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Stressed Betta

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  xxabc 
#1 ·
Yesterday I changed the substrate in my tank from very rough gravel to sand. Since then, Franklin seems really stressed. He's been laying on the sand with his fins clamped to his side. Here's a picture of him today:

He's still eating and coming up to the surface every once in a while. He'll swim around for about thirty seconds then sit back down.
Tank details:
20 gallon tank, set up a little less than a week ago. I'm going to cycle the tank (I realize changing the substrate will likely make me start over, but since it's only been a week, I figured it shouldn't be too bad).
The temp is right at 80, and I have a 10-30i Whisper filter with a diy soda bottle baffle to reduce the current.
There are 6 small corys in the tank with him, but he has shown no aggression towards them at all.
Here is a picture of the tank:

My ammonia reading for today was at .20ish, nitrite and nitrate both at 0.

He did the same thing when I moved him from his 1 gallon tank to his 2.5 gallon tank, but I was able to use aquarium salt and cover his tank with a light jacket for a few days to help him get used to his new home.

What can I do to help him this time? Corys don't tolerate salt, so that's a no-go. I can set the heater a little higher if that would help, and I can probably wrap some dark paper around the tank to make it darker. Does anyone else have any ideas to help him?
 
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#2 ·
Add some more plants. That would help a bit.

Do daily water changes. Perhaps there's still 'stuff" floating around the tank. And you should rid of that ammonia anyways.

I heard cories don't tolerate being in salt 24/7, but they can tolerate it for a short period? Wait for someone to clarify that, though.
 
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