Active Betta

[3863]

I was wondering if it is important for bettas to be active.
Every time i come to look at Tango, my betta, he is sleeping.
I monitered him one day, and after being fed, he almost instantly falls asleep.
Is this a problem?
I tried a ping pong ball, but he just flared at it, then ignored it.
What can help him become more active?

[Falina]

What are your water parameters? What size of tank is he in? When bettas are depressed they become very lethargic, which could be casued by a number of reasons but mainly bad water quality or too small a tank.

[3863]

he is in a 1.9 gallon tank,
How can i test the water parameters? or is that just the cleanliness?

[Falina]

The tank size may well be the problem. It's quite small in my opinion.

I meant to add as well that they will become lethargic when the temperature is too low. What temperature have you set the tank to? High 70s will be best appreciated.

Water paramaters are amonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. You test these using a test kit. Liquid ones are best because the test strips are very inaccurate. You can get a master test kit that will test all these parameters from your lfs or pet store.

Also how often do you do water changes? The thing will small tanks is that they are less stable in terms of water paramaters than larger ones. Meaning that since there is less water, the same change will have a greater effect.

Hope this helps. :)

[3863]

Okay,
Maybe a tank upgrade will be an order.
I generally change his water once every 2 weeks, a full change.
Any other suggestions?

[Falina]

I think that will be the problem.

Beneficial bacteria, which keep your amonia, nitrite and nitrates down need to build up. By doing a full water change you are allowing the tank to become dry(ish) and so most of the bacteria will be killed off - the environment needs to stay wet for it to survive. May I suggest you do smaller water changes, but more often?

Bettas don't like strong filteration so I use a weak filter on mine. What do you use? Assuming it's not a very strong filter I suggest perhaps 20%-25% water changes twice a week. This will allow the bacteria to build up, and then to survive.

The temperature could be an issue as well depending what temp your tank is at.

A tank upgrade would be greatly appreciated by your betta. A 5g would be perfect for him on his own, or if you wanted to be able to add a few other fish, perhaps a 10-15g. Just remember to cycle it first. There is a sticky at the top of Starting and Maintaining... with a lot of good information on cycling if you feel you want to read it.

[3863]

Well,
Now that i thingk about it, i don't think he is very depressed.
He just is always sleeping.
When i go to feed him, he jerks awake, and happily takes the food from my hand. I am no Betta Psycologist, but he seems to be very happy, when he is awake.

I am watching my friens female betta for a week, what if i put their tanks beside each other, To give Tango something to watch.

[Falina]

Sounds like a good idea.

Just keep an eye on him. Some bettas will enjoy being able to see another, some will become stressed.

Again though, what is the temp of the tank? Is the water is too cold, this is often the main reason for bettas being lehtargic.