Betta just stays still all the time

[Urchin]

A few weeks ago, I purchased a pretty betta, whom I names Ponzu!

I put him in a nice little 2.5 gallon tank. For the first week, he was very active and swam around quite a bit. He even built a little bubble nest the first day, but after I changed some of the water, he never re-built it!

Now though, he just kind of floats around the top of the tank, or lies on his plant. He has a great appetite still...but is much less active.

He looks pretty healthy otherwise. Fins are usually not clamped and he responds to me looking in his tank.

Is it ok that he's not that active though? It just looks so odd. He just sits motionless at the top of the tank!

[vilmarisv]

How often are you changing the water?
What is the water temperature?
Are you using declorinator in the water?

[Urchin]

Originally Posted by vilmarisv

How often are you changing the water?
What is the water temperature?
Are you using declorinator in the water?

Thanks for the quick response.

I change 30% of the water once per week. I will do a full clean-down of the tank once a month.

The water temp stays at 70

And yes, I do use a dechlorinator :)

[vilmarisv]

Try increasing your water changes to 50% twice a week.
But most likely, he's cold! 70 is WAY too cold for a betta, you need a heater and a thermometer to maintain a temperature of 78-82.
It might not seem like a big difference for us but for bettas is a world of a difference.

[Urchin]

Originally Posted by vilmarisv

Try increasing your water changes to 50% twice a week.
But most likely, he's cold! 70 is WAY too cold for a betta, you need a heater and a thermometer to maintain a temperature of 78-82.
It might not seem like a big difference for us but for bettas is a world of a difference.

Oh dear! I had no idea that was too cold. I was just going by the "green area" on the thermometer.

I'll make sure I warm it up in there. I'll get him a little heater. Do you have a recommendation for what is appropriate for a 2.5g aquarium?

[Alex09]

If on a budget, you can get a tetra preset heater:
http://www.petco.com/product/114078/...m-Heaters.aspx

Or you can go for an adjustable heater (you choose the desired temp) which are said to be more reliable (but also more expensive)
http://www.petco.com/product/13811/M...FishFC_Heaters

[Goomba3]

I used a BettaTherm in my 1-gallon, and the temperature stayed around 75. That's still not ideal, but for someone on a budget, they work.

[Urchin]

Thanks so much for your help! I will check out my LPS and get my Ponzu a heater!

[vilmarisv]

The Tetra 50W IS an improvement but I've never used it in anything over 1 galon so I don't know how good it works on 2.5gals.
I LOVE the Hydor Theo http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...id=11368&r=486
and the Marineland Visi-Therm
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...id=21322&r=486
I decided on these when I started with bettas because I knew there was a posibility I would want bigger tanks and i didn't want to have to buy more heaters and stuff the small ones in the closet.
If you're buying online, make sure you check the size of the heather... you don't want to end up with one that won't fit in your tank because it's too long.

[kfish]

Originally Posted by Alex09

If on a budget, you can get a tetra preset heater:
http://www.petco.com/product/114078/...m-Heaters.aspx

Or you can go for an adjustable heater (you choose the desired temp) which are said to be more reliable (but also more expensive)
http://www.petco.com/product/13811/M...FishFC_Heaters

GAH! I just bought the 50W Visitherm from the Petco actual store for $33 for another betta I just got (it was an emergency! I usually order online)... $19 online?! Why couldn't that have been the price in the store! XD AMAZING heater, by the way. I like it even more than my Hydor Theo, to be honest, and I wish I had two Visitherms. My Hydor Theo lets the temperature drop a few degrees at night, when my room temperature drops a few degrees ><