Is There Anything Wrong With My Betta

[TENNIS]

My 7 year old daughter went to a school fair and won a betta just over a year ago. We have it in a big fish bowl with color rocks and a plastic flower. I change the water every three days and clean the rocks. Ive been noticing the fish lays in the flower often. Is this normal for fish to do? Is there maybe something wrong with it?

 

[Durbkat]

You mean like those artifical flowers you use at cemetarys and stuff or do you mean plastic plant? If you mean't artifical flowers like what I said you use them for the stem could be leaching something into the water. Do you treat the water dechlorantor? Whats the temp of the water? Any chance of a pic of the betta and tank shot?

 

[TENNIS]

You mean like those artifical flowers you use at cemetarys and stuff or do you mean plastic plant? If you mean't artifical flowers like what I said you use them for the stem could be leaching something into the water. Do you treat the water dechlorantor? Whats the temp of the water? Any chance of a pic of the betta and tank shot?

its a plastic flower. My sister in law bought it from a fish store for my daughter.

 

[TENNIS]

here are the pics.

 

[severina]

I have idea if there's anything wrong with it or not but that is so cute.

 

[TENNIS]

Thanks I thought it was cute too. My daughter asked me if that was what he uses for a bed or was he dying? I told her it was his bed because she prayed for a new life for him if it was because he was dying.

 

[Booboo puppy]

One of my bettas lays on his favorite leaf to "sleep". If there are no other symptoms of an unhealthy betta (lethargy, not eating, fins deteriorating, etc.) I'd assume that he just likes to rest there.

 

[TENNIS]

The end of his tail fin looks like it is crimped or something but he swims normal and eats normal. so i guess that is just the place he likes to rest. What do you think about the tail fin. IF thats what you call it. BooBoo puppy, what an adorable puppy. What kind of dog is he/she.

 

[Mugen]

Lol! I'd have to agree. That looks like a pretty contented fish to me

 

[otherworldone]

Well...sorry to say, it may be that he is getting old. If he was fully grown when she won him, he may have already been a year old or better. He was probably a pet store fish to begin with, and unfortunately they sometimes sell older fish. A year old doesn't sound so bad unless you consider that most pet bettas only live two or three years. Though they have been known to live for five years or better if they're well cared for.

If he is a senior fish, he may be more suseptible to disease. So you may want to change his water more often to limit the growth of harmful bacteria and keep ammonia levels at a minimum. Keep in mind, though, that water changes tend to cause stress that can also weaken his immune system. If you have a small cup like the ones they keep bettas in at the pet store or something, you could scoop him up into the cup during water changes so that he never actually leaves the water. Then you can gently tip the cup in his bowl to release him when you're done.

If you have city water, I highly recommend using a water conditioner to remove chlorine and heavy metals. You can also set aside a jug of water each time you clean his bowl to use the next time. This way, some of the harmful chemicals will be naturally neutralized and water will already be the same temperature as the water in his bowl (but still use the water conditioner too).

Some people think that using bottled water is better (very costly). But never use distilled water. It lacks essential trace elements that fish needs and will do more harm than good.

Something else to think about is his diet. If he eats the same dry food every day, it can lead to digestive problems that can make him lethargic. You might try adding a few freeze-dried foods such as bloodworms or daphnia to vary his diet. Also, daphnia is a cleansing food that may help if he is having digestive problems.

I hope that helps.

 

[TENNIS]

Well...sorry to say, it may be that he is getting old. If he was fully grown when she won him, he may have already been a year old or better. He was probably a pet store fish to begin with, and unfortunately they sometimes sell older fish. A year old doesn't sound so bad unless you consider that most pet bettas only live two or three years. Though they have been known to live for five years or better if they're well cared for.

If he is a senior fish, he may be more suseptible to disease. So you may want to change his water more often to limit the growth of harmful bacteria and keep ammonia levels at a minimum. Keep in mind, though, that water changes tend to cause stress that can also weaken his immune system. If you have a small cup like the ones they keep bettas in at the pet store or something, you could scoop him up into the cup during water changes so that he never actually leaves the water. Then you can gently tip the cup in his bowl to release him when you're done.

