Old Age?

[Durbkat]

I had this betta for almost 5 to 6 months and I'm pretty sure he is already at least a year old and every morning when I take the towel off his tank that keeps his tank warm at night and I always find him sitting on the bottom breathing slow breaths then after I turn the lamp on above him after about 5 minutes he starts moving his side fins beside his gills then he takes a big yawn and starts slowley moving around the bottom of the tank and this happens like a 6:00am when I get up for school then and he continues to slowley move around the bottom of the tank until I go to school after that I don't know what he does but when I get home he is moving around. Also my other 2 bettas are already at the top of the tank moving around and is already looking at me when I unwrap the towel around the other to tanks. So is this old age or something else? Also sorry for the long post but I'm just worried since he is the only one that does this.

 

[Ethos]

I think its just old age.
He's prolly older than a year though, if you've already had him for 6 months.
I had a betta that did that, and one morning I found him dead on the bottom of his tank laying sideways
Watch him for a few days

 

[Durbkat]

He might just need another water change because he usually perks up afterwards. Thanks I will keep an eye on him.

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Sounds to me like he doesn't like to wake up in the mornings. I have some fish that are like that. They look at me like I am nuts for turning on the light. They perk up throughout the day, and by the time I am home from work they are happily at the front of their tanks saying hello.

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah that was one of my first suspions because after awhile of him not moving he would have this big yawn and start wiggling his fins then he'd start slowley moving around. Maybe sense he is old he doesn't like to get up early and sense the other two bettas seem alot smaller maybe thats why they are always already up and peeking out of the opening in the towel.

 

[Raechal]

Yeah that was one of my first suspions because after awhile of him not moving he would have this big yawn and start wiggling his fins then he'd start slowley moving around. Maybe sense he is old he doesn't like to get up early and sense the other two bettas seem alot smaller maybe thats why they are always already up and peeking out of the opening in the towel.

Angus, my oldest betta does that too. I got him last december so he is almost a year old and he was probably a year or older before that. I am guessing he is close to 3 years old already. He is much slower now than when I first got him. But he's still as agressive as ever when he attacks his pellets.