Advise Needed-Veiltail Betta

[Gypsy Tart]

If you can offer it a bigger tank then by all means move it. The short term stress of moving it is outweighed by long term gain of it having a better home. But that would mean not moving it back to the owner's current setup

I was only trying to get some information (from experts) concerning the tank and accessories.

I didn't want to look after the fish at my place and I also would imagine that it's better for it to be in it's usual environnement.

 

[Gypsy Tart]

So, Day 2. I went to see whether the pet was OK. However, it was still right next to the side of the tank and just floating and not even moving slightly. So, I gently pulled up the cover and also tapped onto the tank which made it move to the left hand side. It then immediatley swam back to it's initial place and stopped moving.

I don't know whether I stressed it out so stopped to interact with it.

I also placed two small green plants that were on the counter right next to it's tiny tank. I thought that it would give it a slight change of scenery !

The water is getting really murky and it's very chilly in the room. The temperature is 17 °C. This means that it drops to 15°C during the night.

I'm wondering whether this is normal behaviour as you usually see fish swimming around when they are in large aquariums?

If nothing changes ; i.e. new tank and accessories, what would you reckon it's life span will be ?

I'm really concerned about it's mental health and to me, it looks like it's depressed.

 

[Essjay]

He is probably lethargic from being too cold; bettas need a temp around 26 deg C. And bettas can get bored in an empty tank.

As for life span that's a bit tricky. They can live up to 5 years, but poor treatment of them does lead to shorter lives. Not to mention the fact that bettas are so inbred nowadays that they rarely live a long time.

 

[mbsqw1d]

I was only trying to get some information (from experts) concerning the tank and accessories so that I could try and persuade her to buy them. I don't know how to go about it as she says the set up is perfect.

I didn't want to look after the fish at my place and I also would imagine that it's better for it to be in it's usual environnement. Apparently, the next time she will go away, she will take it with her on a 3 1/2- 4 h road trip. I can't even imagine how one can travel with a fish.

Sorry, my fault, I think I misread your original post

 

[Essjay]

Looking back over this thread, you may want to think seriously about kidnapping the fish and telling your friend that he died

 

[Gypsy Tart]

Sorry, my fault, I think I misread your original post

No worries. I think that my posts may seem confusing at times.

 

[Gypsy Tart]

Looking back over this thread, you may want to think seriously about kidnapping the fish and telling your friend that he died

I actually think that the poor pet may be dying and I'm also really stressed.

I'm a huge animal lover and dislike seeing an animal depressed.

 

[Essjay]

One of the problems is that the internet is full of tiny tanks sold for bettas. People would rather believe the marketing hype rather than researching what the fish actually need.

Since he is so cold, he may well not live long, I'm afraid

 

[Gypsy Tart]

He is probably lethargic from being too cold; bettas need a temp around 26 deg C. And bettas can get bored in an empty tank.

As for life span that's a bit tricky. They can live up to 5 years, but poor treatment of them does lead to shorter lives. Not to mention the fact that bettas are so inbred nowadays that they rarely live a long time.

I see so the chilly temperature plus the fact that it can't swim and explore may have lead to it being depressed. That does make sense.

I gather that it must be 1 yr old as it was bought this summer. If things don't change, it won't last more than a few months. I would imagine that it's very unhealthy for it not to swim and just float all day long.

 

[Gypsy Tart]

One of the problems is that the internet is full of tiny tanks sold for bettas. People would rather believe the marketing hype rather than researching what the fish actually need.

Since he is so cold, he may well not live long, I'm afraid

You are right about the tanks.

I really don't know what to do as I could put the central heating on if I get her permission. Do you think that it's a sign that it's going downhill ? I feel so responsable for it.

 

[Essjay]

If you could persuade your friend that he needs a heater, some decor (silk plants as mentioned earlier) and regular water changes it would help a lot even in the tiny tank.

But for now, there's not much you can do - getting permission for the heating is an option, and if you can heat just the one room that would work OK.

 

[Gypsy Tart]

If you could persuade your friend that he needs a heater, some decor (silk plants as mentioned earlier) and regular water changes it would help a lot even in the tiny tank.

But for now, there's not much you can do - getting permission for the heating is an option, and if you can heat just the one room that would work OK.

Would 25 °C be the minimum ? The room is huge, 35 m2 so I'm not too sure whether I should put the heating up.

Do you think that it will survive until she gets back on Friday ?

 

[Gypsy Tart]

View attachment 120033

I took this pic this afternoon.

What do you think? Is it normal that it's fins are pointing downwards.

I will go and feed it in an hours time as it is feed once a day.

 

[Gypsy Tart]

I gave the pet it's dinner but it only ate about 4 pellets. It would seem like yesterday's have sunk to the bottom of the tank. When I opened the lid and talked to it, the fish did 'swim' (more like a paddle) a tiny bit but seems very lethargic.

I put the heating on to a temperature of 19°C and placed a tea towel underneath it's tank as the counter was stone cold.

 

[Essjay]

Since it's such a small tank, could you move it to a smaller room and heat that one?

Turkey basters are ideal for removing things like uneaten food and fish poop on the bottom of a tank. Uneaten food will go bad and make the water quality poor.