If you have city water, I highly recommend using a water conditioner to remove chlorine and heavy metals. You can also set aside a jug of water each time you clean his bowl to use the next time. This way, some of the harmful chemicals will be naturally neutralized and water will already be the same temperature as the water in his bowl (but still use the water conditioner too).

Some people think that using bottled water is better (very costly). But never use distilled water. It lacks essential trace elements that fish needs and will do more harm than good.

Something else to think about is his diet. If he eats the same dry food every day, it can lead to digestive problems that can make him lethargic. You might try adding a few freeze-dried foods such as bloodworms or daphnia to vary his diet. Also, daphnia is a cleansing food that may help if he is having digestive problems.

I hope that helps.

thanks for your info. Im happy to see that your advice is what i do as far as putting him in a smaller container then gently putting him into the clean bowl.. He seems to like the water changes. Once he is back in the bowl he is always at the top looking for food. I use our tap water (which is not city water, its actually pretty decent water). We are looking into a little bigger of a tank for him that has a filter and a heater to regulate the water temp which i am pretty good at keeping between 70-75 degrees. I hope he does not die anytime soon, My daughter will be crushed. Thank god they sell alot of red male bettas.

 

[happyannie]

Maybe he's just creative like cats are about places they nestle down. It makes perfect sense to park in the flower. Maybe he didn't think of it until recently. So cute. Hope it's ok. I had a great aunt who tried to replace a parakeet who died in her care while my family was on vacation. I knew the difference due to the gender of it. These thing happen though and can help children prepare for larger losses later in life. Let's hope that happens here later rather than sooner.

 

[catxx]

your temp fluctuations worry me.
they really need to be kept constant and 70 is too low.

you could get an acrylic "goldfish" tank from any petstore, around 4 US gallons which is fine.
this way you can get a 25watt heater to fit in (difficult in a round bowl) and keep the water temp regular.
as your used to doing regular water changes, you won't need a filter really, if he has water movement it can get upsetting for them, especially after they've got used to nice still water.

bettas don't like temperature fluctuations.

also i would use water conditioner by default. your water may seem fine, but there may be some chlorine or other unwanted things in the water that could affect the fish.

if he's sitting in the flower though, thats fine, those tails are heavy after all!

 

[TENNIS]

your temp fluctuations worry me.
they really need to be kept constant and 70 is too low.

you could get an acrylic "goldfish" tank from any petstore, around 4 US gallons which is fine.
this way you can get a 25watt heater to fit in (difficult in a round bowl) and keep the water temp regular.
as your used to doing regular water changes, you won't need a filter really, if he has water movement it can get upsetting for them, especially after they've got used to nice still water.

bettas don't like temperature fluctuations.

also i would use water conditioner by default. your water may seem fine, but there may be some chlorine or other unwanted things in the water that could affect the fish.

if he's sitting in the flower though, thats fine, those tails are heavy after all!

What should the water temp be for a betta. I went online to a betta site and it said keep the water temp between 70 and 75 degrees. Now im hearing different. Can you please tell me what the temp should be at. We are going to but him a 5 gallon tank with a heater but for now i need to know what the temp should be. Thanks for your info

 

[Booboo puppy]

A bare minimum temperature of 72° is what I've heard. I think that if your temperature is fluctuating between 70° and 75° there is cause for concern--they need a constant temperature. My tanks aren't heated but stay at 72° because of the room temperature. I worry though that it may slip down, but the tanks are 1 gallon and too small to add heaters. I hope to upgrade to 2-1/2 gallon tanks with heaters in the near future. If you are considering a different tank, be sure to add a lid. Bettas frequently jump out of their tanks. It's a very sad day when you discover a favorite fish dried up alongside the tank. (the dog is a chihuahua)