Betta fish clamped, mostly inactive, lost colored scales... what's wrong?

Question

My 6 month old male betta fish suddenly has become very inactive, spending most of his time clamped at either the top of the tank or at the very bottom. He lives in a 2 gal heated tank with java fern, very steady temperature at 78 degrees. He still eats well and occasionally makes small bubble nests; but aside from blowing a few bubbles or swimming to his food pellets, he rarely moves around. He also lost some color--he was mostly black with bright blue scales on his fins & near his gills, but the majority of the blue on his fins has disappeared. I'm very worried! Any suggestions as to what could be wrong?

Answer 1

does the tank have a filter? if so have you been keeping up on weekly partial water changes (about 10% to 20%)?  if there is no filter have you been changing 100% of the water once a week?

if not this could be the problem. try doing a water change (partial or full depending on if you have a filter or not) and see if he improves. if not you'll want to test your water, Petsmart does if for free and I'm sure other pet stores do too.

Answer 2

It may be an issue with the pH balance.  Your betta needs a slightly acidic pH of 6.5-7.0.  Get a pH test strip or a pH water balance kit and see if the pH perimeters are in order.  It depends on where you're getting the water from that he's living in: purified water, tap water from a well or your local provider, water from a water softening system, etc.  

Also, blood worms provide the protein that bettas require, so you may consider buying frozen blood worms and incorporating them with your dry food pellets.  Believe me, he'll just love them.

Answer 3

Your betta is not getting enough exercise and is bored to death.  Unfortunately, most male bettas die like yours will as it may be too late for him now.  Male bettas are highly territorial fish so if you place a mirror on the side of his tank, you can perk up his life by giving him a reason to live.  He will see the other betta in the mirror and start living again.  Some people think this exercise is bad for bettas but I have been raising show bettas for years and I have never had a fish hurt itself from a mirror.  They will stop and rest when they are tired but they will do this hour after hour when they are healthy and strong.  The increased metabolism will result in better appetite and blood circulation which means brighter more intense color and larger fins that can easily heal accidental rips and tears.  If you are not willing to get a mirror for your betta, you should never buy another male betta because your neglect will just cause them all to die of boredom.