Jumping Betta

[unicorn2tears]

I wasn't sure where to post this but I figure the answer is probably simple so "getting started" would work.

I've been keeping fish for over a year now. A few weeks ago, I bought a 2 gal and my first betta. I want to do nearly 100% water changes to keep ammonia at 0 and not let the tank cycle. The first time, I tried to pick up the betta in a net and put in a small container with water from the tank. Well, in the process, he jumped out of the net and onto the floor.

I quickly scooped him up by hand and dumped him into the container (which I covered). He was shook up for a bit, but was fine. The next time I did a water change, I was very careful but he jumped out anyway and on to some furniture. Thankfully, he didn't seem injured this time either. I've never had a fish jump out of the net before.

How do I get him to stop? Is there a different way to move him without risking him jumping? Do Bettas often do this or do I just have a "special" one?

 

[Rach101]

I think bettas are known jumpers. My cousins all have bettas that have jumped out at one time or another. Luckily the magicians were just fine afterwards and now my cousins have hoods on their tanks.

 

[unicorn2tears]

I have a hood on the tank (I doubt he'd still be in there if I didn't). But this whole net thing just has me baffled.

 

[Guest]

well get a bigger net and kinda fold it over, some bettas hate jumping, like my sisters he never jumps out of his tank, ever!

 

[Devilishturtles]

You might have to grab the net and bunch it between your finger tips...sorta like your grasping a ball....know what I mean? This way, the fish can't jump and when you invert the net into the bowl, you just let go of the net and he falls through the small hole you've made with your fingers.

 

[Guest]

put a heavy bowl ontop

 

[JohnPaul]

Why net the betta at all? Anytime a fish is netted it is traumatic (exactly how traumatic varies from fish to fish, even within the same species I would assume). There is the contact of the net with the fish's body, which at least might damage the slime coat, there is the fact the fish has to spend some time out of water trying to "breathe" air (though of course labyrinthfish tend to do better at this than others), both of these previous steps which happen twice in a relatively short period of time, plus the fact that if you have moving the fish from old water to new water, there is no acclimation process (not even a short one!) for the fish to adjust from one set of water conditions to the next.

If given the option, it sure seems to me it would be far less traumatic on the fish to do a 50% water change twice as often, rather than doing 100% water change. Use a large turkey baster to suck up any detritus from the bottom of the bowl, take out half the water and replace. The betta never gets handled, never gets moved, and as you pour in the new water into the half bowl of old water, there is at least some gradual acclimation process. Doing a 50% water change on a bowl that small would probably take you 5 minutes, it is something you could even do every single day and if you did, I can't imagine ammonia rising to problematic levels at all.

I'm no expert, so perhaps I am really missing something, but I have seen lots of people make references to doing 100% water changes and it has never made sense to me. Just my $0.02.

 

[Liggs17]

John Paul has some good suggestions. I never do a 100% water change. 100% water changes can be very stressful to the fish, as all of a sudden they have to acclimate to a brand-new environment (even if you drip-acclimate the fish, it's still not very fun for them).

Regarding the net, I would just cover the top of it with your hand, or else use a cup to "suck" the betta into as he is near the surface and you push the cup into the water. I hope that makes sense....

Liggs

 

[unicorn2tears]

I like the cup idea. Also, 50% water changes daily are too hard on my schedule but I could try 75%. That would leave some of the original water so it's not as hard on the fish to acclimate to the new conditions. Do others think that's ok?

 

[JohnPaul]

The whole point is, leave enough water in the tank so that you don't have to net & remove the fish. Using a cup is better than using a net, but not having to remove the betta from the tank is the best solution of all. The less the fish is manhandled, the better the long-term survivability is for the fish.

 

[megos1]

If I fill one of my Bettas bowls up too high then he jumps out onto the carpet...and it's a long fall. Luckily they seem to be pretty resilliant. :?