Is this normal betta behavior?

[Ellie Potts]

Thats a bad quality video of it lol and I dont really see the mollies bothering him. They did the first day but haven't really cared since. And I JUST found about about water hardness. I thought everything I needed to check came in my API but I pulled this off my towns lists

Yeah, the molly's certainly don't seem to be much of a bother for the dude. Keep in mind I do not keep bettas, but I would attribute the odd behavior to him adjusting to the tank. Watch for aggression, but especially after seeing your aquarium, I think he was just taking a snooze. Maybe someone else can comment more about the stocking or erratic swimming.

 

[Circus]

He seems pretty active, at least.

It seems you water is pretty hard (looking at carbonate and magnesium). And the ph is at 7.77, also high. These numbers look good for Molly fish, but will cause a build up of minerals in the betta. It could be the change from his old (store) water to your water that has him a bit disconcerted.

That is of I am reading the chart correctly.

 

[despreauxb]

He seems pretty active, at least.

It seems you water is pretty hard (looking at carbonate and magnesium). And the ph is at 7.77, also high. These numbers look good for Molly fish, but will cause a build up of minerals in the betta. It could be the change from his old (store) water to your water that has him a bit disconcerted.

That is of I am reading the chart correctly.

I bought some PH down to help lower the PH levels to a more favorable level for my betta. Last week it was 7.4 and I plan on doing a water change in about 2 days, is there anything I can do to make my water hardness more favorable for my betta? I have betta water conditioning

 

[Seamus]

A real beauty! Seems fine...... I've had a lot of Betta's since I was 14. Bred them too. New to it's home, he's checking things out. He looks healthy and moving around well. Though they are surface feeders, he may be eating food that fell to the ground, and your not noticing it. It may take a few days for him to adjust. Relax and you may see him do so also. More often than not, it takes quite a few days before most fish start to seem/act normal. I feed mine many different things, same as all my fish. He'll pick at what he wants.

 

[Circus]

I bought some PH down to help lower the PH levels to a more favorable level for my betta. Last week it was 7.4 and I plan on doing a water change in about 2 days, is there anything I can do to make my water hardness more favorable for my betta? I have betta water conditioning

Well, you could use RO water, which is water completely free of minerals. It can get expensive depending on how often you do water changes, and you would have to calculate/measure just how much do use vs tap. That would put the minerals lower for the mollies, which isn't good for them. It is something you will probably have to think on.

 

[Cydeth]

I would suggest adding some floating plants to the tank if you could.

Betta prefer a lower light level and some floating plants would provide areas of shade near the surface of the tank where they generally prefer to be. Maybe that is a reason he could be hiding in the skull, not that I would dismiss others advice in favour of this theory.

Just something to consider.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Nothing I’m seeing concerns me, except the mollies. Could you possibly re-home them? They shouldn’t be kept in a 10g, or with a Betta.

 

[carligraceee]

I bought some PH down to help lower the PH levels to a more favorable level for my betta. Last week it was 7.4 and I plan on doing a water change in about 2 days, is there anything I can do to make my water hardness more favorable for my betta? I have betta water conditioning

Hey!

So, it is really easy to tell when a betta is stressed.

Stocking:
Mollies and Bettas both have long fins. No one has said why they wouldn't go well together. Unless you start seeing some aggression, especially flaring from your betta, you needn't worry about it. Never move a fish around more than it has to be.

Water Parameters:
Looking at the pH differences for these two fish, I think that'll be your downfall. Mollies need high pH, upwards of 7.4-7.6. Their temps are similar to bettas. Bettas are tropical fish and mollies are freshwater/brackish fish.
Betta pH needs to be low, around 6.4-7.0. Too low for mollies.

Space:
Depending on what mollies you got, some people will say that 10g is too small for mollies. Ordinary mollies grow around 3 inches long while some can grow to 5 inches long. In that case, you would need a bigger tank. If you have smaller mollies or male mollies, your 10g is just fine (I have four mollies and three platys in a 11.5g and have had 0 problems). If you can keep your tank clean, nitrite and ammonia levels down, then there shouldn't be a problem.

My questions for you:
What breed of mollies do you have? This helps us dictate space requirements.
Have you noticed any aggression from mollies or bettas?
Are your betta's fins ripped, same with your mollies?
Water parameters?

 

[despreauxb]

A real beauty! Seems fine...... I've had a lot of Betta's since I was 14. Bred them too. New to it's home, he's checking things out. He looks healthy and moving around well. Though they are surface feeders, he may be eating food that fell to the ground, and your not noticing it. It may take a few days for him to adjust. Relax and you may see him do so also. More often than not, it takes quite a few days before most fish start to seem/act normal. I feed mine many different things, same as all my fish. He'll pick at what he wants.

Hey!

So, it is really easy to tell when a betta is stressed.

Stocking:
Mollies and Bettas both have long fins. No one has said why they wouldn't go well together. Unless you start seeing some aggression, especially flaring from your betta, you needn't worry about it. Never move a fish around more than it has to be.

Water Parameters:
Looking at the pH differences for these two fish, I think that'll be your downfall. Mollies need high pH, upwards of 7.4-7.6. Their temps are similar to bettas. Bettas are tropical fish and mollies are freshwater/brackish fish.
Betta pH needs to be low, around 6.4-7.0. Too low for mollies.

Space:
Depending on what mollies you got, some people will say that 10g is too small for mollies. Ordinary mollies grow around 3 inches long while some can grow to 5 inches long. In that case, you would need a bigger tank. If you have smaller mollies or male mollies, your 10g is just fine (I have four mollies and three platys in a 11.5g and have had 0 problems). If you can keep your tank clean, nitrite and ammonia levels down, then there shouldn't be a problem.

My questions for you:
What breed of mollies do you have? This helps us dictate space requirements.
Have you noticed any aggression from mollies or bettas?
Are your betta's fins ripped, same with your mollies?
Water parameters?

I made sure to get two small male dalmatian mollies. Everything I read said they could be housed together. My mollies and betta seem to not pay attention to the other. I thought bettas performed pH was between 7.0-7.5?

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

completely normal every betta is different. I have a betta that doesn't acknowledge my existence and one that will stare and "dance" when he sees me

 

[QiQi]

I feed omega sea pellets too. I taught mine to come close to me to the surface when I double tap the glass and I feed one pellet at a time (drop it in front of his face), I feed him 5 in the morning and 5 in the evening. I started with waiting in front of the aquarium when it was feeding time and when he was swimming close to me I would double tap and drop one pellet at a time. It took him 3 days to learn it.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

I made sure to get two small male dalmatian mollies. Everything I read said they could be housed together. My mollies and betta seem to not pay attention to the other. I thought bettas performed pH was between 7.0-7.5?

That is true, but pH isn’t the only thing to look for when choosing stock for a tank. There’s also GH.

I would keep a very close eye on the Betta and mollies for any aggression.

 

[carligraceee]

I made sure to get two small male dalmatian mollies. Everything I read said they could be housed together. My mollies and betta seem to not pay attention to the other. I thought bettas performed pH was between 7.0-7.5?

bettas prefer a low pH level. 7.0 is fine, but i try to keep it under that at around 6.8! your most important thing to look for is aggression. both male mollies and male bettas will fight if threatened.