New Betta Isn't Very Active

[Tiffanid1125]

I just got a new beautiful betta fish yesterday and I got his tank set up and to a good tempeature, the guy at the pet store said I didn't need a heater so I didn't bother at the time. I put the fish in and he swam all around and seemed happy. Then this morning I wake up and hes just laying on the bottom of the tank. He was there for a few hours, I read somewhere to turn off the filter because they may not like that and he swam to the top and just mostly sits in a corner. So I went and bought a heater thinking maybe he is just cold and it didn't seem to help much (he may be moving only slightly more than before). The tank temperature is between 75 and 80 degrees and he just doesn't do anything. Its a one gallon tank and I declorinated the water before hand. He seems to be eating but he just doesnt seem happy. I have looked at him closley and he doesnt seem to have any of the illnesses ive researched. What am I doing wrong?

 

[crunch7]

Is the tank cycled? Test the water Tiff. bettas don`t like high water currents. What kind of filter do you have?

Bettas by nature are not so active but in your case it seems the guy is having some problem. They will come up for taking air every now and then; thats normal but you must be careful.

Bettas swim all around the tank , keeping constant check on their territory.
In that small tank size i hope you have a heater protector and heater should be 10-25w only. try to add two vallesnerias and 3 amazon swords if you have sand as substrate. they will help decrease the stress.

 

[snazy]

Do a large water change, but make sure the water you change is not freezing cold and matches the tank water temp. More than likely there is an ammonia build up common for a new tank.

A one gallon tank with no heater and no filter is a deadly place for a fish to live to be honest. I am presuming you just bought the tank and it is not cycled yet. Is there a filter?

You said temperature is between 75-80. This is a wild guess as well. Do you have a thermometer? In a small tank like that, depending on the heater watts, setting it to 75-80 degrees could be raising the temperature to the 90s instead.

 

[shi24137]

a one gallon tank isn't a very large home at all, bettas need at the least 3 gallons to be happy. Right now he is pretty much living in a closet, I wouldn't be happy either, imo i would get him a bigger tank, I garuntee he will perk right up.

 

[BettaAds]

I just got a new beautiful betta fish yesterday and I got his tank set up and to a good tempeature, the guy at the pet store said I didn't need a heater so I didn't bother at the time. I put the fish in and he swam all around and seemed happy. Then this morning I wake up and hes just laying on the bottom of the tank. He was there for a few hours, I read somewhere to turn off the filter because they may not like that and he swam to the top and just mostly sits in a corner. So I went and bought a heater thinking maybe he is just cold and it didn't seem to help much (he may be moving only slightly more than before). The tank temperature is between 75 and 80 degrees and he just doesn't do anything. Its a one gallon tank and I declorinated the water before hand. He seems to be eating but he just doesnt seem happy. I have looked at him closley and he doesnt seem to have any of the illnesses ive researched. What am I doing wrong?

Due to what you have said it sounds to me as though the pet shop you got him from is a disaster waiting to happen.
The water does need tempering, bettas don't do so well below 78f, 1 gallon really isn't enough water at all and to have an active current in a 1g tank isn't gonna help him either

Although I know you mean well the setup you have just isn't right for a betta.

I would make a complaint to the store manager and ask if they intend to correct the problem they have caused.

All the best.

 

[Rummynose]

I find even a 3 gallon too small myself, I'd put a Betta in nothing less than a 5 gallon, and keep mine in a ten gallon. Bettas are such beautiful fish, you can't enjoy his whole beauty by keeping him in such a small container like a 1 gallon.

You'll need to run the filter to establish and sustain a bacteria colony which will convert the toxins of the Betta's waste into the less harmful Nitrate. In a one gallon container his waste would build up very quickly, and he's basically swimming around in his own toilet, a very toxic environment. You'll need to do at least 2 water changes a day to keep the levels of toxins (right now you'll see ammonia) low. Do you have a test kit? That would help you a great deal while cycling your tank! You need to research "doing fish-in cycling of an aquarium"!

 

[Dieses Madchen]

a one gallon tank isn't a very large home at all, bettas need at the least 3 gallons to be happy. Right now he is pretty much living in a closet, I wouldn't be happy either, imo i would get him a bigger tank, I garuntee he will perk right up.

Not entirely true. While it is recommended to have a 3g or larger, I had a betta that was perfectly happy in his one gallon home and got stressed when I moved him to a bigger one.

You said you just got your betta yesterday. Bear in mind that he just went from living in a cup to having a gallon to play in. He may be a little stressed, being in a new home. Give him a couple of days to adjust. Bettas are very easily stressed when it comes to being moved around. If in a week, he is still acting sickly or sad, then I would worry.

 

[Tiffanid1125]

Thanks for the replys. I bought a 10 watt heater and thermometer yesterday and its hard to read it exactly becuase its the kind that you stick to the side of the aquarium and the temp kind of glows and at the time 2 bands were glowing. Now the temp is 80 and hes still not doing much. I'm going to change the water and get the test that was suggested. Its a plastic tank by the way and I washed it out with water before I put water in it and I will also look up how to do the water cycleing. The tank does come with a filter and I have kept it runnning so maybe its the water he doesn't like.

 

[Cazgar]

Mine wasn't very active the first couple of days, but once he settled in he was fine.
If your filter isn't cycled, then you will have to regular water changes.
In a tank that small be careful to add the new dechlorinated water slowly & make sure it's temperature matched.
I'm sure he'll be fine once he's settled