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 in the water because the water is new, and with methelene Blue.

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 tank, how much water to change?

[a123andpoof]

What is the temperature of the tank?

[rich e rich]

I don't know. I live in the Caribbean, and the tank is in the middle of a living room. I doubt the temperature is that cold. Should I put the tank outside?

I will be transferring them to a tank inside of a room where an AC is on during the night, cooling the room to 22' celcius

Should I get a heater?

Do you think its because the water is new?

[bahamut285]

If the air temperature is 22*, the water will be much colder, around 20*. Bettas prefer around 26*.

However, a 5 gallon with a betta, one zebra fish(?), and one male guppy is too heavy of a bioload. In a 5 gallon, a betta can't really have any "fish" tankmates. He may be stressed out from all the ammonia that all those fish are producing.

Also I'm pretty sure zebra fish are schooling fish, so they need multiple members of the same species to be happy, which you definitely cannot have in a 5 gallon.

[a123andpoof]

Okay bettas need temps to be around a stable 75-80 f not sure the conversion into celcius. I would get a thermometer and check to big of fluctuations is not good for the fish. And if the AC is on I would get a heater.
5 gallons is to small for 3 fish. I dont know much about your other fish but I do know 5g is much to small.
Also did you put water conditioner in the water?
What is the methelene blue?

[rich e rich]

methalene blue is a medication for fungus, fin rot, ick etc. So i'll take all the fish out, change 20% of the water, ad get a heater to use at night

Thaks for all your posts people, this website is great

[a123andpoof]

Does the fish have fin rot or anything that says he even needs the stuff? If he doesnt then that could be your problem giving him that stuff when not needed isnt good for him.

[Laki]

5 gallons can support 2 fish (they're fine for a divided tank with 2 bettas. [but bettas have low bioload compared to some other fish]). I would get the heater and up your water changes. Do a 50% water change once a week.

[Perseusmom]

Yeah it would be best of you could keep the Betta alone in another tank with a heater. I agree 20 precent water change is not enough, do at least a 50 percent 2 or 3 times per week.

[thekoimaiden]

I agree. A heater is needed. The zebra danio and guppy are actually fine at that temp, but the betta is not.

As for why he is huddled in the corner with fins clamped, the simple answer to that is stress. Fish react to this one of two ways, curling up in a corner or lashing out; it sounds like yours is doing the former. Stress in fish isn't the same thing as stress in humans. When we talk about stress we're referring the betta having to use extra energy in different places rather than energy on just being him (ie swimming around and making bubble nests). If you're looking for a little more technical explanation, you can find it here: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/f...um-fish-98852/

Now, about his tankmates. These are a big problem. Zebra danio are active schooling fish. They need to be in groups of 6 or more zebra danio as they establish a pecking order. Danio will still try to do this even without other danio around. Which is where their mildly aggressive reputation comes from. Guppy are another bad choice for betta. The flashy tails of the males can incite bettas to aggression because they resemble other male bettas.

Personally, I would put the danio and the guppy in the main tank you are talking about and leave the betta by himself in the 5 gal. It's perfectly good size for a betta and with some fake or real plants can make a very nice home.