Betta help!

[BettaBoyBilly]

Hey guys i have a Male Koi Plakat Betta in a decently planted 8 gallon with 5 pygmy corys and 4 amano shrimp.
I’ve had him for 4/5 days now and he has been doing fine for the most part...
Today and yesterday i noticed him swimming to one side of my tank, swimming up and down against the glass, and he’ll dart towards the bottom running into the plants there with his side.
Almost looks like he’s trying to itch himself?
He still eats really well is not looking sickly No ich or fin rot noticed.
I do plan on getting him his own 5 gallon planted at some point in The bear future in case you guys think Its stress from tank mates, although he seemed to enjoy seeing what the pygmy corys were up to... any help will be appreciated!
Note: i thought at first my aerator/bubble stone was stressing him so i removed it but it obviously had no affect...
Do bubblers affect bettas?

 

[Colin_T]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 2 weeks and see how he goes.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post pictures and short video of the fish.

 

[EllRog]

What are you using for filtration also? The flow from your filter could perhaps be too strong

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

What are you using for filtration also? The flow from your filter could perhaps be too strong

Its an Aqua Japan Aj 33 (33 liter/8 gallons) it comes with filter sponge/mesh bag filled with bio filter overflow style With a water pump. I have a piece of sponge rubber banded around the pump output because the flow is intense, and the piece of filter sponge i used helps a ton with flow, but doesnt seem to reduce filtration. its cycled and has been used before as well...

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 2 weeks and see how he goes.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post pictures and short video of the fish.

It won’t let me post video for some reason... let me snap some pics of him....
I use RO water during changes so definitely no chlorine in there... just didna water change/carpet/gravel vac 2 days ago (i do 30-40% changes/vac weekly)
I’m gonna be getting a larger anubias plant for him to hide under because most of my plants don’t reach the top area of the water... i’m thinking he wants a spot to hide near the surface maybe?

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

Do a 75% water change and gravel clean the substrate every day for 2 weeks and see how he goes.
Make sure any new water is free of chlorine/ chloramine before it's added to the tank.

Post pictures and short video of the fish.

sorry the pictures are a little blurry i just have my iphone and he MOVES

 

[hansgruber7]

What are you adding back into the RO water? What are your test readings coming out to? Beautiful fish by the way.

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

What are you adding back into the RO water? What are your test readings coming out to? Beautiful fish by the way.

I don’t usually do much to it, i’ve been meaning to buy some almond leaves to boil/cool to add the almond leaf water to the tank to increase tannins...
May just crush some leaves and add those too... do you think that will help?
Thanks by the way! Finally decided to name him Charles. Beautiful Ice color on his head and maroon w/ white tipped fins...
He even has some black on his body towards his tail, surprised i got him for only $10

 

[EllRog]

So are you saying you're mixing tap water with RO water and not adding any type of dechlorinator or anything to the water?

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

So are you saying you're mixing tap water with RO water and not adding any type of dechlorinator or anything to the water?

No i just add RO. water, no tap water, no dechlorinator, i was setting the tank up before i had the betta for honey gouramis, so the RO water read 6.0 ph so i would add some Seachem Regulator and it’s at 7.0 now
This was all wwaaayyyy before i added the betta or any of the other fish, this was while i was setting the tank up.
When i Currently do water changes it’s just with RO water, no additives, so mixing

 

[hansgruber7]

I do RO water as well. Have you checked your GH and KH? I had to raise the GH and KH of my RO water. Also, low salinity can be a problem with RO water and fish can have trouble with osmoregulation as a result. I had to add some aquarium salt. Worth thinking about.

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

I do RO water as well. Have you checked your GH and KH? I had to raise the GH and KH of my RO water. Also, low salinity can be a problem with RO water and fish can have trouble with osmoregulation as a result. I had to add some aquarium salt. Worth thinking about.

My GH has been soft the whole time my KH is now pretty low it used to be harder...
You think aquarium salt would help? Or maybe adding the seachem regulator to water changes?

 

[EllRog]

My GH has been soft the whole time my KH is now pretty low it used to be harder...
You think aquarium salt would help? Or maybe adding the seachem regulator to water changes?

What are your test readings for the tank?

 

[Colin_T]

R/O water is fine for Bettas. It has a very low GH and neutral pH.

The fish doesn't appear to have whitespot and looks fine. Just do the daily water changes for a week and monitor it. If white dots appear on the body or fins, then post more pics.

 

[BettaBoyBilly]

What are your test readings for the tank?

ph: 7.0
Kh: <80 but >40
Gh: <30 almost 0
Nitrite: <0.5 (i’d say 0)
Nitrate: <20 on my scale (again looks white so i’d say 0)