
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