New betta not moving much

[rebobinar]

I'm just not sure if this is normal or not.
We got a new betta yesterday. I got a small heater and raised the tank temp to 78-80. (I think it's at 80 right now). And I got the better, Omega One pellets.
The new guy has been in his tank for a day. He isn't eating a ton. He ate once in the cup I got him in, yesterday afternoon. But after I put him in his tank he's only eaten about 3 pellets (one last night, one this morning, one this afternoon.)

Right now he's just chilling at the top of his tank,not really moving. This worries me.

He'll swim around if you run your finger along the tank, but otherwise, he just hangs at the top and doesn't move much.

Is this an indication of a problem?

Thank you!

[nel3]

Originally Posted by rebobinar

I'm just not sure if this is normal or not.
We got a new betta yesterday. I got a small heater and raised the tank temp to 78-80. (I think it's at 80 right now). And I got the better, Omega One pellets.
The new guy has been in his tank for a day. He isn't eating a ton. He ate once in the cup I got him in, yesterday afternoon. But after I put him in his tank he's only eaten about 3 pellets (one last night, one this morning, one this afternoon.)

Right now he's just chilling at the top of his tank,not really moving. This worries me.

He'll swim around if you run your finger along the tank, but otherwise, he just hangs at the top and doesn't move much.

Is this an indication of a problem?

Thank you!

give him a few days and he'll be up and exploring a bit more. my newest one sat on his tail on the substrate for 3 days and then stopped such behaviour. he was swimming normally after that.

[MSG]

Did you ever post a picture of your entire tank setup? Some new bettas get bored & will lay lifeless unless something perks their interest. Usually food is the best motivator. As long as he did eat a few pellets, it's better than NOTHING.

Don't keep trying to feed him more than 1 pellet a day unless he starts to MOVE around.

Overfeeding a lazy betta is one of the worst things you can do.

[rebobinar]

Well,that's a problem. We kept trying to feed him to perk him up. Great! No pictures yet - I just have a camera phone and I can't make it get a decent picture... I'll work on it. He has a log right now with several large holes and a red silk plant to hide in. Sven, the last betta, loved hiding in the plant. This guy doesn't seem to like the plant. He hides behind the log, or just hangs out at the top of the tank. He swam around like a little madman when we first put him in the tank. I got the feeling he was stressed about the change...

[MSG]

If you're going to take pictures of him with a phone you have to do it during the daylight hours hopefully with the help of natural sunlight. Otherwise your pictures will come out blurry.

Cameras that are built into most phones don't take good pictures in low light condition.

If he's hiding in the back, he's still freaked out. Just give him a pellet every day for now.

[rebobinar]

Should I change the water, since there are probably some pellets at the bottom of the tank? Or would that just freak him out more?
How worried would you be about him staying very still near the top of the tank? (He's not on his side or anything, and he will move if you get his attention)

[nel3]

what size tank is the betta in? you'll be able to know how often you can change water depending on tank size.

[MSG]

• Clean his tank. Siphon the gravel to remove any leftover food that still might be there.
• If he finds/eats rotten pellets, you'll have a whole new set of problems on your hands.
• Just catch him with the original cup or a fish net. Use a lid to cover their container while you clean the tank.
• You may want to remove the gravel till he gets more comfortable but totally up to you.
• Whenever I get new fish, I keep them in large glass containers to monitor their health & behavior.

• With no gravel, you can see the presents they leave behind.
• No present, no food.
• Little to no movement = 1 pellet to make sure they have something to eat.
• Extremely active = 2-3 pellet reward
• You need to get a baster/transfer pipette to remove the presents or you'll have to do a water change to neutralize the ammonia.

During the first 2 weeks I do what I can to fatten them up in case they didn't eat properly at the stores or they have underlying issues that haven't surfaced yet.

If they process the food within 8-12 hours, then you can continue to feed them.

That's why before you get a betta it's good to watch them in the store for 5 minutes or so to get an idea of their personality.

• The bettas that just float there like zombies are the ones you should pass on.
• You want to pick one that's active, but not too crazy. The ones the seem inquisitive about their surroundings are the ones I like to choose.
• It's GOOD to be picky otherwise you WILL end up bringing 50 of them home with you.

[Bettanewbie60]

Just give him time, and don't worry if he doesn't eat for a day or two...most bettas take a while to adapt to new surroundings. One of mine took almost two weeks to unclamp his fins and start eating.

[Bettanewbie60]

Originally Posted by rebobinar

Should I change the water, since there are probably some pellets at the bottom of the tank? Or would that just freak him out more?
How worried would you be about him staying very still near the top of the tank? (He's not on his side or anything, and he will move if you get his attention)

If you have a vacuum, remove him with a cup (cover the cup!)lol, and vacuum out the mulm and half the water. Refill tank with conditioned water, check temp and ph..and reintroduce to the tank. He'll be okay.