New boy is having trouble

[RillC]

My new boy (from the same shipment as Silverfang's new boy) has been having problems adjusting. He was quite lively in the tiny shipping bag and the water seemed relatively clean. He probably hadn't eaten in some time because he seems rather thin. I've tried him on different foods (pellet, crushed flake, freeze dried bloodworms, and crushed pellet), but he hasn't tried any of it. He bumps into the sides of the tank when he's moving around, but he spends most of his time resting high in his plant where he can easily get some air.

Housing
What size is your tank? 1/2 gallon (yes, I know this is considered small)
What temperature is your tank? 72 degrees F
Does your tank have a filter? no
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? no
Is your tank heated? no, his tank is on top of the fridge for extra warmth
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? 3 different kinds, pellet, flake, freeze dried bloodworm; I usually don't give flake, but I was hoping he would at least try one of them
How often do you feed your betta fish? twice a day, with a weekly fast is the plan

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? daily
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Stress Coat as a water conditioner since I do daily 100% water changes

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? N/A



Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? no change
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? he's a lot less lively than he was at the pet store, resting most of the time in the plant near the surface, not very active, bumps into the side of the tank a lot when he's swimming around so I fear he might be near blind and that might be the reason why he doesn't go after the food
When did you start noticing the symptoms? few hours after going in the new tank; he perks up briefly after the water change, but then gets tired and goes back to the plant
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? only treatment I've tried so far is giving him different foods....do you think he might perk up a bit if I placed his tank near the one my other betta is in?
Does your fish have any history of being ill? he just arrived from Singapore on Friday so I can't really say
How old is your fish (approximately)? old enough to be shipped to a pet store, but he's tiny, maybe 1.25 inch long, so he's probably on the young end of that scale

[Pataflafla]

If you could invest in a bigger tank that would cut down on the daily water changes and give him some time to warm up to his new environment before the stress of a 100%.

Try soaking the pellets or the bloodworm in some garlic juice to see if he'll eat it then. And also, see if you can find a way to warm up his tank some more. Bundle his tank in some blankets at night to help keep him war for now.

For a quick, and not so lasting, solution you can take a betta cup, pour boiling water in it and set it next to the tank, then put a towel over the cup and the tank to keep the warmth directly to the tank.

Or you could put some warmer water in a cup or bag and float it in his tank. The problem with both of these is that the temperature is allowed to fluctuate more than 1-2 degrees so it can be a little stressful that way too, that and it not lasting more than a few hours.

I think Petsmart sells small, 1 gallon heaters that might work for you. You'd have to monitor closely.

[Silverfang]

the only heaters you can get for a small tank costs 35.99. I wouldn't worry about the not eating yet, have heard of new boys taking days to eat. I think the more troublesome part is that there are a few boys from the shipment that are laying "draped" over the gravel as it was put. I think they didn't travel well, to put it mildly, or the possibly got shocked from the differences in source water.

[Myates]

Mini heater for only $12.

I just don't think this would be good in anything less then 1gal.

[RillC]

Originally Posted by Myates

Mini heater for only $12.

I just don't think this would be good in anything less then 1gal.

That one says it's best for 2-3 gallons on the link and it ships only to the continental US so it wouldn't work. I'm in Canada and I don't buy things online. I get the impression that even a tiny 10W heater would probably cook the poor little guy in the current tank.

[RillC]

I tried placing his tank next to my other betta's tank to see how he would react. He swam around a bit, then went back to the plant. Ramesses has been very interested in him and has been flaring like crazy. It looks like this little one may be blind. I've heard there are some tricks to looking after a blind betta so if anyone has suggestions, I would be glad to hear them.

[coolcucumber]

I think the tank is too cold. i had my betta in a 4gal kritter keeper, and he did the same. Check local ads for heaters? i bought mine for 5$ off someone else, and now my guy is swimming all over the place (:

[RillC]

Just took a couple of pictures. He doesn't react to the flash at all. I thought he might be gone from the position he was in, but he did some swimming after I shifted the plant.

[Pataflafla]

If he's truly blind, then a bare bottom tank will be best. Soaking his food in garlic will help him find it, and you may need to wiggle it on the top of the water to attract him.

[RillC]

So far no luck. I've taken all of the gravel out and tried both crushed and regular pellets in garlic juice. He's pretty active now that the gravel is gone, but he still navigates by bumping into everything. He doesn't seem to be following his nose yet to find the food. Not sure what else I can try.