Hi, this is my first betta fish and i've done everything to try to make this fish happy.
He is currently in a 5 gallon vase with 1 mystery snail and 3 ghost shrimp.
He has a small water heater keeping the water around 75 degrees.
I saved this crowntail from walmart about a month ago. Ever since I've had him he always seems to sit at the top of the vase kind of "dead" he hardly moves and when he does its like a little mini fit. He flares out his finnage and then bites at the top of the water like hes getting air before settling back down and acting dead again.
In the vase i've used betta water conditioning tablets. He gets fed flakes twice a day. He has a few fake plants along with one real plant.
Is there something wrong with my fish? He just never moves and often I think hes dead? Along with the seizure kind of actions I'm a bit worried :c
Okay, there are a few things we need to know. Do you ever do a pwc (it's when you take some of the old, dirty water and replace it with fresh)? If so, how often and how much? Do you have a kit to test your water? If so, what is the Amonia, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, and Hardness? This will help rule out a few things Posted via Mobile Device
How often do you normally do partial water changes? Also, betta don't eat normal flake food. None of mine will touch "Betta" flakes, either. So he might not be getting anything to eat. exactly what kind of flakes are you feeding him?
Also, do you have a filter or at least a bubbler to put oxygen in the water? If so, what kind? Also, what kind of flakes are you using?
I can see that you are trying, so kudos for that. One thing I can tell you is that your water is a bit too cool. That can make them less active. The conditioning tables... I would try out something else. Like API water conditioner or one by Tetra. It's better cost and mess wise. And speaking of mess, I use to use flakes too until I realized how messy they are. Now I use Omega One Betta Buffet Pellets. Much cleaner which means healther water for my fish. If you decide to give it a try, buy one that has some kind of fish, insect, meat, or the like as the first 3 ingrediants. Bettas are insectavores after all and thus need meat in their diet Posted via Mobile Device
I do not have a kit for testing my water can you suggest where I can buy one? And I am planning on doing a partial water change tomorrow!
Welcome! And no problem. When you do the pwc, make sure that the water is the same temp as the tank water. If it's off by more than a couple of degrees, it can shock them a bit. Just an fyi from lessons learned
The kits are extreaming handy when you need to figure out what's wrong. If you have someone that can help you with an online purchase, I would look up the API Master Test Kit on Amazon. It litterally has every test you can think of and only costs $20! Much cheaper than buying the tests any other way. Posted via Mobile Device
I do have betta pellets but when he eats them they float right out of his mouth and onto the bottom of the tank, so i went out and bought betta flakes and he eats them like theres no tomorrow!
About the oxygen in the tank...
I thought that putting a plant in the water would help put some oxygen in the vase? I didnt know that I needed something else? Could I buy more plants? (this fish is making me broke!)
They tend to do that! Plants help, but he needs a little water movement. If you can't afford a filter, look at at least getting a bubbler that wont create too much of a current to the point he has trouble swimming.
If he is eating the flakes and you keep up your pwc, it's fine.
You need to change out about... 4 gallons total per week minimum okay? Maybe more (input guys?) depending on rather you get the filter or not.
How does his body look? Any spots, splotches, injuries, or the like? Posted via Mobile Device
If you can't afford the testing kit, just do extra water changes to help keep the water clean. Bettas dirty about 3.5-4 gallons a week. The water wont look dirty because their main problem is that they release Amonia from their gills which can get toxic even though the water looks clean. Your plant actually absorbs some of it as food which is why real plants are so important.
You shrimp really don't produce much, but your snail is a little pooper my friend. He or she will dirty at least 1 gallon a week on its own!
Now pwc don't have to be hard at all. You can spread them out and do several a week rather tan all at once which to me is a chore. I would much rather scoop out a bit in my dirty water bucket and pour in fresh from my clean water bucket than have to try to tote them both full and heavy with water once a week.
Anyway, once you have got some waterflow in the tank and some cleaner water, you should notice a difference. Posted via Mobile Device
Nothing that I can see he looks fine and normal, I noticed that he does the seizure actions when im near his vase or i come home from work. Is that normal? Maybe he's just a goofball I have no idea!
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Betta is doing something strange?
They tend to do that! Plants help, but he needs a little water movement. If you can't afford a filter, look at at least getting a bubbler that wont create too much of a current to the point he has trouble swimming.
