Hey all! We noticed today that our Betta is spending far more time in his castle then he ever does. I immediately checked PH, temp, etc.., but nothing is out of whack. We have a few Cories in there as well, but they're just being their happy selves. Ordinarily, Aragorn (Betta) sleeps in the castle at night, but is usually out most all of the day. I could be over-reacting, but wondering if it's a warning sign that I need to correct ASAP. Thanks in advance.
See if this behaviour continues and if it does make sure he is eating. If he stops eating something may be wrong but if he continues to eat, he might soon come out of his castle eventally. It could be he is scared or stressed because of the cories. However, from this early it would be safer to wait it out and see if it continues and if it gets worse or not.
Thanks Leo! I forgot to mention that Aragorn's been with the others for at least a month. In truth, Aragorn always comes to the top for feeding, but I haven't noticed whether or not he's actually eating. I'll certainly keep an eye on that tomorrow A.M.
Your welcome Doug! Are you feeding him pellets? If you aren't you should try to introduce that soon so he gets the right nutrition. Also, he can eat those individually so you will know whether he eats or not. I forgot to ask what size is the tank? And how often do you clean it?
Ok..Yes, I feed him pellets, as well as some sort of special Betta food. They're in a 10 gallon tank, and until today, all seemed fine. I usually do a 3 gallon water change weekly, and test the PH 3 times a week. I usually feed the guys once in the morning, and then again around 4 PM. Looking over there, Aragorn's out for now, but will return to his castle soon. ?????? Very mystified.............
You seem to be doing fine though. You could increase your water changes to 5 gallons, but as long your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates are down at 0 its okay. For now, I wouldn't be worried; it could be he has just taken a new interest in his castle. In my sorority one of my girls loves her castle but loves food much more so after seeing my hand she won't go back into her castle for a while. I am sure it will be nothing :)
Well Leo, I've followed your advise, and waited a full day without any change. When I awoke this A.M, Aragorn was swimming like usual, but shortly after went right back into the castle (without eating). He's always had a good appetite, so I'm stumped? We have a 2 gallon tank in another room which a Veiltail named Lucky calls home. I wonder what harm a switcheroo would do? At this point, I'm gonna try whatever to save Aragorn. The hiding's fine, but the lack of eating concerns me. What do ya'll think about the tank change? Thanks again!
Test the water and report the readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. I am assuming the tank is cycled, right?
I wouldn't switch the 2 bettas out - if the one who is hiding IS sick with something contagious then moving the other one over there could make him sick as well.
Hi Wendy! Actually, all I have is a PH kit, which seems to be accurate, but that's all that it tests. I'm going to invest in a new vacuum tomorrow, something that might be part of the problem? The gravel looks pretty clean, but I'm sure that appearances can be deceiving. Thanks much, I'll keep the faith.
You need to be able to test for ammonia and nitrates too. High levels of those will make a fish sick. If you haven't been able to clean out his waste, that will contribute to high ammonia and nitrates.
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Thanks in advance.
