Help with my betta please!

[Jd324]

Hello! I have a male betta I just got a few days ago. It’s in a 1.8gallon tank. I started the tank with bottled water. It seemed perfectly fine the first night but the next day I noticed it almost constantly sits, vertically, sometimes face up, sometimes face down, behind the filter. It is not wedged, it can get in and out. If I tap on the glass it swims around completely normally (so I don’t think swim bladder issue)for a minute or so but then either goes back behind the filter, or lays on the ground on the gravel. I’ve had lots of bettas and none of this seems normal.

I had a water test done and they said only the ph was off/high so I got and added a ph lowering treatment as well as a general ‘water conditioner”, 24+hours ago but has not seemed to make any difference. When it swims it swims normally, it doesn’t seem it be in distress or “gasping” for air irregularly, but it just sort of lays on the gravel or stays behind the filter, and the fact it sits back there vertically seems most unusual. I also added a tiny heater to the tank yesterday bc I thought maybe it was just cold as I live in a cold area and the house is cold, but that also has not helped nor seems to make a difference. I don’t see anything wrong with it visually, so I’m honestly at a loss for what could be going on with it. It has not seemed interested in food at all since I got it on Monday night. It really only swims if I tap. And then it acts totally normal just for a minute or so but then goes back to just laying down on the gravel or behind the filter. (There are other hiding places for it but it only goes behind the filter, so I don’t think it’s a security thing). I have tried feeding it an assortment of things but
it has not seemed interested in eating.
Please if anyone has any tips or suggestions please please help, I’ve dealt with other fish health issues but never just a listless fish like this with no explanation.it wouldn’t seem to let me add videos unfortunately but here are some photos of its odd posturing, but it can/does sit/swim completely normally as well. Very strange! Help please!
Thank you.

 

[mrsjoannh13]

The tank is too small for your betta. They really need to be in at least 3 gallons but preferably 5.

Is the tank heated? Bettas like to be about 80 degrees.

Do you have a test kit or strips? If not, invest in something that you can use to test your water parameters daily until your tank is established. You may have ammonia or nitrite in the tank, which at certain levels will be toxic to your betta. If you have been trying to feed it multiple times since Monday and it's not eating the food, that food is decaying in the tank and probably creating ammonia in the tank. Unless you are removing the uneaten food?

It's also a good idea to know your water's pH and hardness (GH and KH) as they might not be ideal for your fish.

I don't have much knowledge of pH lowering treatments or chemicals but I try to steer clear of anything like this if possible. You can use peat granules in a mesh bag in your filter to lower your pH gradually over time, but you should know what the pH is. If it's an 8 or lower your betta should be okay although a pH closer to 7 is better.

 

[Slaphppy7]

+1 to the above.

 

[Circus]

If you can't get a bigger tank soon, I would try adding some easy live plants, like hornwort and duckweed, to help any ammonia spikes. If there are not many plants he may be feeling shy and insecure. Daily water changes until he perks up would help. With such a small tank, I would change the water 2x a week to stay ahead of any problems.
Did you cycle your tank already?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

Bottled water really isn’t recommended... I suggest getting Seachem Prime, which is a water conditioner that removes chlorine: https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...wj5sMajjcLuAhVAHTQIHfKJAWIQwg96BAgNECc&adurl=

I agree with the to small of tank notion. I suggest getting a 5g , preferably a 10g.

Do you have a test kit? If not, I suggest you get the API Master Freshwater Liquid Test Kit. It has over 800 individual tests, and it tests for the following: pH, High pH, nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia. Super helpful, and all for less than $30: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000255NCI/?tag=ff0d01-20

 

[Colin_T]

What is in the bottled water?
Some water has sodium and other things added and this might be affecting the fish.

What is the pH & GH (in numbers) of your water and the shop's water (ring the shop and ask them)?
If the fish was in soft acid water at the shop and you have harder water or water with a higher pH, that might be upsetting it.

What is the water temperature?

The fish could be suffering from jet lag if it only just came into the shop. Perhaps ask them when they got him in.

Is your tap water ok to drink and use for the fish?
Perhaps use tap water that has been dechlorinated instead of bottled water.

--------------------
I would normally suggest doing a 75% water change every day for a week but if the bottled water has sodium or a really high pH, that could be the cause of the unusual behaviour.

You should aerate bottled water for at least 30 minutes before using it in an aquarium. You can also leave it in a bucket without aeration, for 24 hours and it will allow the gasses to stabilise in the water.

 

[Utar]

Hi there and welcome to the forum.... .

