I've never seen it on her before. Is she sick? She lies on the bottom of the tank and doesn't eat unless I get her to the top of the tank.
The temperature of my water is 78 degrees constantly. I have a filter, heater, 6 fake plants and a fake log. The tank is 10 gal and I do water changes every week about 25-50%.[I use AquaSafe water conditioner]. I don't know the water parameters. In the tank with my Betta is a balloon molly that is fine, eats regular, very active.
The color on her face, is this just her scales color or coloring do to a fungus or other?
Paling of color on a betta can be an indicator of stress.
How long has your betta been in this tank?
Has she always been with this balloon molly?
Have you watched carefully how the two get along?
Are you adding any salt to the water? (asked because of the molly)
What was her behavior before she she began to act as she is now?
How long has she been acting like this?
What all is she being fed, how much and how often?
When you do a water change,is the temp. of the new water the same or very close to the temp. of the tank water?
Do you know if this tank has cycled?
You have allot of good things in place for your betta, tank size, filter, heater, temp.,decor, water conditioner, all very good.
But there is one very important thing you still need... an API Liquid test kit.
With out the water parameters a very serious problem, with a simple solution, can not be know, only guessed at.
If your tank has ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate in high levels, doing the weekly 25-50% water changes will not be enough. How much and how often thou can not be advised with out knowing the water parameters.
Knowing the PH of your tap water and tank water will aid in determining how much and how often your particular tank can be changed. (This to avoid PH shock)
I can not advise using the test strips, they are worthless in my opinion.
Is she having trouble swimming?
How are you getting her to the top of the tank to eat?
No there were 3 balloon mollies, but two died. The balloon molly has been in there with her for about 2 or 3 weeks now.
They don't interact very much at all. My Betta is always hiding and on the bottom and the balloon molly is on the other side at the top. Sometimes the molly ventures towards the log[where my Betta is hiding] and she comes out and nips the molly.
No I haven't added any salt, but do mollies absolutely need it? I've read that they can live in either type of water.
She was on the top of the water behind the filter and heater[before I got the log] and sometimes swam around, but hardly at all. She was more active in her 1 gallon tank that she had before.
She's been acting like this for about a week or two.
She eats BettaMin Tropical Medley and about once a week Freeze dried Bloodworms. Although she never comes to the top anymore when I used to usually feed her I have to remove the log and wait for her to swim to the top. I feed her once a day and as much as she can eat in 2 minutes.
The water is the same or about the same temp. I try to get it around perfect by warming it in the microwave.
Yes the tank was cycled. I did the method with no fish.
No she's swims fine.
I usually just remove the log and use the net or just wait till she goes to the top herself.
I'm not really sure how to tell how much current is coming out of the filter, but I do know it is too much because it pushes down the fish. I will replace it with a better one once I have the money.
Doesn't sound like they're getting along very well so maybe Stillwater is correct in that she's stressed. Can you find a different home for the molly and get some cories or something?
From the info. you supplied, sounds like at least part of the problem ( possibly all) is the amount of water disturbance caused by the filter.
If this is an over the back type filter, can you move it to a location either as far left or as far right as it will go, and then using your plants and any thing safe for fish, partially section off the filter output? Move your bettas log to the opposite end of the tank. This is just temporary until you can afford the correct filter. Try this and see if she starts getting more active, she may do so right away, but it also may take longer.
Please advise if this helps or not.
Also i'm a bit confused, after cycling this tank, did you run out of test strips/liquid.?
This is the setup of my tank already, but it's in the water not a back filter. I've also thought of trying to use a piece of plastic maybe to slow the flow of the filter. Would that work?
Yes, I was using a friend of mines test kit. They didn't have very much left at all. I ran out a little before it was done cycling.
I have to apologize here, I have no personnel experience with in the tank filters, and very very little other knowledge about them.
In general thou yes I think trying the plastic would be good, any thing safe that will block or cut down the amount of current.
you might have to experiment a little to get it right.
Also this is just for starters, to see if and or how she responds, the molly in the tank or other things still could be part or all of the problem.
Just trying to help here by process of elimination OK.
Sorry to hear that your still having problems. But sounds as thou you know what the next step is in the process of elimination, to get to a resolution.
Has any of the color returned to her face, just wondering.?
Also, hows it going with obtaining the liquid test kit?
Yes she still comes out from time to time and eats. She comes out periodically throughout the day. Usually attacking the molly when she does.
The color has returned to her face which I am extremely happy about.
Because I am only a high school student it takes me a while to get enough money for a test kit let alone get to at least a Wal-Mart. I am hoping I will get enough money for a test kit today at work. As to when I'll be able to go to a store, I don't really know.
Maybe she just needed to get used to it because now she is very active and goes in the log for only short periods of time.
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