Is this how Betta fish dies??
 

I have had a blue/red colored betta fish since summer of 2012. He was already an adult when first bought although the body size did increase under my care.

Starting about May this year, he started to spend a lot of time lying on his side at the bottom of the tank.

At first I thought he was dead, but when I gently hit the tank, he would move around and only to return to that position.

In July, he did not eat anything at all.

Now he is eating, but he barely moves if at all.
Even when I try and startle him by hitting the tank, he will move in place for a second then back to lying down.

I read somewhere that Betta fish lives only for about couple of years, and if that is true, my fish must be just tired from being too old??

I do not see any strange physical signs of disease on his body at all. No fungus on the mouth, eyes, fins, and his scales are all even and smooth.

He looks perfectly fine except he just likes to play dead all the time now.

So, I'm wondering if this is how Betta fish naturally behave when too old. :scratchhead:

Also, any suggestions as to what to do at this point.
I mean, he stays lying down the whole time pretty much and looking at him kind of makes me feel down. :(

Bettas are a short lived fish but no they don't die by laying on the floor. My old ones would get slower as they aged but laying on the floor is very unusual since they need surface air to survive. For my older ones they would hang at the surface so they didn't have to expend energy to breathe.

Have you changed the water and treated it for any chlorine or chloramines in the water? Is the water too warm?

Sorry I can't be more helpful but this is not a normal action for any Betta I ever raised.

Brooke

The water should be around the room temperature which is around 75-80 depending on the day.

Last summer when it was really hot, he was perfectly fine and swimming around.

Water, I have to be honest that I could have done better job changing water, but when I do, I always used the water conditioning solution for Betta that I bought from a pet store.

I used to diligently change water every week.
I have been lazy lately changing only every other week or not even that.

Could old water with too much ammonia in it can somehow cause fish to behave this way?

At least he's eating now.

He literally looks dead unless I tap on the tank, which then he moves in place for one second as if he's annoyed. "you again?" lol

Yes bad water conditions can cause problems. When I bred Bettas they had a complete water change once a week and half of a change in mid-week. I was showing them in competition and I didn't want to ruin their fins with bad water.

Surprise him and try to get back to better water conditions. He is your friend and you want your friend to be happy.

Brooke

I might have ruined the internal organs, most likely kidneys and possibly gills??

The outer appearance is perfectly fine. Fins and all.

Wow~ sounds amazing what you do!
I wish I had a big house to have space to have more orchids and pets. I love fish, used to have tons, but now just a Better fish in a small tank. lol

A Betta lives about 5 yrs or so, and it takes about 6 months to raise one to selling size. From your description it sounds like your fish has an issue with its swim bladder, the organ with which a fish controls its buoyancy. I've seen many fish live the remainder of a normal lifespan with such a condition. As long as the fish continues to respond to food it will likely be alright. Going off its feed would be a sign that the end is near.

OMG, I don't want to see this fish looking dead for another couple of years! lol

Time to release it into the river and forget about it? lol
Water around the city is basically ocean water, so it will die as soon as it enters.

I don't want to toss him in the trash bin or flush it down the toilet while it's still alive and probably move like crazy if I did any of the two.

Hmmmmm... what would you do??
I would much rather have a new better that moves around like this guy used to.

To euthanize a tropical fish like a Betta, put it in a baggie full of water from its tank and put the baggie into the freezer.

NYC, always tossing orchids and now tossing fish...just don't get a puppy ;)

I have your solution!! I saw this at the fish store this week. The gal that runs our LFS got this from her supplier to try out and she loves this thing! It has filtration and a heater and separate compartments for the fish, so she can keep 3 bettas in one small set up.

Now, bettas in setups like this usually flare at each other all day long, but for some reason, they don't do that in her setup at the store. I have been tempted to get one of these myself because I do love bettas.

So... I think the answer for your dude, so he can avoid shuffling off his mortal coil and your desire to have fish that swim around... is this thing:

http://www.amazon.com/Aqueon-Betta-F...M9ADE3H3MTPNV2

---------- Post added at 05:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------

Oh... and dude... seriously, don't get a puppy. I'm on a waiting list for a puppy and I'm trying to figure out how to build a wall around my plants, because Lab puppies eat stuff... all kinds of stuff. I once had one chew a hole in the middle of my wall when I stepped out the front door for five minutes to talk to some Jehovah's Witnesses.