Great! Just when I thought he's doing good...

[koko]

AY!!

I'm soo bummed out! Poor little Koko had been acting soo happy in his new tank (just brought him home on Saturday) but since last night he's been listless and just lays at the bottom of the tank in a depressed state.


I haven't been able to give him the salt bath yet for his finrot (darn Petsmart!) but he's been very normal and when I changed his water last night, he seemed fine (fins spread open wide, active swimming). Dunno why he's acting so sad now.


Am I doing something wrong? - Kari.

 

[BettaMomma]

What kind of tank is he in?
What's the water temp?

They do get clamped up and go straight to the bottom if they're too cold...

 

[SRC]

Wal-mart has Aquarium salt. It's in a pink and white Pint-sized milk carton...in the fish supplies.

 

[koko]

Thanks SRC - the nearest Walmart is 20 mins away and I've been so busy with school I haven't been able to drive out there. I'm planning to get it tomorrow afternoon.

Bettamomma, he's in a hexagonal shaped container (I don't have room for anything bigger at the moment). Should I keep him near a lamp to warm up the water? - Kari.

 

[BettaMomma]

What's your room temp like?
They really should be in water that's at 78 degrees or higher.

Do you know how much water your tank holds?
If it is a 2 gallon tank, you should seriously invest in one of these:
http/www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp...10401&ast=&key=

They work like a dream. They're meant for tanks 2 gallons and up, but i've used them in 1.5 gallon tanks before and they work fine for that too. They're 9$ online.

You will not believe the diff in your fish's behavior once you get him warmed up to where he should be. My betta turns white and lays at the bottom if the power strip accidentally gets turned off that his heater's plugged in to. Our temp in our apartment is about 70 degrees, so his tank is only about 75 -76, but he's much happier when he's warmer.

I can almost guarantee that's what his problem is.

 

[vanvran]

Koko, please do your new betta a favor and get him a mini heater. Like Bettamomma says, you will not believe the difference! I've had my adorable little guy for a year and when I put him into a 5 gallon tank with a heater, it was like he became a new fish! He's blowing massive bubble nests (none were happening in the vase I'd kept him in). He swims back and forth all day, he flares and he is so happy! He dives for peas and food. Before he barely moved around and was getting fat and I almost lost him. You will be so glad you did it!

 

[BettaMomma]

One last point - not only will he be MUCH more comfortable in warmer water, but it will keep his immune system up and he will stay much healthier than in the cooler water.

 

[koko]

I will definitely get him a bigger container with a heater soon. I never knew that warmer water would make that much of a difference! Thanks everyone for your input!! - Kari.

 

[vanvran]

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[littlefishie]

Warmer water usually helps anything but goldfish.

And you don't need to use aquarium salt just to medicate.. I keep a very tiny bit in all of my betta tanks, almost like a preventative. I've noticed that, with salt, they're much more active and they build bigger nests.

 

[BetasRock]

Hey while your at walmart getting the aquarium salt u can get the little jr heater they sell its only 6 bucks and it works great in my hex 5 gal tank!

 

[BettaMomma]

They don't sell the Hydor heaters at WalMart that I know of.
The only place I've been able to find them is at one pet store here in town, and they charge 15$ for them!

You should make sure you get the Hydor one, or you will risk cooking your fishy!!