New betta resting on the bottom of the tank.

[HorrorScribe]

So, I just got this mustard gas betta 2 days ago. He's in a 10 gallon tank with anubias and Java fern, his tank mates are 5 harlequin rasboras, a pygmy Cory, and some ghost shrimp. I put a sponge below the filter output to slow it. Is he just getting used to the tank or did I get him with a more serious issue?

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Looks like his fins are ragged... are the Harlequin Rasbora’s show aggression to him? (Nipping fins, chasing, etc.) Or is it the other way around?

I don’t personally support keeping Bettas with other fish, because there is aggression between two species. If they are showing signs of aggression, I recommend you remove the Betta ASAP, before more bad thing can happen.*

*It would be better to remove the Harlequin Rasbora’s, and keep the Betta in the 10g. Harlequin Rasbora’s need a minimum tank size of approximately 20 gallons. (Essentially a 20g long tank.)

 

[mrsjoannh13]

Could you post your water parameters? Ammonia levels, nitrate, nitrite, pH, GH, KH and water temperature.

Are you doing water changes and substrate cleaning? If so how much and how often?

What are you feeding and how often?

Does he hang out there all the time or just part of the day? Bettas do like to rest on plant leaves from time to time so it might just be resting?

What you have stocked may be too much for a 10 gallon tank. You could probably have the betta in there by itself and it would be happy. Otherwise if you can post some of the answers to the above it can start to help us narrow down what might be happening. But you'd probably do best to only have the betta in that 10 gallon and your other fish and shrimp in a separate larger tank.

 

[HorrorScribe]

Looks like his fins are ragged... are the Harlequin Rasbora’s show aggression to him? (Nipping fins, chasing, etc.) Or is it the other way around?

I don’t personally support keeping Bettas with other fish, because there is aggression between two species. If they are showing signs of aggression, I recommend you remove the Betta ASAP, before more bad thing can happen.*

*It would be better to remove the Harlequin Rasbora’s, and keep the Betta in the 10g. Harlequin Rasbora’s need a minimum tank size of approximately 20 gallons. (Essentially a 20g long tank.)

That's interesting. I'd always heard and kept them in 10g tanks if it was less than 10 of them. No nipping on either side, they tend to just hang out.

 

[HorrorScribe]

Could you post your water parameters? Ammonia levels, nitrate, nitrite, pH, GH, KH and water temperature.

Are you doing water changes and substrate cleaning? If so how much and how often?

What are you feeding and how often?

Does he hang out there all the time or just part of the day? Bettas do like to rest on plant leaves from time to time so it might just be resting?

What you have stocked may be too much for a 10 gallon tank. You could probably have the betta in there by itself and it would be happy. Otherwise if you can post some of the answers to the above it can start to help us narrow down what might be happening. But you'd probably do best to only have the betta in that 10 gallon and your other fish and shrimp in a separate larger tank.

0, 0, 5, 7.5 ph, 79 degrees. Weekly water changes, every other day once over of the substrate. Once a day he gets frozen blood worms or betta pellets.
He's pretty much there all day with rare bouts of swimming.

 

[xxamyxx85]

His shape doesn’t look quite right to me, I might be wrong! Maybe some more pics and one from over the top of him (Aerial view), even a video would help.

 

[HorrorScribe]

His shape doesn’t look quite right to me, I might be wrong! Maybe some more pics and one from over the top of him (Aerial view), even a video would help.

I'll grab some when I get home from work.