I think my betta fish is dying :-( UPDATE

[Chickerdoodle13]

I noticed he has been floating near the top of the tank kind of crooked lately. He has problems swimming down near the bottom of his tank, too. I brought him upstairs to my bedroom and gave him his own light to see if that helps at all. The office where I normally keep him has been so dark lately with all these cloudy days and it gets so cold in there that even a tank heater has a hard time working. Poor thing still has an appetite, but he has trouble getting to the food.

He's been with me since I was a sophmore in college, which has been about four years now. He's survived moving back and forth multiple times with me to and from college, he's had platy's, cory cats, and snails as tank mates, and he's been my little desk companion for so many years. I know he is just a fish, but I will actually be quite sad to lose him!

Not a great picture, but here he was in his prime!

 

[roocrazy]

 

[Imp]

Oh, poor little guy. I'm sorry.

Imp

 

[Kevin565]

 

[SourRoses]

Awwww

Hes really up there at 4 years.... poor old guy... that's probably as ald as a Betta will get. I'm sorry.

If you make sure he has a floaty to rest on near the surface so he can go up for air easily, or even without having to move... that would probably ease this time for him

 

[Nicola]

That is old for a betta

But if he is having trouble swimming down, it could also be his swim bladder acting up a bit with the old age.

 

[The Wolf Queen]

Sounds like swim bladder issues. Not sure if it works for Bettas, but I was always told to give my fish frozen peas or there is a med you can buy at pet stores. I wish you & your fish the best!!!

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I think it probably is his swim bladder. He looks very bloated in the stomach area.

I have heard about the frozen peas, but I think his mouth is too small to eat one! He's so bloated too that I don't know where it would fit. I hardly feed him (just a few pellets per day) so I know it is not from over feeding.

We'll see! Maybe he will come back, but he is pretty old already. I've never had one live quite this long. They usually die at about 3.

 

[Nicola]

Fast him for a day, and defrost a frozen pea, take the skin off it and break the flesh up into little bits, you can then feed the pea to him on the end of a toothpick with the tip cut blunt

I do this once a week for my Betta to clear their digestive track.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I can't help you on him but I wanted to add a comment.
I've raised a few bettas, boys and girls and they love mosquito larvae and I think they're good for them. Probably the wrong time of year now but in warmer weather I put a container of water out till the mosquitos find it and lay eggs in it. When the larvae emerge I feed them to my bettas.

Sounds like he's had a good life.
You can get another later.