Betta being lame:(

[rich e rich]

Hello,
I have a betta fish, and I enjoy taking care of them. I just got this one last week. When it came, it was very healthy. I put in a 5 gallon aquarium with a zebra fish and a male guppy, no decoration because there is Methelene Blue in the water. They'll be transferred to the original tank that has decorations today when i clean it. Often, the betta fish just floats at the top in a corner and satys there, fins closed and lame. What's the reason for this? Temperature? I doubt very much that it is sick. the other fish swim fine.

I don't think its toxins because its new water in the tank. I put the betta in with the two others because their original tank is too dirty.

I fed it two types of food this morning, dried blood worms and some other spansh betta brand.

The betta gets aggressive in a semi normal manner with mirrors, meaning that it doesn't flar up immidiately when an image is seen, but a while after.

How can I get the fish to be normal, and swim around etc, instead of just looking, well, like a plant?

is this how betta fish are?




Also!!!! When cleaning the fish tank, how much water to change?

Would a filter help the betta?

"Tank you jowanna man....tank you TaaaAAAnnkk yoou"

[Sapphoira]

Why are you treating them with Methylene Blue? Please fill out as much as possible of the following.



Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

[teeneythebetta]

I agree, if you fill out the form we can help better.

[rich e rich]

Ok, here's the info:

Housing
What size is your tank? I use a 5 gallon tank
What temperature is your tank? i don't know. But I live in the caribbean, and the tank is inside a normal temp room. Their normal tank is inside a room that is cooled at night to 22 degrees celcius
Does your tank have a filter? No filter, should I get one?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No. I don't know if i need it when the ac is on
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? One male guppy (he doesn't like- but i see it as good exercise for the betta when chasing the guppy)

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? dried blood worms and some betta food in a small bottle but has spanish writing on it (don't have the bottles now). I fed it those two type of food this morning. You think its constipated?

How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day, in the morning. 3 small pellets, or 3 dried blood worms

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? twice a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 20 to 30%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? a tap water conditioner, about 1 drop per gallon (i believe that's what i put:\ The container i use to pour the water back in i'm unsure about its volume- about a gallon)

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? i do not have a testing kit. But this water in the tank is new water 100% treated and new

Ammonia: not known
Nitrite
Nitrate
pH
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? fins closed
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?It just stays to the top of a corner and looks like a plant. It swims you know, but it doesn't most of the time
When did you start noticing the symptoms? yesterday
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? idk
How old is your fish (approximately)? i dont know. it can't be old

[rich e rich]

i use methalene blue to treat the other two fish. One's fish is damaged and the other has a slight fungus kinda' thing

[Sapphoira]

Could be stress from being with the guppy. Guppies, like bettas, are both anabantoid fish (they are cousins, basically) and sometimes guppies bring out the territorial aggressiveness of bettas. Especially if they are fancy guppies! Could also be that your tank is colder than you think with your ac on, I have my ac on all the time and I have to have heaters in all my tanks. Unless you are keeping your ac over 78 degrees fahrenheit, they probably are needing a heater. If he's lethargic from cold that would definitely explain his behavior to some degree. 22 degrees celsius is about 71 degrees fahrenheit - you want him to be warmer, closer to 78f or 25 celsius.

[rich e rich]

Ok Sapphoria, I would get a heater.

Use it only at night?

[teeneythebetta]

I agree keep it at 25-26 degrees all day long. Get a heater that's adjustable 25-50. Watts, with a thermostat.

Also up your water changes. For 5 gallons Do two water changes each week- 1 100% change and 1 50% change

[rich e rich]

teeneythebetta
But I heard that 100% water changes are bad. Thoughts?

[Sapphoira]

Get a thermometer as well, and use the heater when it's too cold for your fish! If you get a preset heater you will have to watch it carefully, but an adjustable one with an internal thermostat will be able to be set, and turn off when it's too warm and turn back on when it's cooling off. these are great heaters:

http://www.amazon.com/ViaAqua-50-Wat...ywords=viaaqua