Betta Fish Question?

[Superminion]

Any fish people around?

We got my daughter a Betta fish for her room and she LOVES that thing. He’s been really big into making these elaborate bubble creations on the top of the water and the pet store gentleman said that was a good sign. He lives in a 2 gallon hexagon tank with a bunch of plastic trees and some rocks. There is also a light (he’s my DDs night light)

Recently though, he’s been just sitting at the bottom of his tank. No bubbles, no swimmin’ around, just sitting there. I’ve gone in a few times in the morning and thought he was dead. I cleaned his whole tank out and follow the directions of the pet store clerk to the letter. Let the water sit to room temp for two hours before I put him back in. I rinse the tank/rocks with a small amount of dish soap and warm water and everything gets dried before I put the tank back together, then he gets a half teaspoon of water conditioner when the tank is filled back up. I’m very careful to make sure there is NO soap residue left over.

He still just sits there. What am I doing wrong? He is still a brilliant blue. No spots or lumps or anything. Could he be cold? Our house is kind of chilly in the mornings. I can’t exactly bring him to the vet, and it IS just a fish, but he’s an animal all the same and I want him to be healthy!

[cowboymom]

I think they need heat and a bubbler… I’m SO not a fish person, I have no luck with them at all… but we did have a betta for years and years and it seems like I remember that they need the bubbler but people hardly ever realize that b/c they survive in the little plastic cups at Walmart…

We used to put a desk lamp over ours and he would always come sit as close as he could to the light/heat…

I repeat, SO not a fish person!

[BuddyRoo]

I tagged a friend on FB who knows a lot about bettas. She breeds them and everything. I know nothing. Maybe she will hop over here and post or can shoot me some links. I’m useless otherwise.

[Superminion]

Thank you both!

He had a bubbler, but the kittens made pretty quick work of the whole set up. I’ll have to get to the pet supply store to get him a new one and figure out how to terrorist-proof it. :yes: They could have cared less about the fish… but the bubbler was great fun.

Thanks BR! I appreciate it!

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

No dish soap! And the water needs more than 2 hours to get to room temperature. Use a thermometer and make sure there is no more than a degree or two difference between the old water and the new. The light can make the water really warm. A constant temp of 76-ish is ideal but they can tolerate a low of 70 or a high of 84, as long as it happens gradually. So if the water was heated by the light and you’re replacing it with room temperature, it would be a shock.

You didn’t say if the tank has a filter. That makes a huge difference in how you maintain it. Find some Melafix and try a week or two long treatment. Much easier to do in the pet store “cups” and they won’t suffer going back to a small space temporarily. You have to keep it really clean, though, and never forget the dechorinator.

[Superminion]

Thank you!

Is there anything that I should use to clean it other than the dish soap? Just warm water?

I will start checking temps from now on. I saw one of those little floating ones at the store, so I’ll have to pick it up so we can keep an eye on things.

The tank had a filter that went with the bubbler, so it doesn’t have one now. Off to the store we go! Goodness, they are a bit more labor intensive than I originally thought.

Thank you very much for all the info.

[CrazyGuineaPigLady]

If you can swing it, the easiest thing to do is have a second tank and no filters. Fill one up, add the dechlorinater, let it sit for at least 12 hours and switch the fish over. Rinse and repeat every few days. If your house temperature is below 72 a majority of the time, you’ll probably need a tank heater but that adds the element of also needing to heat the second tank. Just rinse the decorations in hot water.

Try the Melafix either way.

[Superminion]

A second tank is doable. Our house stays pretty chilly (64-68) but now that it’s starting to get colder out, I can bump it up to the 70* range. We were going to do that anyways, since we all wake up freezing!

Thank you again! I appreciate the advice!

[clint]

There are several old threads here about Betta care. Do a search, as there is a lot of information. First, don’t use your tank for a night light. It isn’t very kind, fish don’t have eye lids, so they can’t shut it out. I use a six gallon tank for my betta, and have a filter set on low, so there isn’t much water flow. It also has a heater, as my house gets very cold in the winter, and Bettas like warm water.

[FLeventer]

Heater if the house is at 68. They are about $10. Bettas like between 76 and 82 according to some sites. I would keep it at 78, mine do perfect there.

No soap as others have said. Just warm water and nothing more to clean. Again I second the person who said it needs more than 2 hours to sit to be correct temp. Thermometers are your friend with water. Good luck.

[AlmostDun]

68 degrees is much too cold for a betta. They are native to rice paddies and shallow ditches in the tropics. You know when you wade barefoot into a knee deep puddle in a sunny field in high summer, how the water feels like it’s almost bathtub temperature? That’s the kind of water a betta naturally lives in.

I usually clean my tanks with baking soda and/or salt. They are mildly abrasive, which helps with removing algae scunge, and they rinse away easily with water. Dish soap doesn’t rinse cleanly.

