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worried about my betta.

2K views 27 replies 5 participants last post by  kingb 
#1 ·
well on Saturday i did a complete water change for my 2.5 gallon tank and added some Tetra Aquasafe to condition the water for my fish, anyway on Sunday i woke up and noticed he was on a top corner without moving so i lightly tapped on the tank and he started moving, an hour goes by and i take another look at him and he's now sitting at the bottom at the tank......wth??? he's eating his food and all and ive noticed he does swim from time to time but im worried because most of the time he's just lying still either at the bottom or top of the tank. his color and eyes seem okay, no notable fungus or anything. is this pretty normal or is the little guy just bored????? btw i have a heater in his tank and the temp ranges from 76 to 80 degrees depending on time of day.
 
#2 ·
Is he a new betta? When did you get him, and how often have you done changes? And how do you do your changes? (Do you get him out?)

76-80 is quite a range. Could be too much for him, who knows. I know my bettas aren't fond of a temperature fluctuation as long as it's not too fast.

I recommend not tapping on glass, it seems to stress out fish quite easily.

Betta fish shouldn't be bored. ..so try
1. Spend time with him. For a week, have him follow your finger
2. Make sure he's NOT sick. Check for ANY signs - I recommend this website.
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
3. Is there a filter? Is it too strong for him? (Unlikely, but just asking).
4. Are you sure your thermometer is working right? It's not too common, but I've seen a friend have a broken heater and thermometer. But the thermometer kept reading 77.

And also, you're 100% sure he's eating his food, right ?
 
#7 ·
Is he a new betta? When did you get him, and how often have you done changes? And how do you do your changes? (Do you get him out?)
Isnt the betta suppose to be taken out during a 100% water change? Also, betta fish are allowed to get bored lol you or i would get bored if we where stuck in a 4 walled tank 24/7 haha

I say try moving things around, adding some fun things and color for your guy! that should help with boredom =]
 
#3 ·
ive had my betta for about 9 months or so cant quite remember and the temperature change is really not drastic, as i mentioned its depending on time of day its 76 in the morning and 78-80 in the aftrenoon and at night before i go to bed recheck and its at 80 degrees. i do spend time with him and he does follow my finger when i get close to his tank, he is eating right i feed him 4 pellets around 1:00 pm and 3 more at night ( dont know if thats too much ) and every other Saturday he gets bloodworms as a treat. i have noticed these past few days that he eats his food and burps out a little.the filter is not that strong and doesnt suck his tail in and the thermometer is thos sticker kind so i dont know. as for water changes its 50 water change once a week and a complete water change every 2 weeks.
 
#4 ·
Try doing water changes twice a week to see what happens.

I feed a total of 4-5 pellets per day. 7 might be pushing it, but I do know some people who feed that much. You might want to try feeding less though, "burping" it out is really more like "spitting" it out. He is: fed up, doesn't like it, isn't interested, or theree's something up with the food. If feeding him less doesn't work, if you have the money, try buying another staple for him ?
 
#5 ·
thanks! he seems better now, i did a 50% water change and i saw almost instant results. he's swimming around his little tank as usual and shows more interest when i stand in front of the tank and comes up to "greet" me so i feel a bit relieved. and yeah im gonna try and feed him less, maybe 4 pellets a day.btw, are there any type of vitamins i can drop in the tank or anything that can help him stay healthy??????
 
#6 ·
well now wait, spitting up can ALSO mean the food is to big/hard and he is trying to break it down or wait for it to soften up =] your conditions sound fine. He could be just going through a phase or their is something in the tank he does not like. I agree, 7 in one day COULD be a little to much. But, every fish is different! The first 2 i ever had got fed 3 pellets a day twice a day and where just fine for over 2 yrs =] The one guy i have now is only getting 2 pellets twice a day.
 
#8 ·
could there be something in the tank he doesnt like? i just switched his gravel from hot pink to a blue and green combination (he's always had blue and green just thought id get the hot pink to see how the tank looked and i didnt like it so i switched it back) other than that theres nothing new in there. :-( oh i almost forgot, ive been feeding him the same food ever since i got him which is Aqua Culture Betta pellet food, i got some Aqueon pellets to try em out but they sank to the bottom and he didnt seem to pay much attention to them but that was months ago.
 
#9 ·
Lol, I meant do you take him out during regular water changes, like when it's not 100%. Of course take him out if you're taking all the water with you! Lol :p

Completely slipped my mind about the crushing and stuff. That's good info right there, too. Good that he's getting better :) Maybe you should do changes more often. I recommend 2x a week for a 2.5 gal, others may say different ~
 
#13 ·
I just filled my 2.5gal yesterday afternoon. I used the correct amount of water conditioner and such. Everything was cleaned with steaming hot water and let it sit for while to get to the right temp. I did add some salt since he was bought from a crappy pet store. Now the water is a little cloudy. Now i have heard this can come from that bacteria outbursts or something that is good for the water, some natural stuff or something.. BUTTTT i have also heard it can come from ammonia. However, the ammonia level is fine. Is the slight cloudiness fine? I am using topfin, which ive been told CAN cause cloudiness.
 
#10 ·
You should definitely feed variety, especially treats.

Not sure if completely changing the gravel would do too much... when did you start changing the hot pink? As in, how long did the blue/green gravel stay in there before changing it?
 
#21 · (Edited)
If it's bacterial bloom, then no. It should subside after a few days or so. I had to completely stop doing water changes for about a week (I was still cycling) to make it go away, because everytime I did a change, it came back. HOWEVER< I'm not sure this is the correct method. I never had it again, and it's been months, so I don't really know. But again, it's not harmful.

If it's conditioner, either make sure you're doing it right...but I still don't get why they're so cloudy lately? Try changing conditioners (make sure you can return it if it doesn't work). I recommend Seachem Prime.
 
#22 ·
kingb, not all water changes stress little fish, I always keep mine in and they're uber-duber fine! HOWEVER, after a water change, watch for his color, and how he acts after a water change. Sometimes bettas act dead because they can't handle it. If your betta still has healthy coloring, and just swims as normal, then he should be fine.
 
#25 ·
thanks guys and gals, today i'll do another 50% water change and on the weekend do a complete water change. he does seem better but i sometimes see him just resting at the bottom of the tank ( which still freaks me out a bit ) but as soon as i stand in front of the tank he comes up and starts swimming around. i read somewhere that its recommended you should leave a fasting day for your betta and also once a week feed him a pea ( its supposed to help clean his stomach ) is this true?? anyone know about this???
 
#28 ·
amazing how little i know about bettas, im surprised my little guy is still with me :-? anyway thank you all for your help. as for the peas, thanks for the heads up honeyfish, i read that it was good for them but i better not risk it so i'll go with dramaqueens option.
 
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