Sleepy Betta!

[Marcocass]

I have had a my Betta fish for 7 months and he has been great. He is in a one gallon bowl with a Java fern and glass balls at the bottom. I do a 50% water change once a week and try to suck out the bacteria from the bottom. I about an 80% water change every 2 weeks. I use Prime brand water treatment (since we do not have chlorine in our water, maybe this is not good...?) I give him 3 Hikari Bio-Gold pellets per day. He has been a very active fish, but over the last week, he just wants to bury his head in the balls at the bottom of the bowl or under the fern plant and looks like he is asleep or something. He used to make little bubble nests all the time, but he does not appear to be doing this any more. But his color is still bright and his scales look good.

Any ideas about what is wrong or what I am doing wrong? I have been told and read that I should both feed him more and less than this by various authorities. The water temp is currently about 73 degrees. Maybe this is too cold.

 

[BettaBoyz]

hm... have you had to urge to upgrade his home lately? he might be telling you he's bored!



but really, this may be bad. i'm not good with fish illnesses, but a few general tips for you =)

- he might be a hungry bubble! feed him a few more pellets twice a day, say 5 in the morning and 5 at night.

- if the tank isn't cycling a 100% water change must be performed every week, otherwise ammonia will grow and without enough bacteria to eat it up the Betta will get ammonia burn and other bad things. don't suck the bacterias up! they're the good guys, but with water changes it's a must since they'll be washed away...

- he may indeed be cold. Bettas can live in 68+ degree water, but prefer 75-80 degrees. the easiest way to heat a tank? buy a small gallon or two kit, like a Regent Starfish, or one of the assorted Aquatanks/Eclipse Systems. it comes with a light that can heat the water a bit, and usually a simple, mini-heater can be added =)

hope your boy gets betta!

 

[Marcocass]

Thanks Bettaboyz. When I said suck up bacteria, I meant suck up the waste. I have been wondering if there was possible not enough bacteria being allowed to form. A guy at my local pet store thought that I might be keeping the bowl too clean. He was the one that suggested that I do a complete water change a little less often. But I will give your suggestions a try.

 

[Cali]

BettaBoyz gave great advice...I do 100% water changes every weekend for my bettas and they are in 1 gallon bowls, too--unheated and unfiltered bowls.

They're feeling great!

 

[BettaBoyz]

remember, all Bettas are different. some can handle full changes, some can handle less heat, some can handle being kept with different fish. some can't. it's that simple. you can't always get an exact answer for a Betta, since they all think differently. while most other fish think 'eat. poop. sleep. school. mate' in a neverending circle, Bettas seem to go. 'icky food. green poo? soft plant-bed. other Betta! mm, Grrlie -flashflare-'

=D

 

[lauraswan26]

Do you know how old he is? A lot of times, with bettas purchased at an LFS, the age is unknown, and they could be really old (in betta age!).

Just a thought, nothing more! I'm no expert, I just love my betta-buddies.

 

[Marcocass]

Thanks lauraswan26, I had thought about this. With my other bettas, I picked them based on their color. But this time, I wanted a big one, so I bought one of the largest at the store. So I have been thinking that maybe large can also mean...old. I would be happier if he is dying from old age than from my foul treatment.

 

[BettaBoyz]

i don't think it's 'foul treatment', that's actually decent treatment (above borderline) for a Betta. he probably is just becoming an old man...