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Maddy

Betta Laying on Tank Bottom

Q: B wrote,

I have a betta fish that I believe is sick. He is laying on the floor of the tank and eats very little only one or two pellets. What could be wrong with my fish?

A: Sluggishness and appetite loss can be a sign of many things ranging from something simple like water that is too cool to something more complex like a bacterial infection or parasites. Without more information, it’s really difficult to say. I would start by looking at his water parameters to determine if anything is off kilter. The tank should be warm and stable somewhere between 76*F [24.4*C] – 82*F [27.7*C] with very little temperature change throughout the day and night. A simple $2 aquarium thermometer will help you to keep an eye on the temperature if you don’t already have one. Testing the water for toxins will be helpful too. Ammonia and nitrite caused by fish waste seem to cause more betta illnesses then anything else.

You can either buy these test kits at your local fish store, or bring in a cup full of your tank water and have them test it for you. Most fish stores will test your water for free if you ask. Just give them a call beforehand to check. A simple pH test isn’t a bad idea either. Very low or high, or a fluctuating pH can cause a range of problems and high pH (also called Basic) will make even small amounts of ammonia quite toxic. If you find that ammonia or nitrite is present in your aquarium then more frequent water changes will be necessary. Also, keep an eye out for other signs of disease like fuzzy white or gray patches, red streaks under the scales or open wounds, tiny white spots or rust colored patches, bloating throughout the body including the abdomen or protruding scales or eyes. These are all additional signs of disease and may help to narrow down what is wrong with your betta.

Feel free to email me back with additional information about your fish and tank set up. Knowing more will help to make a diagnosis. Here’s a list of questions that will help a lot.

  • 1. How long have you had your betta?
  • 2. What is the water volume or tank size?
  • 3. Is this a betta bowl or an aquarium with a filter?
  • 4. Have you tested for Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate? What were the results?
  • 5. Have you tested for pH, kh and gh? What were the results?
  • 6. What is the water temperature?
  • 7. How often do you change your tank water? How much water do you replace at a time?
  • 8. Are there other fish in the tank with your betta? Which species and how many? When were they added?
  • 9. How often do you feed your betta? What types of food are you using? How much are you feeding each time?
  • 10. What water additives and medications are you using? Remember to include water conditioners or salt if you’re using them.

I know it seems like a lot of questions but Bettas can encounter a range of injuries and diseases so the more we know the easier it will be to identify the problem.

Best of luck and I hope he feels better soon.

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Categories: Appetite Loss Behavior Sluggish Betta
Maddy: Christie F is a Betta splendens hobbyist that enjoys spending time caring for her fish and helping new betta keepers learn the ropes.

View Comments (220)

  • I have just bought two males beta’s a few weeks ago(different tanks)and i believe one is sick..he is just staying at the bottom of the water and rarely moves, though it moves when i feed it and it eats all the food. i change the water about once a week and both fish have the same size bowl but the one i think is sick gets its water dirty quicker..and the other one is doing fine.do u think its sick?

    • Ya no, i have a betta fish, sadly, he died today, i went into my roon and the top of his body was cut off. i told my mom and then once i went back in there e was laying on huis side. but he had poop in his scales. in that case, i knew he was dead because of the dirtiness of his tank. i only cleaned probably twice in almost a year, but i did feed him.
      watch out for any signs if hes dead such as
      . laying on side
      . upside down at either top or bottom of tank
      . in pieces
      ..not moving even if tank is shook
      thank you for listening/reading
      -Laura

      • to Laura:
        I have a betta and i dont mean to sound rude or anything but u probably should’ve cleaned once a week, that was pretty clueless

        • But my female betta is pregnant and my male betta bite her fin?And i bought 2 male betta and 8 female betta last week i of them have the give birth to a little fry!

          • dude females dont give birth you male makes a nest and they “hug” then she drops eggs then the male picks them up then puts them into the bubblenest (he should be alone)

          • I luv to change the water for my fish. How often is to often? I am a clean freak sometimes. Can someone tell me how often they should be changed? Also can anyone tell me how long these guys live? Thanks!

