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new tank same problem(now with pics)

3K views 30 replies 14 participants last post by  Jmart 
#1 ·
so i put my betta in a new tank and he is still swimming at the sides agressevly. i put paper over the side he is most angry towards and it seemes to be working. what is his problem and is there anyway i can make him less agressive. he is the only fish in the tank and the water is 76 degrees. there is no current.

im concerned that he will hurt himself by bashing his head against the side.
 
#3 ·
how new is the tank? have you checked amonnia / nitrite / nitrate and all that stuff?? water dechlorinated sufficiently?? if the tank was cycling maybe is he is?? also, is there enough decor / plants for him to hide in or feel secure?
 
#8 ·
I have to agree with Cody. You're Betta really needs a bigger tank, a heater, some plants and hiding spots. Imagine being in a small empty room all of the time with nothing to do, no where to go and its constantly cold. Not much fun. I'm not lecturing, just saying.

I would recommend a 2.5 to 5 gallon tank for your betta with a couple live plants and a decoration which he could hide in and a heater. With out those things he will be stressed out and prone to illness which means he will have a much shorter life span.
 
#11 ·
i would have to agree with cody on this one. bettas need at least a 2.5 gal if not more. you also need to get him a heater. he doesnt need live plants, they can be fake, but he deffinately needs something he can swim INTO and some other decor to help him feel safe.
 
#12 ·
My Petsmart has a nice 2.5 gallon tank which is only $9. I would assume yours would have it too. live plants are only like $3 and you can get a decoration for $4. So it's all pretty cheap.
 
#13 ·
crazy for fish is right, they don't have to be live. I just prefer live plants because they aren't too hard to take care of and they add oxygen to the water.
 
#14 ·
Silk plants are fine. They are softer than plastic plants. Fake plants need to pass the "pantyhose" test. If you can run them down some pantyhose and it doesn't snag the hose, then the plant won't hurt the scales on your fish. My live plants die, so I use silk plants. They look just fine and my betta loves 'em.

My first betta tank was a 2.5 gallon hex with an undergravel filter, which I didn't use. I probably could have, I just didn't. It had a light in the top. Be careful if you get one with a light that the light combined with the heater doesnt' create too much heat. There are bulbs that don't put out heat, but I don't know which kind. There are micro heaters for that small a tank.

Whenever you get a heater, get a thermometer so you can monitor the temp. Do not get the kind that sticks on the outside. They just monitor the amibient room temp. For like $2 at Walmart, I got one with a suction cup that could either float on top of the water of stick on the inside of the tank. So much more accurate than the little stick on one I had on the side.

I did eventually upgrade to a 5 gallon tank that I got from Freecycle. Fishie loves it. Keep an eye out on Freecycle and Craigs List for cheapo/free tanks and supplies if you ever want to upgrade again or get a second or third tank. (I've several bowls/tanks in the garage now, LOL).

Good luck and keep us posted!
 
#15 ·
Oh, and you don't have to wait 24 hours for the water conditioner to work. Just follow the directions on the bottle. Mine doesn't actually say a time frame, so sometimes I do it in 2 mins. or 10 mins. or 30 mins. depending on how much forethought I put into it.

I do let my water sit out and get stale, though, which works if your water municipality uses chlorine to sterilize the water supply. The chlorine will evaporate out of the water. Many municipalities are switching to chloramine, though, which does not evaporate, so letting it sit out doens't help, which is why you always need a water conditioner.

Even if you have well water, you should use the water conditioner 'cause there could be heavy metals in your water.

Hope this helps!
 
#16 ·
You should be warned that the tank will cycle and the build up of ammonia will probably bother the Betta. This is why the tank usually should be bought first but too late. Small water changes will help (maybe 15% every few days), but I would advise buying an API liquid test kit when you get the other stuff ($20 at Petsmart-I know, expensive but worth it) and keeping track of what is going on in the tank.
 
#18 ·
alright i bought a one gallon tank, with a plant and a heater, and the problem has probably gotten worse. he is still seeing his own reflection on the glass and still violently swimming at himself. what do i do, i cant cover up the glass cuz i wont be able to see him. im very dissapointed that nothing has changed. maybe he needs to get used to this new tank too? and, yes the tank was cycled overnight, thats kinda fast though huh. also i have noticed if i turn all the lights off in my room except for the one in his tank,and do the opposite (turn off his light and keep on mine) he gets even more aggresive and flares his gills. he doesnt flare his gills when he is doing the other violent swimming i was talkign about .
 
#19 ·
Hmm... My betta does that occasionally. Is he doing it constantly?
 
#20 ·
danielBIKE said:
alright i bought a one gallon tank, with a plant and a heater, and the problem has probably gotten worse. he is still seeing his own reflection on the glass and still violently swimming at himself. what do i do, i cant cover up the glass cuz i wont be able to see him. im very dissapointed that nothing has changed. maybe he needs to get used to this new tank too? and, yes the tank was cycled overnight, thats kinda fast though huh. also i have noticed if i turn all the lights off in my room except for the one in his tank,and do the opposite (turn off his light and keep on mine) he gets even more aggresive and flares his gills. he doesnt flare his gills when he is doing the other violent swimming i was talkign about .
Tanks don't cycle overnight. Unless your liquid test kit is showing 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and a low level of nitrates, and then I'm going to go ahead and ask you your miracle method.

Why did you only get a 1 gallon when you were there?
 
#21 ·
first answer: yes he is doing it constantly.

Second answer: i dont have enough room for a 2 gallon tank, and also they are more expensive. this morning he seems a bit better, maybe he is just tired out? he has eated also, which is good, but the light problem is still the same.
 
#22 ·
Hey Daniel,
Welcome to the betta lovers zone......
Like everyone has said abovve......get your fishie atleast a 2.5 gallon tank....mine seemed happy in his one gallon, but why settle for happy when you can get Happier!
A heater and a thermometer are absolute essentials.
Its not that expensive also.....my total bill from shopping at Petco was as follows:
2.5 gallon sesame street tank - $20
2 plastic plants....(try to get one that lookslike grass...they love it) - $5
Small cave to hide out in - $5
25 watt heater - $ 10
Thermometer - $3
Total = $43...not bad,eh?
 
#23 ·
dont turn on his lights and keep yours off because this will create a clearer reflection of himself and he will try to attack it even more! when he is attacking the tank with all the lights in the room and his tank on is he ramming into it and backing up and doing it again? or is he constantly against the glass swiming up and down it?
 
#24 ·
hi
sorry to see you having a difficult time,
is your Betta swimming at one end,or is he bashing into
all the sides ?
if it is just one end,then i would suggest the placement of the silk plants
at that end to stop this.
 
#25 ·
willows idea is good you should try that. :wink:
 
#26 ·
Yeah my 2.5 gallon was only ten bucks. and it's 12"x8"x6" I dont quite know if those are in the right order so: it's 12 inches long 8 inches high and 6 inches wide. Doesn't take up too much space.
 
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