Hi everyone,
My boys aren't acting right. They barely swim around anymore. They only swim when I come up to the tank (either to feed them or just interact with them), or move around in my bed (because it creeks and i guess they hear it and want to see whats going on) or to come up for air. Anyway, other than that, they just lay on their rocks or in their houses. I've noticed this behavior since I've moved back home. But Its been 3 weeks and i think they should be over the stress of moving. They have also stopped making their bubble nests. Any advise? are they being lazy or is something wrong with them?
In the divided 5.5gal tank....water temp, additives used, filter, live plants, how much and how often are the water changes, diet/appetite, any other tank mates, any treatments tried....
The water temp is usually between 78-80F. I use Stress Coat Water Conditioner at full strength because B.J. randomly decided to start biting his tail, but they are growing back. I do 100% water changes every Sunday. They each have a house and plastic plants that they like to swim around in. They don't have any tank mates, other than each other. They eat 2X a day. usually 2 pellets whenever I wake up in the morning, and a flake at 8pm. I use Betta Bite Pellets and Aqueon Tropical Flakes. I don't use a filter or live plants.
kind of a silly question but is the activity level in the room they are now in more or less then what it was in your old house?
If it's the same, is their tank in a spot they can still see what is going on in the room as well as they could in the old house? If all of this happened since the move, you could try to replicate the environment they were in before. Did you have anything around the tank that they could look at that isn't there now? (TV, a piece of art? Can they see you at a chair or desk you usually are in, as good as they could before?)
I know I sound like a nut case but these things mattered to one of my bettas and it is easy to rule out if everything is the same. He was a tail biter too but has since stopped now that he can see what's going on all day long.
Everyone else will have a better idea if they are sick and be able to help you.
In a 5.5gal unfiltered tank without live plants with 2 Betta....I would recommend twice weekly water changes of 50%...1-50% water only and 1-50% to include the substrate-along with 100% monthly to maintain water quality...
Right now I would make some 25-50% water changes for a couple of days and see if that perks them up any....
If you have access to mosquito larva I would offer a few rinsed for a meal a day and see if this will help.....
And I agree with Twilight storm in that if they had a recent change in external stimuli that it can make a difference sometimes...
How long have you had them or about how old are they....it could be that they are aging out a bit too....
I dont know how old either of them are. Ive had BJ for about 6 months, but he was at least 4 months when I got him. And Ive had Fernando for 2 1/2 months, but he was an adult when i got him. And since I came home from school, the visual activity has changed. They are in my room now, with only me and occasionally my mom & cat entering the room. At school my 2 roommates and all of our friends frequented the room. I could maybe put the tank into the living room because there are more people that walk around in their, But I don't have a place high enough so that my cat wont torment them.
And I have a stupid question: I plan on taking your advice OFL, and begin changing the water more often, but when I do 20-50 % water changes, do I have to take the fish out, or do I leave them in the tank?
And no, I don't have access to any mosquitoes, but I plan to go to a local pet store and purchase some more blood worms to see if that will help them perk up.
Frozen are better, if you can get them. :) If you get freeze-dried ones, remember to rehydrate them before feeding to avoid bloat.
Whilst you are at the petshop, consider picking up a new toy for them (maybe something that floats that they can push around) or a live plant like a marimo moss ball, hornwort or java moss. Some bettas enjoy pushing marimos. My boy loves to swim through the loops of his hornwort or lie on his java moss like a bed, fins everywhere (he seriously thinks he is some kind of fairytale princess).
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
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