Does anyone else's Betta do this?

[SRC]

One of my guys lays on his side or on the bottom of his tank all the time.

He's not sick..because he eats and will swim around in sporadic moments. But for the most part he lays on the bottom.

He is supposed to be no older then 6 months old..so I don't think it's age related.
His water is changed everyday, so I don't feel it's due to lack of cleanliness.

Is he just a lazy fish or do you think it's something else?

 

[tekknocolor]

When he swims, does it look like he struggles? Does his back end look considerably smaller than the rest of him (kind of unproportional)? Does he have a LOT of finnage?

 

[Idolz]

He might not be getting enough oxygen, try placing him in a breeder net so he is close to the surface of the water... or lower the water lvl in the tank.
I like his colour. Good luck.

 

[SRC]

When he "chooses" to swim he swims fine, just like all my other fish.
He doesn't have any more finnage then any of the other fish, he doesn't even do that weird vertical swim thing my yellow/black one does.
He's in the same size container (beanie box) as everyone else (10 other fish) so I dunno about lack of oxygen.

If I lower the water level he does the same thing.
He's not going up and getting a breath and going back down, he'll just get up ever so often and take a swim around for a few minutes..then go back and lay down like that again.

He is completely motionless when he lays there too. Not one fin moving. Then he'll roll over on his side sometimes (but not everytime). When I drop flies on the surface he swims up and eagerly gobbles them up..same with bloodworms.

It's just like he chooses to lay there like that. It's so odd. I wanna be worried but then I think..well maybe he's just figured out it's easier to lay there then swim all the time.

 

[cutechic]

Look at the surface of the water to make sure there isn't an oily film or layer of dust (I know the containers have lids, but I've had problems in covered tanks with oil restricting gas exchange at the surface of the water.

When I drop flies on the surface he swims up and eagerly gobbles them up..same with bloodworms.

What kind of flies are you feeding him?

My bettas get like that when they're constipated or about to develop swimbladder problems. I do a water change & add salt to the water (and raise the temperature a few degrees, if possible), stop feeding for a few days, and increase the amount of frozen food (rather than pellets or freeze-dried) when I do start feeding again.

Edit: Is there anything that could be stressing him (being in constant view of other bettas/ strong light/ container vibration or being jiggled) ?

 

[Danno]

If he isnt comming up for air he will do brain damage to himself and evenually suffocate himself. I would recommend 50 water change, add salt, and then but a bubbler in with a release valve in it so it would make one bubble every second.

Good luck, i hope you better is feeling better! )

 

[SRC]

*edit* it's not that he doesn't come up for air at all..it's that he isn't doing it constantly (like as in..if he wasn't getting enough oxygen from the water so he over compensated and came to the surface more...I hope I explained that right lol).

I feed them the small wingless fruit flies (3-4 each fish) 2 times a week (for now..my supply can't hold up to everyday yet lol).

The tanks are cleaned daily (I use hot water and an algae sponge), when I do water changes..so I don't see how they could have an oily residue or dust.

They get half of an boiled english pea once a week (followed by a day of fasting) too, so I don't think it's constipation (also, there is always some poop in his container when I do water changes).

When I do water changes I add salt (1tsp to 1gal).

He is sitting right next to other Betta's, but he can't see them (I have them carded until I choose to let them see each other..didn't want any messed up gills from prolonged flaring).

He's sitting on my back desk (along with the other 9 fish I have) and no one sits at that desk (it just holds my paperwork and stuff) so I don't "think" he's getting any unnecessary vibration or movement. Only light is the one over head and it's only 2 40 watt flourescent's in a overhead fixture..and it's turned off at night when I leave (off approx. 13 hours).

This is why it's so baffling as to what his deal is. I've tried to think of everything, and there is nothig "fesable" that I can find wrong with him.

 

[Koda]

His water is changed everyday, so I don't feel it's due to lack of cleanliness.

Is he just a lazy fish or do you think it's something else?

