Trouble Understanding My Betta

Hello Everyone!!

So I just recently bought a Crown Tail Betta Fish named Steve. His body is black and all of his fins and tail are orange/yellow - as seen in the photo that I have attached.

I got him at a local Big Al's Fish Store, and I felt bad for him, as he was stuck in a tiny cup which was only 1/5 filled with water (it was nasty and green with poop in it).
SO I saved the little guy and brought him home. Along with him I bought a little plant which is leafy and will grown longer so that he could hide in it.
I currently keep him in a 1 gallon fish tank with a lid and a light in it. Along with that I have a little filter/bubble mechanism working in there just to keep the water flow going.
I bought the Betta Live-Activ Gravel for him since it contains live bacteria in it needed for the water cycle. I dechlorinated the water before putting him in there and waited for a couple of hours (probably for about 9 hours).
After that I let him in there. The water temp is currently at 78ish degrees - that's what my thermometer says.

Now before anyone says that Betta need a bit more room - I know. I have a full aquarium (10 Gallons) set up doing it's cycle right now with a Filter, a heater, plants, gravel, airpump, houses for him, etc....

Anyways, for the first 2 - 3 days he was fine - lively, active, and exploring his little house and plants around him - they are realy btw, not plastic since they cut their fins and tails.
Today however, I noticed a change in him. He began laying down on the gravel, or in the house, and does not want to eat. At times during the day he gets these bursts of energy where he swims frantically around the entire tank flaring his whole body as if he was ready to fight. After that, he lays down, and the cld continues. The other thing that's weird is, i know he observes me when im doing something in the room, i.e., homework, but when i turn my attention to him, he freaks out and hides. Is he shy?

This is my very first Betta Fish and I want to give him the home he truly deserves after sitting in that aweful cup for God knows how long...

Anyways, I'm just not sure what I'm suppose to expect from him? Is he sick? Is he still stressed from being introduced to this fish tank? Please help!! I dont want him dieing or anything.

Also, I should probably mention that I have no idea how to test the water for certain levels, so if someone could explain that to me that would be awesome. The pet/fish stores I went to offered me these huge packs for like $100, and truthfully, I don't have that kind of money since I am a first year - full time University money - It kind of sucked out all of my money

But thank you for taking the time to read my post!!

the obvious question is what are your water stats, the tank he is currently in, you say there is a filter/ bubble mechanism in there, is it actually a filter or a air stone? my best advise would be water change every day if there isnt a cycled filter in there, have a read of the link in my signature on cycling, i assume as your cycling another tank you have a liquid based test kit? if not invest in one, it will be your best freind throughout the cycling process

i forgot to mention what a stunning betta he is

the API master test kit is the most widely used as its cheap and does the job, its cheaper via ebay or amazon but i have no idea how much it is the USA

Thank you for posting the link!! There was so much information and took me a while to really understand it.
I do not unfortunately have any "liquid based test kits" however, I will be looking into that after getting my pay cheque.

So i found out that the bubble mechanism is really just an air pump, tube and a little rock thingie in it. So it's not a filter...

Also, today i found out 2 things about Steve;

1. He's got a bit of a belly - I'm not sure if i overfed him, or if he is constipated?
I read that peas are good for their digestive systems, so i de-thawed one pea, took off the skin and tried feeding it to him, but he doesn't take any interest in it?
How can I make him eat it?
I don't want him to die.

2. He seems very sad today. I know they do not get lonely, but what I mean is that he's laying down in the gravel today or in his house. He isn't getting any of those energy bursts today anymore and it's beginning to make me worried. If I present a mirror to him, he does try to fight the "other" fish, so i guess he still has energy in him??

Please help!

And thank you He is quite handsome

Did you do a water change? We can't help with this from here
Basically, a fish tank without a cycled filter accumulates ammonia which is deadly for fish. As already adviced, you need to change his water every day. Once your ten gallon is cycled(and that means by cycling it using ammonia as in fishless cycle) move him there.
And you can give him peas as well, feed less, especially in a small tank like that because even the food accumulates ammonia.
And you need a test kit, otherwise how are you gonna know your 10G has finished cycling?

as snazy has said, did you water change? to do this you need dechlorinated temperature matched (as best you can), water, you will need to empty a good 70% of the water every day untill your other tank has cycled, just to keep him alive, it already sounds like he is struggling

I did a 50% water change because I was not prepared for a 70% water change. After doing that, he just went into his little hut and is just sitting there - can't really see what he's doing because it has a little entrance and it's dark in there. What kind of water testers should I buy? Do you guys have any recommendations? The closest stores to me are Big Al's fish store, Petsmart and Pj's Pets.

