Betta laying at bottom of tank - please help!

495 Views 12 Replies 4 Participants Last post by VivianKJean, Jun 13, 2014

faunrose

Discussion Starter · Jun 12, 2014

Hello - I'm new to Betta fish care and was hoping for some help. I've read other forum threads and posts and it all seems Greek to me.

We started out "babysitting" our niece's Betta, Seamour. It seems after a couple of months, he's become our fish. I believe he's less than a year old. (Assuming he's a boy, how do you tell?)

We have a tank that's about a half gallon size. No filters or heaters. He eats the "Betta Min Tropical Medley" flake style food. I don't have any water testing equipment or anything so I don't know what the water PH, ammonia, etc levels are. Truly, we weren't even aware all of that was needed. (We've always been cat/dog people

)

We've been changing his water 50% mid week and 100% every weekend. He gets fed twice a day, morning and night. We use the dissolvable water conditioner tablets for his full change, and use filtered tap water.

He's seemed very happy and healthy until today. Likes to "visit" (swim to top or side of tank we're near) when we talk to him and feed him.

This morning he was laying at the bottom and seemed lethargic. He swam up to grab a bite of flakes and then back down to the bottom. After I got home from work and checked him, he acted the same. Still eating, but back to the bottom.

My husband just did another 20% water change on him after reading other threads, but since some of the info is so technical, and we're so new to this, we were hoping for some "layman's terms" information for new Betta parents like ourselves.

Anyone to help? Seamour is just such a sweet little dude and we want him to be well. Thanks ahead of time for any responses!!!!!

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hubbley

· #2 · Jun 12, 2014

You can tell a male and female apart by their fins. Males have much longer fins. If you've ever seen a picture of a betta with those beautiful, flowing fins, it's a male.

So the question is: does he/she have long fins, or short ones? If short, then you have a little female. I don't believe there are many exceptions to that unless he/she is very young.

As for the water testing, if you've had him for awhile and he was acting fine, it might not be necessary. I haven't tested the water for my betta and he's been great for close to two months. At the same time it can't hurt to rule anything out.

Does it looks like he's having trouble swimming up to the surface? Like he wants to be up there but he sinks back down, or does he seem to do it himself?

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faunrose

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 12, 2014

Thank you, hubbley, for the quick response.

He's definitely a boy, then, he's got long, flowing fins. He's a blue Betta. :-D

He's going to the top quickly when he does, but sometimes it takes him a few seconds to respond. He seems to be going back down by himself, but it could be involuntary. Hard to tell, really.

As of this moment, he doesn't seem to want to move much, but when he does, he's swimming quickly (darting around). Then goes to laying on the bottom again, slowly down.

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hubbley

· #4 · Jun 12, 2014

He sounds lovely.

I have a blue betta myself.

Does he look bloated at all? Flakes have a higher chance of causing bloating and possible SBD problems, but usually they float like a cork in that case. If he does look bloated you could try fasting him for a day, and perhaps consider switching to a pellet food. A lot of people on here like the Omega One brand.

You might want to add another water change to your schedule as well since the tank is so small. Sometimes more frequent water changes are all you need. Sometimes.

Could you post a picture? Maybe there is something else goes on that you haven't noticed yet? It sounds like aside from him resting on the bottom his appearance hasn't changed. I'm pretty new to the betta lifestyle myself, so I'm afraid I can't give much more information. :/

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faunrose

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 12, 2014

Ok, so apparently my LG doesn't like my laptop... grrrr... the nice pretty picture I just took I can't load.

He does look normal, though. No spots or filmy look. Perhaps his color looks a little duller than normal, but I could be reaching.

No bloating either. He did that once before and like you said, floated like a cork for a day. Oddly enough, it was after we gave him a pellet, which came as a sample with his water tablets. So we fasted him, then stuck with the flakes he's always ate.

I'm just afraid for him and want him to feel well. I will continue to watch him, of course, but I don't want to mess with him too much either. Ahhhh - Catch 22!!

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hubbley

· #6 · Jun 12, 2014

Hm :/ I don't know what else to suggest. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will respond as well. In the meantime let me do some digging around the site, see if I can come up with anything remotely useful. ;D

If he likes the flakes and responds well to them, by all means, keep it up.

I'm not sure if they have as much protein as pellets, which might be another reason people prefer the pellets. I know bloodworms have a lot of protein. They come frozen or freeze-dried. I personally have the freeze-dried ones, but after Norman ate them only a few times (and a few days apart) he had the bouancy of a cork for three days.

But the frozen ones are something to consider later on if you'd like.

Literally food for thought.

Ah, that was lame.

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faunrose

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 12, 2014

hubbley, I so much appreciate you trying! Once Seamour's feeling better, we may try him on a different food. He's the easiest to care for of all our animals (Dog, Cat, Rabbit also in the house) so a food upgrade is likely overdue LOL.