How much of the water do you change?Just a thought,but maybe you could try cutting back on water changes.It may be that it stresses him somewhat to have such frequent changes.I'm not sure what size a beanie box is,but all my fish do fine on weekly water changes and small feedings.Some of mine are in one gallon and some are in two gallons.But a couple are in rather small containers and still do fine on weekly changes.

Koda

 

[SRC]

A Beanie box holds less then a half gallon of water. My 1gallon water-change jug fills up 2 3/4 beanie boxes before I have to fill it up again.

Each Beanie Box is 4" x 4"x 7".

The water is usually very dirty (you can see waste waifing in it most times..I have several dirty boys too, there's get's changes twice a day sometimes..he is not one of those though) by the time I do water changes...so I doubt going a week would be a good idea.

They generally eat every other day.

Here is my feeding schedule:

Mon - 3-4 Fruit flies AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Tues - Fast
Wed - 2 FD blood worms AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Thur - Fast
Fri - 3-4 Fruit flies AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Sat - 1/2 english pea
Sun - Fast

 

[yeeviabetta]

put a female in the tank sure make him awake! Try it!

 

[SRC]

Oh..well I don't have any females lol. I don't want any unexpected babies .

It's not that he isn't active at all..if I mess with him he rummages around for a bit..until I stop messing with him...then he goes back to the bottom of the tank, sometimes.

I think he is just lazy to be honest. He does what he wants and acts normal when he wants...and he is eating fine and acting fine otherwise...so I guess I'll just have to wait and see if his demeanor changes at all.

 

[f250fisherman]

A Beanie box holds less then a half gallon of water. My 1gallon water-change jug fills up 2 3/4 beanie boxes before I have to fill it up again.

Each Beanie Box is 4" x 4"x 7".

The water is usually very dirty (you can see waste waifing in it most times..I have several dirty boys too, there's get's changes twice a day sometimes..he is not one of those though) by the time I do water changes...so I doubt going a week would be a good idea.

They generally eat every other day.

Here is my feeding schedule:

Mon - 3-4 Fruit flies AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Tues - Fast
Wed - 2 FD blood worms AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Thur - Fast
Fri - 3-4 Fruit flies AM, 2 FD blood worms PM
Sat - 1/2 english pea
Sun - Fast

You are not feeding him enough. Fasting is to purge the digestive tract. The betta may be laying around because it has no energy. It might just be a lazy fish, and theirs no problem with it medically. Feed it everyday, then fast once a week. Try giving him Hikari Bio Gold pellets between the fly feedings. Most breeders feed high protein foods twice a day or more. The pea on sat. and the fast on sunday would work good, but the other 2 fastings are too much.

 

[SRC]

Well they get more then that...my cousin gives them treats when I'm not around I'm sure lol, and I do too sometimes. And most times more flies then what I try to shake out fall in..and before I can get them out they have been gobbled up lol.

But if it was lack of energy from lack of food...I'd imagine the other 9 would be the same way...they're definately not. He doesn't even flare much..the rest flare up a storm, and I've got one that is close to a year old..and he's triple active compared to this one.

None of mine will touch a pellet (or frozen bloodworms). It's like they think I am killing them if I throw a pellet in lol. They will rush on it and eat it and not 2 seconds later spit it out and look to me as if thinking "wtf are you thinking lady?!?!" ...yucko!" lol.

I will try more food..but I think all that is gonna do is dirty up the tanks quicker. Hopefully I can get by the bait store and pick up some live bloodworms soon. But the only store that carries them is over an hours drive away, which stinks.

 

[Danno]

You have to train your bettas to eat pellets and blood worms if they are to spoiled and only eats flys. Don't feed them for 2 days then throw in a pellet. He should eat it then. Then the next day give him 1 pellet twice a day.

 

[CDNFreelancer]

I had a betta that was doing this a few weeks back. I finally determined that there was a water problem. I took the tank he was in back to the simplest arrangement I could think of, basically water, gravel and betta bowl conditioner. He perked right up within 48 hours. Now, its like having a totally different fish.

I'm not saying it absolutely is a water problem but its something to consider.

Thanks,

- Ken

NOTE: In my case, I think it was salt that was the problem and I stopped adding it to the water.