Girlfriend's FW bowl

My girlfriend's family got a small fish bowl and a betta, maybe a few months ago. They have colored marble things as substrate, and a type of decorative cave. For the past few weeks, it's been in the cave, not eating. The bowl has no filter or heater. Worrying about the betta's health, I tested the temp, which was something like 66F. I know practically nothing about FW tanks other than they need a temp of around 78F, and that the betta should be in a 5G+ tank (which it isn't). I told her mother that the fish would greatly benefit from having a heater. I also told her if she couldn't find a small one that would fit in the bowl, that she could borrow mine, but would need a bigger tank, since the heater wouldn't fit.

It's symptoms are:

Pale
Less active
Loss of appetite

They also said that it's stomach was swollen, but I wasn't able to check that out, since it's dark where he hides.

Does a nitrogen cycle happen in a tank that small? They do 100% water changes, which doesn't sound too good to me. They use water conditioner to remove the chlorine, though.

What can be done to help the lil' guy?

 

You have them on the right track. 66 is way too cold for a Betta, 78-80 is where it should be for the cool side. Water should be changed daily at about 25% or more with small bowls.

 

+1 with 2in10, definitely should be warmer.

All the symptoms you listed are signs of colder temps as colder temps slow down metabolic processes, less activity, less eating, and general paleness.

Nice way to urge getting a bigger tank, "here's my heater but it will only fit in a bigger tank."

100% water changes are bad, tell them to do 25% as 2in10 suggested. I'm not familiar with cycles in freshwater tanks so I can't be of much help there. I believe some live plants would help too, such as a moss ball.

 

Thanks for the quick replies, guys! I relayed this info to my girlfriend. Hopefully they take the advice and the betta gets healthier

 

Bowl was moved near a heating duct + sunlight. Tank heated a bit, and the betta started swimming more, and eating

 

Good signs, do you know what the temp is exactly?

 

Not sure. I asked, but my girlfriend didn't know. I'll check it out next time I go over. If the water can't maintain a 78F(ish) temp, I'll just buy a little heater fit it myself. I'm the kinda person that, when I clean out detritus from my sump, I make sure every pod I can see stays in the tank, and doesn't go down the drain. Every one of 'em deserves a chance to do whatever they gotta do!

 

Haha same, when ever I clean my protein skimmer or pumps, I always make sure all the asterina starfish are off before I take them out of the tank.

 

Could you buy her a 10g tank and teach her about proper aquarium care?

Personally, I loathe the notion that Bettas prefer solitary confinement in cramped living quarters. While it may be true in the wild due to the conditions of their natural habitat, IMOPE they're a beautiful addition to any peaceful community tank, and they enjoy the company and open swimming space just as much as everyone else.

 

I could do that, but I don't know how to properly take care of a FW tank. I'm just learning how to do that, too.