The food for thought bit was pretty funny, though. I'm a "punny" person myself!

I'll keep checking back in... now I guess I have to go feed my real child

Thanks again, so very much!

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hubbley

· #8 · Jun 12, 2014

Haha, can't forget about those other children. ;D No problem, sorry I couldn't be of more help. Still learning myself.

This thread will hopefully teach me something new about bettas.

I'd keep trying to post a picture as well whenever you get a chance. Maybe upload it to a picture hosting site and share a link? If he doesn't improve and something else is going on it'll be helpful for those on here who know a bit more.

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VivianKJean

· #9 · Jun 13, 2014

ok. first off .5 gallons is way too small for a betta. No wonder he is acting weird. You would need to do daily 100% water changes in a tank that size.

I recommend getting a tank that is at least 2.5 gallons and get a heater! Bettas need their water to warm, 78-80 degrees F. A heater will also keep the temperature stable. Temperature changes will weaken your betta's immune system and he will get sick easily. With a tank that size then you can do one 50% water changes and one 100% water change every week.

If money is a concern. Petco (and I believe Petsmart also) sells Pet Keepers. The large size is 3 gallons and it is around $13-14.

Change his food. You should either feed him Omega One pellets or New Life Spectrum Pellets. Flakes are not good for him.

I recommend doing these things ASAP. Poor water quality will kill a fish quite quickly.

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mappikun

· #10 · Jun 13, 2014

Bettas tend to stay on the bottom of the tank when they're cold, experiencing temperature swings, or uncomfortable with the water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, or a combination of those).

Since Seamour's water gets changed regularly, it's not likely that it's a water quality issue (but it wouldn't hurt to get a water test kit just to be on the safe side). He may just be suffering from the long-term effects of not having a heater to keep the water temperature stable. We used to have a Betta at the office (he was later adopted into a loving home, but that's another story)-- the person who bought him didn't put a heater in his bowl. He was happy and healthy for a while, but after a few months, he became less energetic and mainly stayed at the bottom, like Seamour. After I bought him a heater, he perked up again.

It may also be a food issue, like VivianKJean mentioned. Flakes tend to cause digestive issues with Bettas, so pellets (and other Betta foods like bloodworms and/or daphnia as occasional treats, if available) are the way to go.

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VivianKJean

· #11 · Jun 13, 2014

mappikun said:
Bettas tend to stay on the bottom of the tank when they're cold, experiencing temperature swings, or uncomfortable with the water quality (pH, ammonia, nitrates, nitrites, or a combination of those).

Since Seamour's water gets changed regularly, it's not likely that it's a water quality issue (but it wouldn't hurt to get a water test kit just to be on the safe side). He may just be suffering from the long-term effects of not having a heater to keep the water temperature stable. We used to have a Betta at the office (he was later adopted into a loving home, but that's another story)-- the person who bought him didn't put a heater in his bowl. He was happy and healthy for a while, but after a few months, he became less energetic and mainly stayed at the bottom, like Seamour. After I bought him a heater, he perked up again.

It may also be a food issue, like VivianKJean mentioned. Flakes tend to cause digestive issues with Bettas, so pellets (and other Betta foods like bloodworms and/or daphnia as occasional treats, if available) are the way to go.

I disagree. I do think its a water quality issue as well. A 1/2 gallon tank is so tiny that the ammonia will build up fast. In a 1 gallon tank you need to do water changes every other day, so in a 1/2 you need to change the water every day.

You also can't heat a 1/2 tank safely so your betta is cold as well

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faunrose

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 13, 2014

VivianKJean & mappikun - thanks to both for responding!

This morning, Seamour was still acting the same and wasn't immediately interested in his food. I gave him a pinch of flakes and left him, when I checked a short time later, he'd obviously eaten a bite or two, but normally he's right on it like he's starving.

My hubby checked the water temp and it was 76F, so a little low but not as bad as I thought given the posts I've read. We live in Florida and don't air condition the room he's in, so at least he hasn't been freezing! (I wonder how he managed over the winter when my niece still had him...)

Regardless, we're looking into getting a larger tank/heater and new food this weekend. Do you have to slowly cycle in new food as you do with dogs and cats, or can we just switch him over immediately?

I'm actually going to run by the house during my lunch break to check on him. I'm learning just how much a fish can grab your heart...

Thanks again - I'll keep checking in/posting!

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VivianKJean

· #13 · Jun 13, 2014

You can just switch the food right away. It shouldn't be a problem. If it is, he just may need to learn that the food is food. So drop one pellet in, wait for him to eat it, if he doesn't remove it and try again tomorrow. Feed him 3-4 pellets.

a betta can go months without food so he won't starve.

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