Hello people.
I've had my betta for a bit over a month now, and lately, he's been showing some pretty strange behaviour.
My betta lives in a normal-sized bowl with about 10 translucent blue rocks forming a circle on the bottom of the bowl, and a fairly dim light hovering over top of it.
I feed my betta 2 tablets, twice a day with the food that came with him. He usually eats them right when I drop them in the bowl.
Anyway, last night, I noticed my room (where my betta's bowl is) was fairly cool, and I noticed that my betta was lying right on the bottom of the bowl, leaning on one of the rocks, and a little bit sideways, and it took a bit of tapping the bowl and waving my finger around in the water for him to "wake up". Once he did though, he started swimming around the bowl normally for about 20 seconds, then went right back down again. I thought that he was maybe doing this because my room was a little cold that day, so I moved him to the kitchen where it was a normal warm temperature and left him there for the night.
Then next day (today), I checked up on him, and he wasn't quite as much on his side as he was yesterday, but he still didn't look "right". He was kind of leaning on the blue rock like he was before. He still eats just as much as he used to...and the only way I can get him to swim around is to tap his bowl a few times or stick my finger in, but he still only lasts about 20 seconds before going back to the bottom and "falling asleep" again.
I'm getting a bit worried because he's usually very active, and anytime I would pick up the bowl he'd go nuts. Now if I pick up the bowl, he just moves around a little bit....but not nearly as much as he used to.
I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm pretty sure he's still fairly young.
Anyway, sorry for making such a long story, but if anyone can give any recommendations, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
I've had my betta for a bit over a month now, and lately, he's been showing some pretty strange behaviour.
My betta lives in a normal-sized bowl with about 10 translucent blue rocks forming a circle on the bottom of the bowl, and a fairly dim light hovering over top of it.
I feed my betta 2 tablets, twice a day with the food that came with him. He usually eats them right when I drop them in the bowl.
Anyway, last night, I noticed my room (where my betta's bowl is) was fairly cool, and I noticed that my betta was lying right on the bottom of the bowl, leaning on one of the rocks, and a little bit sideways, and it took a bit of tapping the bowl and waving my finger around in the water for him to "wake up". Once he did though, he started swimming around the bowl normally for about 20 seconds, then went right back down again. I thought that he was maybe doing this because my room was a little cold that day, so I moved him to the kitchen where it was a normal warm temperature and left him there for the night.
Then next day (today), I checked up on him, and he wasn't quite as much on his side as he was yesterday, but he still didn't look "right". He was kind of leaning on the blue rock like he was before. He still eats just as much as he used to...and the only way I can get him to swim around is to tap his bowl a few times or stick my finger in, but he still only lasts about 20 seconds before going back to the bottom and "falling asleep" again.
I'm getting a bit worried because he's usually very active, and anytime I would pick up the bowl he'd go nuts. Now if I pick up the bowl, he just moves around a little bit....but not nearly as much as he used to.
I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm pretty sure he's still fairly young.
Anyway, sorry for making such a long story, but if anyone can give any recommendations, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thank you very much.
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I know that fish stores tell you those very cool, attractive holders like that are fine for bettas, but they really need to have at least two gallons in order to be happy. The minimal set up for him is going to be a bowl of at least two gallons of water with a very small heater (since your house will be getting cooler now). They also sell little filters that you can put in the bowl that would work well. Try that. It's good that he's eating, but his fins are clamped, and it's because he's stressed. Get some stress coat and treat the water every time for him even if it is spring water. The stress coat will help him with his slime coat which helps to protect him from disease, and use a small amount of salt. The directions come with the freshwater salt that you buy...and put maybe a fourth of the salt dose that is recommended instead of what is recommended. Good luck! 
/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...+Tank&N=2023693
