Betta in shock???

[Fifi]

I transferred my betta to a temporary 2.5g heated, but unfiltered tank from a 5g filtered tank 3 days ago. No new plants, decor, etc. His 5g need to be cycled (fishlessly) as antibiotics used to treat fin rot had wiped out any cycle I had started. The first couple of hours he was fine, but for 3days he's been at the bottom only coming up for air. He won't interact w/me at all. He has been eating, but today spit out his pellet. The odd thing is when I originally moved him from the 2.5g to the 5g he did the same thing. I thought he was dying! Has anyone ever had a betta react this way when moved to a new tank? I'm really worried about him. Please help.

[PopzTheBetta]

i think he may just be pouting he wants his five gallon back and its probibly a little cold

[Tikibirds]

Did you acclimate him slowly to the new water?
Did you use conditioner?
Are there any hiding places/plants for him?
Heater?

Maybe he just wants his tank back? You can do a fish in cycle - just keep up on the water changes and he should be ok with a cycling tank. All my tanks were fish-in cycles
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=107771

[Kbaumgartner]

I just cleaned Ralph's tank-he is a half moon. I noticed one eye is normal, but the other looks like the pupil is white and the eye seems cloudy. Is he sick?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

+1 on Tikibirds questions. If you encountered this issue both time when you changed his tank, it sounds like it could possibly be an acclimation issue, differing water parameters, or environmental (temperature, decor, etc) issues.

How did you acclimate him during the two tank changes?

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Kbaumgartner - Try starting a new thread to describe Ralph's problem.
1) Go here: http://www.bettafish.com/forumdisplay.php?f=99
2) Click NEW THREAD (located on the left side, right before all the names of the threads begins.)
3) Describe the problem that Ralph is having.
4) Copy and paste the info here into the thread, and answer the questions.

[Fifi]

I acclimated over a period of about a half hr or 40 min. Adding 2-3 tablespoons of new tank water to his cup(actually a breeding box hung into the new tank to stabilize the temp) Every 10 min. All decor was fr his 5g, he does have plants, etc.. Also, he is pretty used to water chgs, same water I always use conditioned w/ Prime. He's had stubborn fin rot & I've been trying to keep water very clean. His temp now is around 79, but it kept fluctuating 2 degrees one way or the other the first day. I kept adjusting it slightly to get it where he was used to it. He's really acting scary. He either lies at the bottom or hangs at the surface motionless. Also, his fins are starting to look black again

Thank you both. I just read the thread on cycling w/fish. Maybe that's an option. Everything I was reading was saying to avoid fish in cycling, & since he's had fin rot trouble I didn't want to submit him to fluctuating ammonia levels.

[Fifi]

Oscar is still doing terribly! 4days now. He hardly moves, just stays frozen at top or bottom of tank. His fin rot seems to be returning. Do you think returning him to the 5g would help? If he's in shock I don't want to make things worse. I am really worried. He is usually VERY active. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[GoodMorning]

change the water everyday, make sure it's warm constantly, add aquarium salt.

[BettaGurl79]

Sorry to hear about Oscar. There are a few things I would do. Make sure the water is warm at least 80 degrees.
Invest in a betta Hammock from ZooMed so that he has a place to rest close to the surface, just make sure you remove the thin wire hidden within the plastic stem.
Aquarium salts 1 teaspoon per gallon predissolved added slowly over time.
That should help with the fin rot.
Daily water changes condition water with stress coat until fins start healing
Good Luck!