Environmental

Description:

Ammonia poisoning can occur for any or all of the following reasons and is probably the number one cause of death in cultured fish.

Occurances:

When a tank is newly set up.
When you add too many new fish to a tank at one time.
When the filter fails.
When bacterial colonies die off because of medications or sudden changes in water conditions.

Symptoms:

Fish gasp for breath at the water surface.
Purple or red gills. (Fish appears to be bleeding)
Fish is lethargic
Loss of appetite
Fish lays at the bottom of the tank
Red streaking on the fins or body

Ammonia poisoning can take days or appear suddenly.Usually you will notice your fish gasping for air at the waters surface.Since it is not uncommon for Betta fish to breath on the surface, it is important for Betta owners to know their fish in order to spot the changes. The gills may appear to be bleeding by turning a reddish or lilac color. The most obvious sign you will notice is that your Betta will become very lethargic and stop eating. Sometimes your Betta will simply close its fins and lay on the bottom of the tank.

If untreated the poisoning will eventually do tissue damage which will appear as red streaks or bloody patches on the body and fins. Internal damage occurs to the brain, organs, and central nervous system. Unchecked your Betta will hemorrhage internally and eventually die.

Treatment:

Lower the tanks pH below 7.0
Change 25 - 50% of the tanks water. (use aged water)
Apply neutralizing ammonia chemical like AmQuel (available at pet supply store)
Reduce feeding. (the uneaten food will only increase problems)