Betta kinda violent this morning!

[Gypsyqueen]

He's not in a tank with other fish, just alone in a .5 gallon specimin tank, with a small little filter. Just swimming rough, splashed the surface too. Is this relatively normal?
I did treat his water with an anti-fungal, since he's in such a small space, and I don't yet have a turkey baster to vaccum out the gravel. Will get one ASAP.
Thanks, Gypsy

 

[TCTFish]

How warm is the water? How often do you change the water and how much? It would be best not to treat an animal with medication if the indication of the medication is not present. So, don't treat with a fungal medication if the fish doesn't have a fungal infection. Don't treat for a bacterial if the fish doesn't have a bacterial infection. Same goes for parasite medication. I suggest doing a complete water change and run fresh carbon in the filter. Speaking of filters. You don't need and most often bettas like to sleep under the intakes and shred up their dorsal and tail fins. You could dismantle it and it would give the betta more room too. I want to confirm the size of this container. Is that a fifth of a gallon or did you mean five gallons? If it's a fifth of a gallon, don't even worry about vacuuming. You'll be needing to cup him and change out half to all of the water once a week. The more you feed, the more frequent the water changes need to be.

 

[Gypsyqueen]

Hey thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate your response. I'm trying not to feed him too much, but sometimes I don't have the time to feed him one pellet at a time. It's kind of difficult.....but that's the only way to tell if I'm over feeding or not, because he doesn't go right after his food if I feed him like I would my community tank. Thanks!
Gypsy

 

[TCTFish]

I hardly ever have time to watch fish feed, at least at home. At work, it's part of my job, but with other responsibilities in the business, I have even less time. I use to do the work myself, but have moved up and now I direct the care of these animals. We give about two to three pellets in one feed. Those in cups get a water change the following day and then not fed again for a couple of days. It seems to work well. Those in bowls or medium size jars get a full water change once a week. Anything larger by themselves get a 50% water change once a week. Any terrestrial plants with roots hanging in the water get rinsed once a week too to prevent fungus on the roots. This routine seems to work very well in a retail situation...and believe me, with 4,000 gallons worth of livestock to look after, you save time where you can to have more time for those things that need that extra time.

 

[Gypsyqueen]

Hey, I'm using Aqua Culture's Betta Pellet Food....you only give three of those pellets for each feeding?
Will bettas eat off the bottom if it falls down? My betta doesn't seem interested in it if it falls to the floor. THANKS.
Gypsy

 

[TCTFish]

I feed mine Betta Gourmet. Bettas don't need a lot of food. Their activity level doesn't require much. I've actually found that bettas live longer if you don't over care for them. Also, just as with most other fish, they do not know when they are full. Fish seem to lack that neural impulse, so in a captivity it's essencial not to over feed. They will keep on eating. Whatever they eat that goes beyond their nutritional needs for the day just gets pooped out.

If your betta refuses food that sinks down to the bottom, perhaps he'd be happy with some live bloodworms.

 

[Gypsyqueen]

I might try that too. Thanks for the input.
Gyp

 

[firestar]

Your best bet is food that floats until it's eaten. They're top-feeders, so they don't tend to go for food at the bottom. Mine love the ever-popular Hikari Bio Gold betta pellets. I feed my bettas 3 pellets twice daily and fast them (feed them nothing) on Sundays, and this has always worked out well.

Your betta will be much, much, much happier with a bigger home. In a half gallon container, you have to do frequent water changes (full water change at least twice a week), and he really doesn't have much room to swim around. Depending on who you ask, most people will tell you that the optimal size for a betta tank is at least 1 -2 gallons. With a 2 gallon tank, you only need to change 1/2 the water once a week.

Finally, in a container that's less than 2 gallons, you really, really don't need a filter. As TCTFish mentioned, bettas like still water, and the filter generally does more damage than good in an itty bitty tank such as yours. I'd take it out.