          • Clean your bettas tank about once a week because bettas can be very sick from dirty water.

          • this is all to funny,,,,none of what you are ying makes sense,,,,,a female betta does not give birth,,,,the fry hatch from eggs that are put up in a bubble nest by the male and omg it is never one fry,,,,do us a favor and go play with your tonka toys or something to keep you entertained !!

      • you are definately a moron and didnt deserve to care for a beautiful creature such as the betta, how would you feel if someone treated you like that,god hope you never own another fish or animal for that matter learn some responsibility you wanted the fish take care of it murder

      • yup theres one sign that he might be dieing he is not moving at the bottom of his tank even if you shake it and his gilss look like he still might be still breathing i’m srry for your fish and i hope this dosent happens to mine i willllll cry all day and wont do any thing wish blum (the fish) luke i amm every singal mintue i cant even look at him pls pls pls pls wish him luke im begging plss i had him for only since 2011 to 2012 in arirl pls he is my lifeeeee

        • Someone help quick……. My Bettas is on the bottom of the tank laying on the gravel he won’t move or come to the top for air…… what do i do quick….. so he won’t die if he’s not already dead he was moving his gills n small fins now he’s not……. what can i do fast for him im getting very sad…

        • I know me to I love my betta today I cried whin i looked at him and he had a hole in his tail

      • Laura, I STRONGLY suggest you do some serious extensive research before you decide to buy anything else. I can’t believe you changed the water “probably twice in almost a year.” I REALLY hope you don’t have a any kids because you don’t have the slightest idea of how to take care of anything alive! If you’re a kid yourself, how would you feel if your parents kept you in a dirty and smelly closet, fed you your own poop and pee and bathed you “probably twice in almost a year”? You would most probably wind up like your poor betta.

        • Wow, that was harsh. Is this what people do to each other on this site?

      • well i do really want to sound rude! are you stupid?? how do you dare to change water only twice per year?! do you clean your toilet and the bath twice per year?? if you dont have time to take care of pets dont have them and make them suffer dying on their own poop, i just feel very sorry for the fish he died in a very disgusting bad way.

        • I agree with everyone else… I didn’t wanna sound mean saying how I really feel but… You should of researched before ever owning that poor betta! Poor fish!

      • Yah I dont want to be mean either though so you should at least clean once a month

      • Dear Laura
        Why in the world did you only change your tank water twice in one year? how would you enjoy living in a bathtub of your own filth? on top of this when your water gets older than a week (depending on tank size, mine is a three gallon) it starts to fill with Ammonia which if you have ever smelt it burns your eyes and nose. This is what your fish was swimming in for 6 months of the year no wonder he died

      • I agree with Savana, you can’t expect your fish to survive in a tank that haven’t been cleaned. Cleaning his tank only twice a year I’m suprise he survived as long as he did. No affiance or anything… To me that’s animal cruelty p

      • You cleaned the tank twice in one year? Wow, your fish has been dying for quite a long time. Poor thing.

      • Really!?!?…. Laura, you are not only stupid but illiterate as well! Poor fish!

      • thats pretty arrogant & disgusting of you laura and to even come on here & admit u changed his water only twice in one year & say it as if you’re proud at least you done that.
        poor little mite. god rest his soul.must have suffered a great deal. shame on you lady.

      • Laura, you are an idiot. So for the good of the animal community, please don’t ever get another pet.

