I know I made a terrible mistake trying to change his entire bowl of water but that isn't what I am getting at here. I put him in water that was obviously entirely too cold and a lot colder than i had originally thought. When i put him into the colder water he instantly looked dead. I then put him into warmer water and after a while his fins and gills started to move. This gave me hope that he would maybe survive. Now he is in a bowl but seems to be 'frozen' in the position he was when he 'died'. His body does not move much but his front fins and gills are moving. If i move him around a little he starts to move a bit on his own but returns to the bottom of the bowl motionless and 'frozen' into the one position he can't seem to get out of. His gills and front fins are moving so I am hoping he might recover? Or is he slowly dying):
The first shock was bad enough, but the second shock probably will do him in. It is unlikely he will survive based on your description here.
With fish the most important thing to remember is: NO drastic changes. I know you though it was the right thing to immediately pull him from the cold water and throw him into the warmer water but that second shock was worse than just leaving him in the cool water.
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He has a chance; the best thing you can do is leave him alone. No more drastic temperature changes. Anything more than 2 degrees per hour change can be very hard on the fish.
Next time get a thermometer and acclimate the fish to any temperature change to avoid shock. That is the minimum you can do.
Ideally he should have a heater anyway and be in a tank that is large enough that it does not need 100% water changes. But if you do have to do a 100% water change, always acclimate the fish back into the tank/bowl, so he doesn't get shocked.
Heres an idea; fill your sink with warm water and place your bowl in the middle. The heat from the water in the sink will heat his bowl slowly and hopefully not cause another shock.
You could probably put his bowl near a heater too ... I suggest the sink idea though.
He will only live if you gradually change at least some of your water at about the same temperature as your original bowl of water. Wait about 30 minutes for your next change. Do about 25% for each change.
A Betta needs 5 gallons and CAN NOT be in a bowl. And no, they can't handle temperature shock. A Betta can go into shock if their water temperature changes more than 3 degrees in a day, which is why they need a heater, to STABILIZE the water.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com A DRAMATIC change of more than 3 degrees would most likely kill it. NEVER do a 100% water change. That is just as bad as the temperature shock. Only a 25% water change should be made once a week in PROPER 5 gallons. A bowl will need 50% water changes daily and that would put a Betta in a bowl in shock. You straight up changed all the water and to a different temperature. I'm sorry but it is definitely gonna die. Did you even condition the water ?
Betta's are very HARDY fish but also sensitive to drastic water changes.
Sorry but he may not make it. I made that mistake a few years ago and neither of the fish made it. Humans unlike fish have a body temputure that stays the about the same all the time but fishs body temputure depends on the temputure of the water. changing temputures fast shocks them and it can be deadly. that is the reason why you have to set the new fish (still in the plastic bag) in the water of your aquarium (or bowl) so the fish's body can adjust to the new temputure slowly before you actully put him in the main tank. he may recover. but please dont do the whole heater idea, just leave him be. also do not try to change the water temputure again to try to get it back to normal. that would just make things worse.
Well it wont do him any good, but betta are pretty tough and will probably survive.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Gradually warm up the water, it's OK to take some out, and add some wormer water, in gradual stages to get him back up to temp again over 15min or so.
With a fish bowl, about all you can do is change 100% of the water, but you MUST get the temp of the new water about the same. Finger test is close enough as a few degrees isn't a problem, but 10 deg is a shock. They are also a tropical fish, which means they need warm water and the bowl is probably barely warm enough anyway. Cold tap water=fish in shock.
You are starting to see some of the problems with keeping any fish in a bowl, as opposed to a stable heated and filtered aquarium?
But go and carefully warm him up and hope for the best.
Ian
