water change freak out

[BlueBlazeSilverHeart]

so today i changed my blue boy's water and when i put him back in he freaked out started darting around and "breathing" really hard. just because i panicked a little i put him back in his old tank water. any chance the water dechlorinater could be poisining him or something? when i do 100% changes i put the water out overnight with all the chemicals in it and everything? will my baby be ok??

[callistra]

Sounds like you shocked him. You need to make sure the new water matches the same temp of the tank water by using his in tank thermometer to match the temp of the running tap to his normal tank water. Then add the dechlorinator. Then acclimate him by floating in the tank and adding a few tablespoons of water every 10minutes for an hour. Or if you're really sure the water is totally identical you could do 50% changes in the cup every 10minutes a few times before releasing so he spends less time in the cup

What exactly are you adding to the water?

Only time will tell if he'll be ok.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

The dechlorinator is designed for fish, and is probably not the cause of his problem.

How do you acclimate him to the new water? You need to acclimate him slowly, so that his system doesn't suffer a shock between the old water and new water.

Here is one way to acclimate him. (There are several variations, but they are all similar in terms of slowly introducing him to the new water):

1. Note the temperature of the water.
2. Using a plastic cup, scoop him, along with some of his water, into the cup.
3. Clean out the tank. Refill with water at the SAME temp.
4. Float his cup in the tank for about 15 min.
5. Add a SMALL amount of NEW water to the cup. (Several tablespoons, or about 1.5 ounces.)
6. Let his cup float for about 10 min.
7. Remove a SMALL amount of water from the cup. Discard it.
8. Repeat steps 5-7, until about an hour has passed.
9. Gently release him into the tank.

[LittleBlueFishlets]

Ha! Callistra and I posted at the same time.

[BlueBlazeSilverHeart]

i did acclimate him. but not that slowly i think i'm going to try again. also i changed both of my individual tank at the same time and my other betta seems fine

[BlueBlazeSilverHeart]

thank you soo much guys i re aclimated him the way you suggested littleblefishlets an now he seems fine^^ <3

[LittleBlueFishlets]

That's great! Anytime you change his water, acclimate him slowly to the new water.

It's fine to take even more time. But you never want to rush the process. Give them a lot of time to get used to the new water.

More acclimation time = less stress = a happier fish. LOL

Glad to hear he's OK now!