Am I just being a paranoid Betta parent, or is something wrong?

[Otterfun]

Originally Posted by facelessxfacade

He doesn't have any decor such as a cave in his aquarium yet, but I do plan on investing in something. He does have tall plants he can hide in/on though. I was thinking of getting him a Marimo Moss ball too. I am planning to change the gravel and glass beads for sand as well since I heard that is bad for his fins.

I will just continue to monitor him. He's such a sweetie and I want to make sure he's happy and healthy.

He's handsome. One thing, the vertical white band by the gills, is that his normal body color or something that just happened? He might be making bubbles soon if the band just appeared.

Did you rinse the gravel really well before putting it in with warm water? If not, you might need a WC and then rinse the gravel in a only been cleaned with tap water bucket (as in no car-wash bucket, not house-cleaning bucket) many many times until the water is clear before putting them into the tank. After that only use that bucket for gravel rinsing.

[facelessxfacade]

I appreciate all the replies so far and the compliments on Zeus! The picture alters his color a bit, because he is a purple and blue-ish from what I can see. He has been swimming, swimming, swimming today... so I guess he was just resting last night. He is currently staring down my cat who more focused on his food bowl. Anyway, I will do a water change tomorrow since it's finally the weekend and it'll give me extra time to check everything. I did wash the gravel and whatever else went into the aquarium really well with warm water before placing him in the tank. I bought a bucket from the pet store to wash and store stuff in that pertain to Zeus and his tank as well.

As for the white band around his gills, I am not sure if that is his normal body coloring or not. Didn't notice it right off. Is that normal?

[AyalaCookiejar]

It could be normal coloring, but I've noticed that they can get virtical stripes like that from stress and color loss.

Make sure you don't leave the lights on too long so he can rest, too :)

[Saphira101]

You can also get him a Betta hammock, which is basically a plastic leaf attached to a suction cup. However, they have a metal wire inside the stem which HAS to be pulled out with pliers before use, as it could rust. You stick it on the inside of your tank near the surface, and they're supposed to rest on it. You may need to train him to use it though, as at first they usually don't get it. (do this by feeding him above the hammock.)


Good luck to you and your beautiful, beautiful boy!!!!