Home

>

Fish

>

Health & Wellbeing

>

I just bought my betta fish yesterday from a local shop ever since i bought it does not move much and keeps sitting at the bottom of the tank and has not eaten the fish food the owner gave me it keeps flapping its gill rapidly its my first time owning a fish please help... what should i do? Is it sick? How do i get it to eat and move properly?

I just bought my betta fish yesterday from a local shop ever since i bought it does not move much and keeps sitting at the bottom of the tank and has not eaten the fish food the owner gave me it keeps flapping its gill rapidly its my first time owning a fish please help... what should i do? Is it sick? How do i get it to eat and move properly?

Updated On March 2nd, 2019

Pet's info: Fish | Betta | Male

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

These are quite concerning signs. The tank where you place Ale is absolutely inadequate and will soon cause serious consequences. Water Quality and Temperature: Make sure your tank has a filter and especially a heater, room temperature is too cool. They are better off at about 78-82 degrees. If kept too cool, they get lethargic and refuse to eat. Bottled spring or drinking water seems to work out well. Never use distilled water. If kept in dirty and unfiltered water they are prone to fin and tail rot and other bacterial infections. Tank Size and Habitat: Some reccommend a five gallon tank with light filter and heater is perfect They do not like strong water current and should be provided a place near the surface to 'take a load off'.' Petco sells the betta hammocks. Also keep your Betta happy by providing artificial or live floating plants for them to swim around. Feeding Your Betta a Well-Balanced Diet: Betta pellets or high quality flake food. They can be fed every other day without harm. They also do well on the commercially prepared Betta pellets or high quality flake food. 2-3 pellets a day, freeze dried tubifex or blood worms 2-3 times a week, and 3-4 live brine shrimp once weekly (frozen brine shrimp are ok too). A small snail like a tiger or zebra snail can help with the leftovers, but partial water exchanges are imperative to keep them healthy and happy. Any further questions please feel free to ask!

Vote icon

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

See More Answers

Related Questions

My barrel racing horse is refusing to eat. She stands with her butt against the stall wall and rests her hocks. She usually stops this when I exercise her. What is going on?

If she's not eating, she's eating painful, colicky, or both. Take a heart rate if you know how to do this--normal is 20-40 beats/minute. If it's higher than this, she's painful and needs to see a veterinarian. If she is rolling, looking at her sides, or not passing manure, she needs to see a vet as these are signs of colic. If you really think she's resting her hocks, then they are sore, and she needs xrays to see what kind of arthritis is going on and what steps you need to take to make her more comfortable. Hope that helps!

Read More

I have a cat that as a kitten was very ill. We got him from 7 months old. We knew he’d had cat flu prior to him coming here. He is now nearly 5 yrs old. He picks huge fights with our other cat. He keeps urinating and scratching at doors and windows around the house. We allow him to go out via the cat flap unlimited. What is happening to him

I'm glad to see that Pippin has been neutered because this eliminates that possibility of hormone-fueled behavioral changes and aggression. Behavioral changes in cats can occur at any point in time, and could be related to anxiety or stressful situations (even rearranging furniture or introducing new people to the home can be stressful to cats). Without a lot more information and observing Pippin's behaviors, I can't precisely tell you why these changes are occurring. It may be best to consult a veterinary behaviorist in your home so that they can observe everything firsthand. You can also try using calming pheromone collars or diffusers (Feliway is one example), and discussing the use of anxiety medication with Pippin's vet. I hope that all goes well!

Read More

Hi! My cat was recently diagnosed with diabetes. He’s taking insulin and taking antibiotics for a Uti. It’s been 4 weeks and he wobles when he’s walking. He can’t jump up on the bed like he used to.He’s blood sugar is 250 it’s better than it used to. I don’t understand why he’s so wobbly.

Cats can develop what's called diabetic neuropathy, where their hindlegs become progressively weak. The best thing to do is try to get his diabetes under control as quickly as possible. Here is a link describing the conditon: http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/DCCCOK/Neuropathy.htm

Read More

My senior cat has metastized cancer.17 yrs old. My vet gave her predizone1 and one half tabs a day.i wanted to know if i can just stop the meds.

Is there a reason you want to stop the prednisone? I would recommend not stopping it and if you feel it is better to stop the prednisone then I would recommend weaning off of the prednisone. I would discuss how to wean the prednisone with your veterinarian. Thank you for using Boop by Petco.

Read More

My dog has an ear infection

Sorry to hear Marley isn't doing so well with his ears. It is not possible to tell from tge picture tve exact nature of the irritation but if it is indeed infected (typically red, hot, painful and smelly), he will need prescription medication from his regular vet. In the meantime I recommend gently cleaning tge outer war with cotton wool and a pet safe ear cleaner to reduce the build up of wax/discharge

Read More

My dog vomited a pinkish colour. Does this look like blood vomit? She doesn’t have diarrhoea or anything else. Yesterday i fed her plain chicken with rice.

That is very red vomit, however, this color could be linked to a number of things including blood in the vomit, inflammation of the GI tract, having chewed on a toy this color, eaten a food item this color, or gotten into a plant or other item this color. If the vomiting continues, worsens, or other symptoms appear such as a painful or bloated abdomen, diarrhea or blood in the stool, or severe distress, I would schedule a veterinary appointment right away to rule out more severe issues. In the meantime I would continue the bland diet for 24 hours, and monitor for any additional vomiting or illness symptoms.

Read More

image

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Filed Under

Sponsored