Panicky Parents

[triliaeris]

We just got a new betta (no name for him yet we've only had him for a couple of days), and we think he may be acting odd.

He's in a 10 gallon tank with a couple of guppies and a bottom feeder. We've gotten tons of different kinds of foods for him and he has plenty of space.

At the moment, he's acting kind of "sleepy" and he looks a little droopy. He doesn't look like he's got any sort of fin rot or other parasites, but we are worried he may be unhappy with the situation or sick in a way we can't figure out!
He's also not eating. We have normal betta food, betta flakes, and brine shimp for him. He ignores all of it. He mainly swims behind the plants away from the other fish.

His fins look fine and he isn't being nipped by the other fish (we've been watching VERY closely) and we've tested our water to make sure that it's suitable for all of our fish (which it is).

He's blowing bubbles off and on, and that's supposed to mean he's happy and healthy, but he's just not acting that way.

Is it possible that he's a night fish? Yesterday night he was more active, and now he's starting to come out from behind the plants more and more.

His eyes, fins and gills look fine.

I've included a pic for you guys. Please help!

 

[SneakBetta]

He could just be stressed from the new environment. Sometimes it takes a couple weeks for my bettas to eat. Also, watch the tank very closely... guppies and bettas don't always get along. Good luck

 

[triliaeris]

He could just be stressed from the new environment. Sometimes it takes a couple weeks for my bettas to eat. Also, watch the tank very closely... guppies and bettas don't always get along. Good luck

a couple of weeks? don't they starve by then???

how in the WORLD will I know when to feed him? Do I just feed pick a day during the week and feed him then?

 

[shrks1fan]

It could be he's freaked out by his tankmates. Bettas a guppys really shouldn't be kept together as the Betta may see the Guppy as another male Betta and therefore competition. It's possible your guy is not very agressive and very submissive, so he's afraid of the guppies (thinking they are dominant males that will hurt him). Also very few Bettas will eat flakes, it's just too far from what their genetics tell them they should be eating, which is live food. They do much better with live and frozen food and occasionally pellets (although many also won't eat the pellets either). Feeding a Betta in a community tank, especially Guppies can be difficult as the Guppies are crazy at feeding time, gulping up everything that's put in the tank, and therefore leaving little to none for the Betta (who likes to stalk his "prey"). I think your Betta would probably do much better in a tank by himself, say a small 2-5 gallon tank.

Also, you don't mention what type of filtration is in the tank, but if there is too much water disturbance, this could negatively affect your Betta as they don't like alot of water movement. Yet your other fish do need the filtration/water movement, so this is yet another reason Bettas don't do well in community tanks.

Hope this helps.

Linda
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[jacblades]

He could just be stressed from the new environment. Sometimes it takes a couple weeks for my bettas to eat. Also, watch the tank very closely... guppies and bettas don't always get along. Good luck

a couple of weeks? don't they starve by then???

how in the WORLD will I know when to feed him? Do I just feed pick a day during the week and feed him then?

only if you dont feed him!
if you are going to attempt keeping the betta with the guppies, when you feed them-direct the guppies over to one corner and the betta to the opposite corner. although i would suggest taking him out and giving him his own (1 gal or more) tank. most people feed their bettas every day.

 

[eja0913]

as for feeding him, don't panic yet. just try a little bit of food every day to see if he eats it. my betta (mr. wiggles) didn't eat for two and a half weeks when i brought him home.

 

[BeccaBlain]

I agree with the others, get the Betta his own house. Guppies aren't really good tank mates for Bettas.

You only need a 1 gallon bowl or something like that, no filtration or heating required (as long as your house isn't an icebox like mine tends to get)

Are there horizontal stripes on your fish? That is a sign that they are really stressed out or acting submissive. They should be darker than the normal coloration of your fish.

I would feed him twice a day in small amounts until he starts to eat. My own Arashi Hagane just went through his week of "Well, flakes and pellets aren't good enough for me" stage, and is now grudgingly accepting flakes since he wouldn't touch the pellets at all.

your fish will get hungry and eat. But you need to make certain that you do your end and give him the environment he needs to eat in peace

Becca

 

[triliaeris]

Well, our Betta and our catfish died. We did a complete water change, and tested the water again, and everything is fine. We brought the ph down to normal (it was on the high side before). Our guppies are acting normal though.

this is frustrating.