[GotGait]

They definitely need a heater or they will sit on the bottom and not move much.

[Superminion]

Thanks to everybody!

We picked up a second tank, heaters for both, and a thermometer. The Meleflex also. I’m sure that he’ll be back to normal in no time.

We are going to take the light out of his tank, and get DD a more traditional night light as well, I didn’t know that he doesn’t have eyelids. She’s pretty attached to the little guy, so I want to keep him as happy as possible!

[cowboymom]

They’re pretty cool fish-I had ours by the kitchen sink for the longest time, he was good company while doing dishes…

[shiningwizard255]

I have 17 bettas at the moment and have kept a crazy number of them for years, so I’ll chime in :lol:

First, no dish soap. No matter how much you rinse there is still residue and it can be released by the plastic back into the water. I hate to say it but given that the tank is so small, which means less water for any soap remaining in there to dissolve into, I’d start by replacing the tank, gravel, and decorations.

Bettas prefer upper 70s in temperature, so if you keep your house that cool a heater should perk him up a lot. They get pretty lethargic in cool water.

Bettas are top dwellers, so him spending most of his time at the bottom of the tank concerns me he could be sick or getting sick. Is he breathing hard? Is he still eating? Are his fins torn? When you take the lid off the tank and you look down at him does his body appear smooth or are his scales sticking up like a pine cone? If you hold a mirror up to the side of the tank, is he interested in his reflection and flaring? I’d treat with an antibiotic, to be honest, just to be safe until either he acts like he’s feeling better or whatever illness he has presents itself so you can diagnose and treat properly.

A great website you could check out also for all things betta is www.bettatalk.com .

[clint]

Here is one of the threads on bettas that appeared a couple of years ago. There is lots of information in it. http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?341773-The-Chronicle-of-the-Betta&highlight=betta

[danceronice]

Heaters. Bubblers and filters are kind of hit or miss (some males can tolerate them, some find the current too stressful) but they need trop-tank temperatures, not goldfish (goldfish are fine with 68.) Also they need the water changed frequently if it’s a small tank and 2g is small. Even just partial changes and adding fresh can help. I’d be careful dosing him with anything until you bring the water temperature up.

Also, do not overfeed him! One or two betta pellets a day or even every other day is plenty. Food waste can contaminate the water as can excess poop from too much food.

[pony_baloney]

Definitely need a heater. You can keep a betta with one tank, but you’ll need to do some water changes during the week. I have mine in a 3 gal. tank, with a heater but no filter. I do a complete change and tank clean on Sunday, change one gallon on Wed. and another on Fri. A water testing kit confirmed the quality (one of those is useful to have).

Keep an eye on those small tank heaters. In about a year they malfunction and overheat. My poor Finn was in bad shape when I found him in 98 degree water, pale and panting on the bottom. The heater was fine that morning. The same thing happened to my last fish; he was never the same afterwards and went from a playful crazy fun fish to a very mellow guy.

[Kneigh]

I’ve been toying with getting a Betta - but am worried I won’t have the time/energy to take care of the tank properly what with going straight from work to my boarding stable most evenings, then on home to 4 1/2 cats.

Anyway, I saw this ad today and wondered if anyone has used one of these tanks? The ad makes it sound easy, but perhaps a little too good to be true?
http://www.thegrommet.com/pets/noclean-aquariums

Also I would assume I’d need a heater. Is there even a type of heater that would work for this kind of set up?

[shiningwizard255]

[QUOTE=Kneigh;7224169]
I’ve been toying with getting a Betta - but am worried I won’t have the time/energy to take care of the tank properly what with going straight from work to my boarding stable most evenings, then on home to 4 1/2 cats.

Anyway, I saw this ad today and wondered if anyone has used one of these tanks? The ad makes it sound easy, but perhaps a little too good to be true?
http://www.thegrommet.com/pets/noclean-aquariums

Also I would assume I’d need a heater. Is there even a type of heater that would work for this kind of set up?[/QUOTE]

Definitely too good to be true. First, it’s too small. Bettas can be kept in small bodies of water, but I don’t recommend any less than 2 gallons (many websites will say even bigger, a minimum of 3-5 gallons). Maintaining water quality is important to fish health and I wouldn’t trust this thing from malfunctioning.

And believe it or not, the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain. If you want a truly easy to maintain betta tank, why not buy a 10 gallon with a lid (lid is important, bettas are notorious jumpers) and heater? Do a 25% water change once a week (make sure to use dechlorinator) and you should be golden. More room and healthier environment for your fish, less work and much cheaper than that little tank for you. Just make sure wherever you sit the tank is sturdy, water is 8.5 pounds a gallon, so with rocks and everything you’re looking at about 100 lbs. for a 10 gallon tank.