I believe because you are now just starting out, I am going to ask that you don't get discouraged by what I am about to say because this is a fun journey to be on and very rewarding with lots to learn. There is more to it than meets the eye keeping just a lone Betta, and it all gets even more complicated for a community aquarium. So many new people starting out on the wonderful journey of fish keeping believe that alone Betta can live in a coffee cup. And it only feeds that perception of seeing Bettas in the tiny cups at the local LFS (Local Fish Stores).

Betta's don't need deep water but they do need a room or what I like to say a footprint of an aquarium tank. You see Betta fishes living in their natural environment live in shallow rice paddies and other large shallow bodies of water in their native countries. Therefore a 1.8 gallon is just not big enough for a Betta fish. Not only is it too small, but it will suffer badly from temperature swings, ammonia spikes, and the list goes on. with all kinds of problems with tiny tanks. Betta Fish needs a water temperature close to 80° F/27° C. So a heater is a must. 1.8 is too small for just about any type of heater. Five gallons is the absolute minimum for a Betta, IMHO. More stable water conditions, easy to filter, easy to control the temperature. So hang in there, do your research, youtube has more Betta Fish videos than you can ever have time to watch.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Please do daily water changes until you get a larger tank and learn about the aquarium nitrogen cycle. Daily water changes will keep your ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates down so fish isn’t poisoned. Please read this.

Cycling Your New Fresh Water Tank: Read This First!

Cycling Your First Fresh Water Tank What is Cycling and Why is it Important? Fish waste, and especially fish breathing, plus uneaten food and other organic matter breaking down in a tank all produce Ammonia. This can quickly become toxic to fish if it is allowed to build up to any measurable...

www.fishforums.net

 

[Jd324]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
Prim has been moved into a 5 gallon tank, it’s currently at about 78 degrees right now and I was able to get a 5 in 1 testing kit and all values are coming back normal, and I am going to purchase an ammonia testing kit asap although they did test that yesterday at the store and that wasn’t an issue so I don’t expect that to be the problem but will keep a lookout for it in the future!
Hoping the water change/larger tank/better filter/heat will all allow it to acclimate and am really holding out hope she makes it though the night! Also hoping it shows signs of appetite tomorrow/soon. That concerns me as well. If I’m able to keep the water checks at good values and keep the tank stabilized I am hoping she’ll make it, and if so, plan on moving her up to an even larger tank once she (hopefully!) stabilizes and perks up.
Thank you all for taking the time to give advice on helping me care for Prim, it is much appreciated!

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Thanks everyone for the help and advice!
Prim has been moved into a 5 gallon tank, it’s currently at about 78 degrees right now and I was able to get a 5 in 1 testing kit and all values are coming back normal, and I am going to purchase an ammonia testing kit asap although they did test that yesterday at the store and that wasn’t an issue so I don’t expect that to be the problem but will keep a lookout for it in the future!
Hoping the water change/larger tank/better filter/heat will all allow it to acclimate and am really holding out hope she makes it though the night! Also hoping it shows signs of appetite tomorrow/soon. That concerns me as well. If I’m able to keep the water checks at good values and keep the tank stabilized I am hoping she’ll make it, and if so, plan on moving her up to an even larger tank once she (hopefully!) stabilizes and perks up.
Thank you all for taking the time to give advice on helping me care for Prim, it is much appreciated!

Great job! Get a few small silk plants for the tank if you can. It will help Prim feel safe and give him some spots to hide and rest. Keep us posted on Prim's progress but sounds like he has a great new home.

 

[Jd324]

We’ve got a plethora of silk plants and a rock and hiding spots now, as well as one of the floating hidey logs. Really hoping this all works out! I spoke to a vet earlier and their advice was to take it back for a refund or new fish, but that’s not what I want! I want to find a solution for MY fish and make it comfortable and happy, not a replacement fish??‍. Tank is next to my bed so I am keeping constant watch?. Fingers crossed! ?

 

[Colin_T]

Don't worry too much about the fish not eating. Unlike mammals and birds that use most of the food they eat to keep warm, most fish take their body temperature from the surrounding water. This means any food they eat is used for growth and moving about. Fish can go for weeks or even months without food and won't starve after a couple of days without food.

Most pet shops sell live brineshrimp. You can try this and it usually gets fish eating. They might also have live Daphnia, which works to stimulate the fish to eat. And if you have mozzie larvae in containers of water outside, you can scoop them out and rinse them under tap water, then feed them to the fish.

The vet might be right. If the fish wasn't well before you got it, you could be fighting a losing battle.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

We’ve got a plethora of silk plants and a rock and hiding spots now, as well as one of the floating hidey logs. Really hoping this all works out! I spoke to a vet earlier and their advice was to take it back for a refund or new fish, but that’s not what I want! I want to find a solution for MY fish and make it comfortable and happy, not a replacement fish??‍. Tank is next to my bed so I am keeping constant watch?. Fingers crossed! ?

“Plethora”, nice word.