    • TRY. REG. SALT 100% SALT CANNOT. EAT. BECAUSE. TOO SALTY. PUT. 1 TSP OF. SALT. IN. HIS TANK. SEE. WHAT. HAPPENS. IT. MAY. WORK. TREAT. HIM. AS NORMAL. LIKE. OTHER FISH. GOOD. LUCK. EMAIL. ME. LET.ME KNOW.
      HOW. HE. IS. DOING. MY. BETTA. HE. IS. DOING. THE SAMETHING. I. PUT. SALT. IN. HIS. TANK. HIS. NAME. IS. MERLYN. I. GOT. HIM. 1 YR. SINCE. 2010

      • DO NOT PUT REGULAR SALT IN ANY AQUARIUM!!! THE IODINE IN TABLE SALT WILL KILL YOUR LITTLE FRIENDS… USE APPROPRIATE AQUARIUM SALT!!….

    • well he probably is sick cause I had a betta with a similar condition. he will probably live IF you go to the store were u bought it and ask what he has and the proper treatment. he might also die cause my fish did. let me know if he becomes bloated, then I can give u more info.

  • Subject: Help, sick fishy!
    Help! My betta is sick and I don’t know what it could be. His levels seem to be fine, safe in nitrates and nitrites, ph etc. The only thing that I see is the indicator stick says the water is hard. His temperature is 82 and I just changed his water (2/3rds) 2 days ago. His fins have been shredded for a while now and no matter what I do they stay that way. I’ve given him two rounds of jungle fungus eliminator to no avail. I also tried giving him doses of melafix and his fins are still shredded. But, he’s always been very active despite the fins until today. He’s in a 3 gallon filtered tank with a heater.
    Please help, he’s my favorite little guy. Oh, and he’s a year old.
    Thanks!
    Samantha

    • go to ur local pet store were u got him or anywere elcs and buy these two things medicin for them trust me its real i have it and a pach of water clearing and fungis remover. if it doesnt work take it back to the pet tore and show the guy who sold you it and ask if he can tell u wat to do and put the temp at like 83 they dont need hot waters trust me i just got mine a day ago and the container was so cold.

      • I have a Betta fish that I bought June 2011, and he has always been swimming happily around his tank and making lots of bubble nest since I bought him, but last Monday on February.13,2012 when I went to do his weekly tank cleaning he was just laying on his side and only coming up to top to get air and food, I thought maybe he just needs his tank clean and he will be swimming around and happy again tomorrow, but it’s been a week now seeing as it is now February 22, and there has been no change, I am still doing his weekly water change with a little more than half of water I empty the rest is put in large clean glass cup with my Betta, I than clean the rocks, shell, and container/ tank, I make sure tap water is the same temperature as the water in the glass and than fill half the tank with the tap water than i put in 5mls( the recommend mls for 2 liter tanks which is what I have) of Nutrafin Betta Plus, and than stir it around and than put him in the tank, so this is the first he has gotten sick and i don’t know why seeing as I’m doing everything i looked up to do before I bought him, I think he has white spots on his tail fin but I’m not sure, I think it also looks like his fins are eaten away but I’m not sure if they were like that when I bought him so I’m not sure whats wrong with him, so I would really appreciate some help because I don’t want to loose him :(

    • I had a very sick two year old betta three days ago, never moved off the bottom of his 2 gallon bowl. But I followed another website direction. They said fast your fish for two days, then feed it a cooked frozen, peeled pea. I fed him this for 4 meals and tonight he is up and around again! I’ve learned over the years the more chemical/treatments you give fish the worse off you are. I rarely change the water (not more than every 2-3 weeks) and think he was suffering from overfeeding/constipation. Easy cure and it really worked. Keep in room temperature place and it should be fine. Good luck.

      • Grateful… I read the same type posts on the peas, but how did you feed it to your beta. My piece of smashed pea just fell to the bottom and my beta isn’t eating it.

