Betta swimming weirdly

[Haymuff]

Hello

I am very new to this forum and Bettas so excuse my noobishness.
I recently got a Betta and I tried to follow the instructions on a Betta care site I read. I missed the part of when you first put it into the tank though (getting used to the new water temperature). I feed it various times a day and I make sure he eats the pellet before feeding it another one since I read that the food can rot and give the fish bacteria.

Now, today I noticed it was just swimming really fast and crazy like. I went and threw some food in the tank but it didn't eat it. Could this be a sign of something?




I took this picture a couple of minutes ago. Also, can anyone tell if it's a boy or a girl?

[prodrumernate]

welcome..congrats on your new fish...that is a male..males have big fins.female have smaller fins but the easiest way to tell if its a female is a female has a little white spot on her belly..

i dont really see anything wrong with the betta from the picture.no ign of illness.i think he i just stressed.a little time should help.he isnt use to his new environment.

could you give me a little more info about your setup?

what his housing is.bowl,tank?how many gallons?

is it filtered or non filtered?

have you put any chemicals into his water?like water conditioner or any medication for him?

do you have a heater or no?

just sounds like he isnt use to his new home yet.but want to get a little more info to help you out as well to maintain a healthy fish :)

[Blake My First]

He's a boy clearly from the fin. I am a bit worried with the crazy swimming part. How many days have you had him?

The reason fishkeepers change water with the same temperature was to prevent shock and could add stress to it.

Originally Posted by prodrumernate

could you give me a little more info about your setup?

what his housing is.bowl,tank?how many gallons?

is it filtered or non filtered?

have you put any chemicals into his water?like water conditioner or any medication for him?

do you have a heater or no?

I want to ask the same question. Though you can do it without a heater if it's a hot/warm temp where you live 78 is best I think. Filter is needed if you don't do enough water changes and smaller tanks or setups need to have water change more to prevent waste build ups and ammonia poisoning.

[Bladezero]

Hello welcome :D
What prodrumernate said, and try to see if he's kinda scratching the side of his face sometimes on anything(will happen rarely at first) and jumps off.

[Haymuff]

It's a 1 gallon tank. I do not use a heater and I use the Topfin water conditioner. I pour 1ml into it when I change the water. I've changed it twice this week. Is it okay to do it like this? Is once a week also fine? He's also blowing a lot of bubble on the surface now. What does it mean?

Thanks for the help so far!

[Bladezero]

The bubbles are a good thing if they are clamped and look like a pool of bubbles :P

I don't know the water conditioner so can't tell if its right or wrong but 2 times a week should be good if he doesn't get to stressed from it.

[Perseusmom]

Its a boy for sure...he is pretty ! Sometimes a new Betta will not eat for a few days and be careful and dont feed him to much, offer like 2 or 3 pellets in the morning and a couple in the late evening. Its good you remove them if he doesnt eat them. About the swimming wildly I dont know unless he is a little stressed and just getting used to his new home. Just keep and eye on him and give updates on how he is doing. Best of wishes to you and your new guy !

[Haymuff]

Well I got a small net at the petshop for him and I try to be as gentle as possible when moving him around. Do they get affected by light? My mother told me that fish shouldn't be exposed to too much sun light so I just keep it inside. Thanks for the help :)

[Haymuff]

Originally Posted by Perseusmom

Its a boy for sure...he is pretty ! Sometimes a new Betta will not eat for a few days and be careful and dont feed him to much, offer like 2 or 3 pellets in the morning and a couple in the late evening. Its good you remove them if he doesnt eat them. About the swimming wildly I dont know unless he is a little stressed and just getting used to his new home. Just keep and eye on him and give updates on how he is doing. Best of wishes to you and your new guy !

Thanks!

I feed him just like this mostly. Like I said before I feed him one and I don't drop another until he eats the first one. The food they got me for him were these huge flakes that were kind of difficult for the fish to eat. Maybe it's just me but he wouldn't eat them at first then struggled to eat them and they would just end up at the bottom of the tank. Once I fed him the pallets he was eating fine.

[Perseusmom]

Oh hey I thought of something he might be seeing his reflection in his bowl, does he spread out his fins ? If he does that is called flaring which they do when they feel threatened by another fish or his reflection, also they flare out their gills under their neck. Read the bottle and make sure when you do a water change to be sure how much conditioner to use and always use its very important ! Are the bubbles sticking together ? They also will make a bubble nest around the edges of their bowl sometimes.

Yeah my betta didnt like the flakes either but loves the pellets ! Your mom is right no sunlight your light in your room is enough for him and they need some dark at night or a very low light so they can sleep and rest. If you dont like to use the when you do water changes get another bowl and make sure its been rinsed good and never use soap to clean his bowl or any of his things as soap can kill them. Also they can jump do you have a lid or something for the top of his bowl ?