Why is my betta fish lethargic, not eating, and spitting food?

Check the water quality. This can be done with a home test kit or you can submit a water sample for testing. Most pet stores or aquarists will do this for free or for a nominal fee. Correct any imbalances as indicated. Check the water temp as well. Aim for 78 F to 80 F. Use a tank heater to prevent temps below 74 F. Offer a good quality pellet such as Hikari BioGold. You can also feed blackworms or bloodworms. Live worms may get him eating. Freeze dried tubifex worms may also stimulate his appetite. If there are no outward signs of bacterial or fungal infection, consider parasites. You can use metronidazole for fish. It is sold in most pet stores in the aquarium section. Follow label directions and gauge his response after treatment. The raised scales are a concern because that can be a symptom of dropsy. Dropsy is common in bettas and usually fatal. It is typically accompanied by a swollen abdomen though. Fish tuberculosis is another serious concern. This is a slow, progressive illness that can kill fish and ruin tanks/bowls. Start with the basics as listed above. Try water changes with conditioned water and offer different foods to get Thorin eating. You can request a consultation to discuss his condition in greater detail and for additional resources.

Thanks for reaching out about Elliot and including photos. Concerns would include over-inflation of the swim bladder, causing positive buoyancy. This is possibly caused by an infection of the physostomatic duct which connects the swim bladder to the intestinal tract. If that duct is blocked, air can not escape the swim bladder and becomes over distended, thereby floating more. Antibiotics are needed to treat, and a veterinary visit is recommended. good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Fun Ghoul and including photos. Not sure if fish become depressed, but maybe lethargic. Check and correct water parameters including pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrates. Packages of food offered should be discarded after 2-3 months as vitamins degrade. If concerns continue, a veterinary visit is recommended. Good luck.

Thanks for your question, and I’m sorry that Oscar isn’t feeling well. Thank you for the photos as well - they are very helpful. I agree with you - it looks like his fins are shortened and I can appreciate the color changes you are seeing. Both of these changes can be caused by infections, including bacterial, fungal, and parasites. When these infections occur, the first thing that we evaluate is the water quality. I am not sure if you have done this or not yet, but you can take a sample of your water to a pet store for evaluation if you don’t have a kit at home. If the parameters are not ideal, this can make Oscar susceptible to diseases that he would normally be able to fight off. Once you have determined this, then you can either try to treat empirically with an over the counter medication, or you can seek veterinary advice for Oscar. Your veterinarian would take a sample from the skin surface and maybe the fins to evaluate for what is causing the changes. They would then prescribe medications that are tailored to what they find. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that Oscar feels better soon!

Thanks for reaching out about Milo and including photos. Ich does not occur spontaneously, so if no new additions of live fish, plants or snails, then it is unlikely to be this parasite. Do you test water quality of pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates? Review diet as many of the nutrients in fish foods degrade in months, so fresh food ins required every 2-3 months. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostic/treatment plan. Good luck.

Thanks for reaching out about Kiho. How often do you change out your food source. By the pictures, there seems to be a spinal curvature which is often associated with scurvy (vitamin C deficiencies). Vitamin C is not stable in foods. A veterinary visit is recommended to assess and provide a diagnostics/treatment plan. Anti-inflammatories could help mobility. Improving vitamin C at this point will not reverse changes. Check and correct water quality and pristine water is needed to recovery. Betta Fix does nothing but delay proper treatments. Good luck.

Hello, I recommend checking water quality parameters first for any fish displaying abnormal behavior. For starters, I'd recommend keeping your fish in a larger tank as it is much easier to keep the water clean over time. This website is a good reference for basic betta fish care: https://bettafish.org/care/ I hope this helps. Thanks for using PetCoach.