Housing
What size is your tank? 5.5 gallons.
What temperature is your tank? Was 70 for the past few days (I first bought a thermometer on Tuesday) and since the heater arrived, has gone up to 74.
Does your tank have a filter? No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Is your tank heated? Now it is.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice daily, two to three pellets at each feeding time.
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Historically, 100% no less than every two weeks, but I plan to do 100% weekly in addition to 25% partial 3 times a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? See above.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner.
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Yes, but with strips. I bought them before I read that the liquid test is more accurate.
Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH:8-8.5
Hardness: 180 ppm
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Unchanged.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Much more lethargic, clamped fins, does not come to surface to get food.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? When I did a 100% water change about a week or week and a half ago. I used a net (had not yet read how stressful it is in comparison to using a cup) to transfer him. He was very agitated and frantic while he was in the smaller, 1 gallon bowl he previously lived in, and ever since I put him back in the 5.5 gallon, he has stayed near the bottom and barely eats.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I bought a heater to increase the temperature after reading about the required temperature and water conditioner.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I have no idea. I adopted him from some other college students to whom he had been passed on from a few graduating students.
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I had hoped that he would become more active with a higher temperature, but so far, no luck. What worries me is that his behavior in a tank of temperature 70 (I did not own a thermometer, but I have not adjusted the heat in my room all month) before the last 100% water change was more healthy. He was swimming around, sleeping near the top on his favorite leaf, eating like a little piggy. Unfortunately, he seems much more frightened of me, and rather than taking his cues for feeding time from the sight of my hand, he hides. But he also does not come up to the top except to breathe and does not notice the pellets, so he has eaten perhaps 2 or 3 pellets in the last 72 hours.
What size is your tank? 5.5 gallons.
What temperature is your tank? Was 70 for the past few days (I first bought a thermometer on Tuesday) and since the heater arrived, has gone up to 74.
Does your tank have a filter? No.
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No.
Is your tank heated? Now it is.
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Pellets.
How often do you feed your betta fish? Twice daily, two to three pellets at each feeding time.
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Historically, 100% no less than every two weeks, but I plan to do 100% weekly in addition to 25% partial 3 times a week.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? See above.
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Water conditioner.
Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?
Yes, but with strips. I bought them before I read that the liquid test is more accurate.
Ammonia:
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
pH:8-8.5
Hardness: 180 ppm
Alkalinity:
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Unchanged.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Much more lethargic, clamped fins, does not come to surface to get food.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? When I did a 100% water change about a week or week and a half ago. I used a net (had not yet read how stressful it is in comparison to using a cup) to transfer him. He was very agitated and frantic while he was in the smaller, 1 gallon bowl he previously lived in, and ever since I put him back in the 5.5 gallon, he has stayed near the bottom and barely eats.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? I bought a heater to increase the temperature after reading about the required temperature and water conditioner.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? Not that I know of.
How old is your fish (approximately)? I have no idea. I adopted him from some other college students to whom he had been passed on from a few graduating students.
------------------------
I had hoped that he would become more active with a higher temperature, but so far, no luck. What worries me is that his behavior in a tank of temperature 70 (I did not own a thermometer, but I have not adjusted the heat in my room all month) before the last 100% water change was more healthy. He was swimming around, sleeping near the top on his favorite leaf, eating like a little piggy. Unfortunately, he seems much more frightened of me, and rather than taking his cues for feeding time from the sight of my hand, he hides. But he also does not come up to the top except to breathe and does not notice the pellets, so he has eaten perhaps 2 or 3 pellets in the last 72 hours.