Tired From Swimming? Or...?

[PaintedOaksOki]

Well, my new boy Strausse seems to be stressed out still from putting him into his new home yesterday, a 7.9 gallon Fluval tank called 'Flora'.
He does have a heater, and an adustable filter, I have the filter flow so low I can just BARELY feel it touch my fingers. His tank is staying at roughly 25C, it goes up a degree and down agree when the heater cuts in and out.
So he seems fairly active, like he's swimming around, but all he does is swim against the tank's sides... I think he can see his reflection in the glass(It must have mirrored sides or something). I'm mean, that wouldn't worry me too much if he wasn't constantly show his stress stripes and 'pecking' at the glass every so often. So he swims, swims some more and then half-swims, half-sinks to the bottom of the tank, and rests. He looks like he's panting when he gets to the bottom, his gills are moving fairly fast, and his mouth is in sync with his gill movement.
He has a giant flowery plant that sits near the back, it's fake, but he has yet to use it, if he were to check it out, he'd realize that it has some hidey places in it!

EDIT: He also seems to have a bit of trouble swimming completely horizontally. Like his tail sinks back in the water... I'm thinking it may be weighing him down? He also has a large dorsal fin which seems to affect his resting. For instance, if his dorsal fin droops on way he starts falling over, so he'll swim a bit until his dorsal fin is resting against the glass.

[BettaQi]

Did you acclimate him to this new tank?

It sounds like you need to check your water parameters -- do you have a test kit?

Check your ammonia level especially.

[PaintedOaksOki]

I do indeed have a test kit! I'll have to check those out...
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Yes! I did acclimate him to his tank, water exhange, letting him float.
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I'm sort of worried that I may have not rinsed the gravel out thoroughly enough! :/

[teeneythebetta]

I dont want to completely overlook it, but it sounds like the exercise is tiring him out! lol

Teeney has a 10 gallon tank and she exercises by swimming along the walls too. She also does a wiggle dance, by swimming along the glass from top to bottom in one general spot when she sees me, I suppose shes saying, "HEY LADY FEED ME IM PRETTY!! " LOL.

Like I said i dont want to completely overrule it but it sounds like hes having fun!

[PaintedOaksOki]

I tested my water levels and this is what I've got:

Nitrite:0
Nitrate: 0
pH: 7.5 ish, give or take a decimal. (We have hard water where I live, never really had an issue with any other fish, my other betta is chill with it!)
Ammonia: 0-0.2 roughly, hard to tell, the color wasn't spot on with zero, nor 0.3, lighter than 0.3 for sure though!

This is a new tank I set up yesterday, when I got Strausse! Well, it was used before, but all BB would have died off. I'm doing a fish in cycle.
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I'm thinking his stress stripes might be because he's not used to swimming alot? I mean he's got no muscle.

[teeneythebetta]

Oh okay :) Have you read the sticky on fish in cycling? it might help :)

Also prime water conditioner will be great when cycling because it neutralizes ammonia so it will not harm your betta ;)

[PaintedOaksOki]

I do have Prime! :D I used Stresscoat yesterday! I might siphon some water out, and when I put new water in I'll make sure to use the Prime!

[aokashi]

he's get used to it. Just make sure to provide him with a resting spot near the surface that has no current :) . I'm currently plannin on turning one of my anubiases into a betta hammock... with many leaves

[PaintedOaksOki]

He discovered that in his HUGE plant offers him cover, and plenty of resting spots... All over the place, the plant also stops the flow from over powering him, while still allowing him to rest where he wants. I think it helps that he can also still go right under the filter's flow and not be affected xD

[PaintedOaksOki]

UPDATE:
He's doing great now and is happily swimming around, he still is acting the same way... A bit anyways, but he no longer has stress stripes!