Romeo bored or shy??

[Maryrox247]

Hi im proud to announce i havent killed my red male (FT i think fan tail) betta romeo! The only problem is i have had him like 3 1/2 months and he doesnt make bubblenests anymore then again its winter so yeah but my main problem is he ALWAYS hides eaither a behind his rock or b under anything that covers him at all. he only comes out for food or rests in front of the tank when the light is on ( the light is the heat source and since it heats the tank up super quick i keep it on about 5 hrs max at a time) so how do i make him more active and less shy? ( ive tried making him flare he might if his majesty feels like it once in a while but he doesnt reallly care.

[1fish2fish]

He really needs a full time heater. Turning the light on and off and letting the temp go up and down drastically is detrimental to a betta's health. What is the temp of the water? That is the number 1 cause of inactive fish is too low or too high a temp. Some bettas are just calm and don't flare much but they should still swim around.

[BettaxFishxCrazy]

It sounds like he's too cold. The tank light will bring the water up a couple degrees, if that. I would get him a heater that stays at 78 degrees F or move him to a room that stays constantly warm.

[Maryrox247]

Sounds like your right the only problem is is i dont think a heater is available for a 1 gallon. ( plz dont say its to small trust me when i first got him he was on display tank and all he was super energetic making big bubblenests flaring like mad ect.) As for moving his "man cave"my parents dont want fishtanks outside my room ( im the only fishaholic lol)

[1fish2fish]

A 10 watt heater should do just fine... I've seen them available at petsmart and they are probably at other stores too. Also a hydor mini 7.5 watt could work as well but they have no shut off so you would have to watch the temp on that one.

An upgrade is always better.. but thats not the cause of him not bubblenesting... fish will bubblenest in tiny cups.. that is the one area that the tank size doesn't really matter.

Do you have lots of plants in his tank so he can feel secure? What do you feed him/how much?

[dramaqueen]

1fish, what brand are the 10 watts at Petsmart?

[1fish2fish]

I believe the were topfin... I can't really remember. It was a while back at the petsmart near my parents house.

[vaygirl]

Marineland makes a 10 watt that's preset for 78. It's for up to 3 gallons. I thought hydor did too but I haven't been able to find it.

[dramaqueen]

The Marineland 10 watt isn't adjustible?

[vaygirl]

I don't know for sure. It says 'preset to 78' online. I kinda thought it was adjustable. I haven't gotten to see it in person yet.