Sick Betta.. i think

[Dominique37]

I'm pretty sure my betta is sick, he has clamped fins and doesn't flare at mirrors. Also, he has this white spot near his gills. I was pretty sure that it was some form of fungus so i went and got Pimafix for him. I've been dosing him with it for over a week now and he doesn't seem to be getting any better! The spot is still there and i'm worried that he wasn't actually sick.. HELP!!

[want4rain]

sorry i missed this!! been busy.

do you have a heater? how often do you do water changes?? some hefty water changes typically fix those sorts of problems.

-ashley

[BenMax]

Hope everything is ok.

[Dominique37]

Oh no problem, Chuck (my betta) is on his way to recovery.. I think
I have him in a 1 gallon tank and didn't think i needed a heater. A lady at the pet store said that I could get him a heating pad which would keep him a few degrees above room temperature. What would you recommend? I change his water every week, but now that he's sick I change it every 3 days.
Really huge question, that I've been researching like a mad woman to find but somehow can't: If my betta isn't flaring at mirrors, is that because he's sick or shy? = S

[MyBirdIsEvil]

Really huge question, that I've been researching like a mad woman to find but somehow can't: If my betta isn't flaring at mirrors, is that because he's sick or shy? = S

It could be either.

I had a betta that just didn't care about fighting. A mirror would cause him to retreat to the other side of the tank instead. He wasn't sick, he just wasn't aggressive.
Another betta I had (the one in my avatar) I had to use white paper for backing on his tank because anything else would create enough of a reflection that he wouldn't stop attacking the glass.

They all have their own personalities.

Bettas do need heaters btw, or at least to be kept around 75 degrees somehow. If they get too cold they can either get sick or at the least will become lethargic. They are tropical fish so they don't take to cold water well. If you don't have a thermometer get one to make sure the water isn't too cold and remember that whatever your room temperature is the temperature of his water could be significantly colder.
I have a coldwater tank with a couple of native fish and when my house is around 72 their tank is in the 60s.