Also, do you guys have any tricks on feeding a pea to a betta? Steve was still ignoring the pea i gave him, so i just took it out and threw it away....

Also, one more quick question: When I add that special de-chlorinizer to the water i am preparing for my fish, how long does it have to sit for? Many people say I can add the fish right away to it (which I do NOT believe) others say 24-48 hours, other say 1 week. Does anyone have the correct answer to this?

I did a 50% water change because I was not prepared for a 70% water change. After doing that, he just went into his little hut and is just sitting there - can't really see what he's doing because it has a little entrance and it's dark in there. What kind of water testers should I buy? Do you guys have any recommendations? The closest stores to me are Big Al's fish store, Petsmart and Pj's Pets.

Also, do you guys have any tricks on feeding a pea to a betta? Steve was still ignoring the pea i gave him, so i just took it out and threw it away....

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You need to do 100% water changes for a tank without a filter in order to remove all the ammonia. Doing 50% water change removes 50% of the toxic ammonia only, so the other 50% is still there poisoning it. So you either do 100% or don't bother. What do you mean you are not prepared for a 70% water change? Come one, we are talking about 1G tank which is a bit bigger than a bottle of coke?

Also, one more quick question: When I add that special de-chlorinizer to the water i am preparing for my fish, how long does it have to sit for? Many people say I can add the fish right away to it (which I do NOT believe) others say 24-48 hours, other say 1 week. Does anyone have the correct answer to this?

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Dechlorinators work instantly. I drop the dechlorinator, stir for a couple of seconds and that's it done. I have no idea what you mean by 1 week time but it may refer to cycling a tank with filter which actually takes more or less 6-8 weeks.

If you ever get your tank cycled, then never do 100% water changes, but for uncycled tanks it is inevitable as there's no other way to remove the toxins from the water

Well I live in a dorm, so you have to understand that supplies here are a bit limited. I was prepared for 20% changes cause thats what a lot of people told me to do.
And alright, i think i understand about the water and chlorine thing, thank you.

With the aging water that has been de-chlorinated most people only do it for the benefit of certain fish and shrimp that can not tolerate even a drip of chlorine.

What kind of water testers should I buy? Do you guys have any recommendations? The closest stores to me are Big Al's fish store, Petsmart and Pj's Pets.

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The most famous one most of us use is the liquid test kit by API. It will last ages.

And for dechlorinating the water, I am sure every pet shop sells dechlorinators that instantly remove chlorines and chloramines, some even temporary de-toxify ammonia(24hours)
If you are only letting it sit in order for the chlorine to evaporate, it can take 24-48 hours but this will not remove heavy metals from the water which can build up in the tank and affect the fish. So dechlorinator is the safest way to go, and the fastest

Baccus said:

With the aging water that has been de-chlorinated most people only do it for the benefit of certain fish and shrimp that can not tolerate even a drip of chlorine.

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Oh okay, makes sense. Thank you

snazy said:

What kind of water testers should I buy? Do you guys have any recommendations? The closest stores to me are Big Al's fish store, Petsmart and Pj's Pets.

Click to expand...

The most famous one most of us use is the liquid test kit by API. It will last ages.

And for dechlorinating the water, I am sure every pet shop sells dechlorinators that instantly remove chlorines and chloramines, some even temporary de-toxify ammonia(24hours)
If you are only letting it sit in order for the chlorine to evaporate, it can take 24-48 hours but this will not remove heavy metals from the water which can build up in the tank and affect the fish. So dechlorinator is the safest way to go, and the fastest

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Alright thank you for the information!
Tomorrow morning I'm gonna go to one of the petstores and check out that tester (if they have it ) if not, I'll research the other ones to see if they're good and reliable