HelPPPPP my betta is dieing ( he die today )

[Himeko-14]

He swiminng on his side , and now he can't go up for air an more, That i have to use a net to help he get up for air.

What should i do ??????//he dieing>!  

[Kribensis]

He dosent need to come up for air. He can breathe in the water. Sounds like something is wrong with his swim bladder. unfortunately, there isnt much you can do.  

[X_ Rose Lust _X]

It's his swim bladder. I have one named Azul.  

[DecepticonCommander]

How old is your betta?

Depending on his age, he may just be on his last legs...er, fins rather. If that is the case, the best you can do for him I would say is keep his water clean and try to keep feeding him. I wouldn't worry about needing oxygen, and if he isn't feeling well, you're probably much better off leaving him alone. I've never known a fish to ever like a net, and you might be scaring him.

Bettas are, however, prone to bloat. If he's a much younger betta then it may be that if you feed him a lot, or he doesn't get enough fiber that he will get backed up a little. A bloated belly can press up against the swim bladder and cause swimming issues. If he doesn't look abnormally fat though, I'd say this is unlikely.  

[Akiska]

Most pet store betta are 18 months or older already. A couple of years after that and they're on their last fins anyway.  

[Moon-Sugar-Kitten Two]

Your fish isn`t a whale .__. It doesn`t NEED to go up for air! neutral And he`s probably just old,from the looks of it,or it could be something with his swim bladder.  

[Himeko-14]

Well I clean the tank yesterday because something was wrong with him, like he was swiming side way. After clean out and put him back in the water. My sister( which she smart then me) told me that he was not swiming and was at the bottom on the tank try to get up for air ( ok my sister say he need air , because he be at the bottom of the tank about 5 min long) bubble was coming out of him ( she say it need air by the look at the bubble come out ). It was scardy me really bad , that I put him in small bow and he was doing the same thing about 10 min later he was doing ok since I was helping him ti get some air by useing the net.
Now he just sit there in a small bow.

I got him summar 2007, well not really my sister friend give the fish to my young sisteron her late b-day , but I toke care of it , since my young sister is dumb to take of it.  

[DecepticonCommander]

Well, you should tell your sister that fish can't drown. >.<

Although most bettas will live to be about 2 or 3 years of age with proper care, Wal-Mart bettas as well as most other pet store bettas can end up being cursed with poor health. I say proper care, that means usually at least a one gallon bowl (I do recommend at least a litttle larger) or more, with at least a heater, and weekly water changes. Bettas won't live very long in little containers with no warmth. They survive, but they won't thrive.

Pet store bettas come from a long line of bad genetics and very poor care for a good part of their young lives. By the time they get to us, they're in bad shape and worn out. My little Quincey was in such filthy water that his fins were severely burned away from the ammonia in the water. He now suffers from chronic fin rot because his immune system is now completely shot. He's only about as old as your betta is.

If he's in a large enough container where he'll still have plenty of water, you could try lowering the water level a bit for him. That way he should be able to get to the surface on his own if he needs to without being bothered with the net. Water pressure can also make it harder for a fish with swim bladder problems to reach the surface, although if he's in a smaller container, I don't think that it would be a big issue. Usually that's for fish in 10 gallons or more.  

[ladycrotalus]

Bettas do need to go up for air. Ive heard of bettas getting trapped in a decoration and dieing because it couldnt get to the surface for air, even in filtered aquariums. They use their gills more for flaring then breathing.  

[TableTurtle]

did you take him to your vet?  

[Kipluck]

Lady Nekochan

Definitely a swim bladder issue. This can be due to constipation, illness, or tumors. The first can be solved with time and aided with a blanched pea (take a frozen pea, put it in conditioned water, microwave for about 20 secs to thaw it, remove the shell, mash the insides, into a paste, and feed about 1/4 of that to the fish). Illness would need medication. There is unfortunately nothing you can do for a tumor.

The best way to tell if it's constipation is to look for poo. If there is less or none in his tank compared to normal, it could be that.

Please stop using the net. It will actually begin to remove his slime coat and compromise his immune system. Nets should only be used as necessary.

Lowering the water level is a good thing to consider. You might have to change his tank more frequently (in uncycled tanks especially), but it will make things much easier on him. Swimbladder Bettas can make their way to the surface, even if it is a challenge, provided the distance isn't too far. Also, make certain there is enough gravel on the bottom for the fish to push off of - plastic of glass is more slippery and will cause a challenge.

This is the best advice I have seen. Honestly, I like to give my bettas a little boiled pea every so often even in good heath, but I HAVE seen a betta with a swim bladder issue turn around with a boiled pea just because his full, impacted stomach was pressing on it or something and that CURED it. This was my boy, Gorby. He was a WONDERFUL betta who died at the age at the age of 3.  

[Kribensis]

ladycrotalus

Bettas do need to go up for air. Ive heard of bettas getting trapped in a decoration and dieing because it couldnt get to the surface for air, even in filtered aquariums. They use their gills more for flaring then breathing.

No they dont. Yes, they are Labrynith fish. The can breathe from the surface, but their gills can be used for breathing air in the tank. The only reason he would need to come up for air is if there isnt a substantial amount in the water.

Lady Nekochan has some good advice, but i dont know about the pea and swim bladder thing. I know pea's are very good for realiving constipation, but i dont really understand how a fish pooping its brains out helps its swim bladder. If the swim bladder isnt working correctly, it most likely need sto get air into it, which it does by getting air from the surface.  

[Shanna66]

Kribensis

ladycrotalus

Bettas do need to go up for air. Ive heard of bettas getting trapped in a decoration and dieing because it couldnt get to the surface for air, even in filtered aquariums. They use their gills more for flaring then breathing.

No they dont. Yes, they are Labrynith fish. The can breathe from the surface, but their gills can be used for breathing air in the tank. The only reason he would need to come up for air is if there isnt a substantial amount in the water.

Lady Nekochan has some good advice, but i dont know about the pea and swim bladder thing. I know pea's are very good for realiving constipation, but i dont really understand how a fish pooping its brains out helps its swim bladder. If the swim bladder isnt working correctly, it most likely need sto get air into it, which it does by getting air from the surface.

but they do need to come up for air if they are in just a bowl, or tank, something with still water.
ive been unlucky enough to have a betta drown. she got stuck under her house, my own fault ill admit, and she died while i was asleep. i found her under the house dead in the morning  

[DecepticonCommander]

ladycrotalus

Bettas do need to go up for air. Ive heard of bettas getting trapped in a decoration and dieing because it couldnt get to the surface for air, even in filtered aquariums. They use their gills more for flaring then breathing.

Where in the world do you get your information? eek The reason why the betta evolved the labryinth organ has to do with where they came from. In the shallow warm waters of the rice paddies they come from will sometimes get warm or shallow enough during hotter, drier seasons that the water they are living in has a very low oxygen content. In a tank with no filtration, weekly water changes will often help improve the oxygen content in the water. If the water is left to sit to long, the fish would be more likely to die from ammonia poisoning then oxygen deprivation. This is because when the water surface is disturbed it allows for oxygen transfer into the water. Filtered tanks will almost always have enough oxygen. Bettas do not need more oxygen then any other fish and their gills function just as well.

If a fish ever died from getting stuck in a decoration, it would be because it was injured from the decoration. Bettas also have a habit of wedging themselves into small areas to rest. My Quincey loves "sitting" in his plant. It may appear that they are stuck when they really aren't.

I also recommend a pea. Even if it doesn't cure him, it will still probably be a welcome treat.