      • Thank you, thank you than you. This was the first thing that made any sense

    • well first u need to CALM DOWN it will be ok hes probably fine, his fins MIGHT be growing but there probably not. if its not growing there probably supposed to be that way. I need more information to tell u whats really wrong with him xoxo

  • I have this little, red, about 3 or 6 month old beta fish I got as a party favor from my friend on her birthday that seems to be sick! It has this patch of white on its body and I don’t know what to do! Please Help.
    Monique

  • hmm… well surfmonkey,i hope your fish hasn’t died just yet,i believe the sickness of you fish is saprolegnia. it may be some other type of problem though, like columnaris which is a bacteria. you can search these and look for cures.
    for sam, the fish may somehow be stressed or it may be fin rot, but since you already added some meds, im somewhat puzzled; you seem to be a very good fish caretaker, so i wouldn’t expect your fish to be stressed.. sorry i cannot help much in your case.
    ~michelle

  • HELP my beta is not moving from the bottom of his bowl he didn’t eat his one little pelet and I try to get him to move but he isnt budging.
    PLEASE HELP !!!!!!

    • ok do this get a bowl a medium one and scoop him out kinda tap his side with the bowl and if he doesnt do anything take him out and get tongs and pik him up out and if he moves hes alive if he doesnt hes not. it isnt going to hert himit iwill just wipe some of his slime off hel be fine

    • This is happening with me too! I JUST BOUGHT a crown tail betta and he just lays at the bottom of his bowl. Won’t eat and it’s worrying me. He has a HUGE bowl all to himself. S.O.S. He is really lazy. He has come up to the middle of his bowl twice. But he didn’t eat. Got him at pets mart. All their bettas looked a bit odd. None were acting normal. Please Help!! -Dessie

      • If he's new just wait a few days/ a week and a half he is probably just getting used to his new home if not go to the store were you got him / her and ask

  • my fish is not eating :( he was fine this morning but when i came home from school he was acting soo odd and he isn’t eating a THING not a pebble of beta bites:( and this is my second beta
    please help:’( if you can
    Shmem

  • Can you help me- I am unsure what to do! My beta fish is acting weird this morning. He is usually happy to see me and swims to which ever side of the tank I am standing. This morning he stayed on the bottom of the tank. And when I went to feed him he seemed startled by the noise and swam crazy and quickly on the bottom of the tank. I have had him since New Years of this year. I fed him 2 pellets twice a day (for a total of 4 pellets). I have a small aquarium for him (he is my only fish) with a filter. I have not tested the water. The temperture has not changed, if anything it should be a few degrees warmer lately. I change the water every 6 weeks.
    Hope this helps– I am unsure what to do, thanks

  • I got my Betta about 2 weeks ago and I have noticed over the last week since I Did his first water change, that he has a white patch under his chin. Its not fuzzy just white. I did his second water change yesterday, and I notice how the white is also turning black. Also, near his tail I noticed that hes got some white dots…any ideas on what this could be or is it normal?
    He’s a very happy fish, eats well and constantly swimming around. Please help!

    • he should be fine hes jsut changing color from heat change and he isnt used to be taken out so i wouldent worry

    • maybe the best thing you could do for your beta fish is well maybe just bring him to a local pet store and ask lots of uestions take lots of pics of him and the white spots and bring the pics into the petstore or even research it on the interent everyone knows the interenet is not always right so maybe just ask lots and lots of questions your not the only beta oner that this has happen too :) even on this website ask people you see with the exact same problem i really hope your beta fish gets well soon! :)

  • I have a betta and Ive had it for about 4 months. and he is sinking to the bottom of the tank. The water might be cold but every time i change his water i always let the water sit over night to make sure that its the same tempture as the old water in the tank. Also he had fin rot so i got him medicine for the fin rot. But not he is just laying at the bottom of the tank. Yes when i tap on the wall he will wake up but whats a way to warm up the water if that is the problem?
    Hannah

    • You can buy a small heater the right size for the tank or bowl you’re keeping your betta in. When you go to the store, tell them the size of your tank, and they’ll show you the right heater(s). It will say right on the box what the range of size is (for example, 2-5 gallons or 5-10 gallons) Bettas really don’t like cold water. We found out when we used the air conditioner a lot early in the summer! Now he’s nice and cozy at a STEADY temperature. (That’s very important too.)

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