Betta fish and health issue diagnosis

[sharpfin12]

My betta's been acting weird lately, kinda lethargic and not eating much. Water params are good, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate. Tank's a 5 gallon with a sponge filter, heated to 78. Any ideas what's up?

[FiShyPet]

How often do you do water changes? Sometimes a buildup of dissolved organics can mess with them even if the params look fine. I'd try a 30% change and see if that perks them up.

[finleyo]

yep, same thing happened to mine last month. turned out the heater was sketchy, temp was swinging. check if yours is steady.

[deep_tide]

How often do you do water changes? Sometimes a buildup of dissolved organics can mess with them even if the params look fine. I'd try a 30% change and see if that perks them up.

That's solid advice. Also, have you added anything new to the tank recently? Plants, decor, or tankmates? Sometimes they stress out over the smallest changes.

[JUSTICE]

Lethargy and loss of appetite can point to internal parasites. Have you noticed any white stringy poop? If so, might be worth treating with an anti-parasitic med. Also, what's your feeding routine like? Overfeeding can cause issues too.

[finleybay]

my dude had the same vibe when i was using tap water without conditioner. switched to RO and he chilled out. maybe check your water source?

[sharpfin12]

Lethargy and loss of appetite can point to internal parasites. Have you noticed any white stringy poop? If so, might be worth treating with an anti-parasitic med. Also, what's your feeding routine like? Overfeeding can cause issues too.

No stringy poop, but I've been feeding pellets twice a day, about 3-4 each time. Could that be too much?

[FiShyPet]

Yeah, that might be overdoing it. Bettas have tiny stomachs, about the size of their eye. Try cutting back to 2 pellets twice a day and see if that helps. Also, fasting them one day a week can prevent bloating.

[deep_tide]

my dude had the same vibe when i was using tap water without conditioner. switched to RO and he chilled out. maybe check your water source?

Good point. Even with conditioner, some tap water has high chloramine or heavy metals. A water test for those might be worth it if the other fixes don't work.

[JUSTICE]

Lethargy and loss of appetite can point to internal parasites. Have you noticed any white stringy poop? If so, might be worth treating with an anti-parasitic med. Also, what's your feeding routine like? Overfeeding can cause issues too.

No stringy poop, but I've been feeding pellets twice a day, about 3-4 each time. Could that be too much?

Definitely too much. Overfeeding can lead to constipation, which can cause lethargy. Try fasting for a couple days, then switch to smaller portions. You can also add a bit of daphnia as a laxative.