Betta Acting Weird

[donica_anne]

Ive got a male b&w comb tail betta in a 1.5g tank with all live plants, filtered and heated to 80*. Ive had him for at least three months now and up till now hes been a happy-camper. I do weekly water changes, im very methodical about cleaning each component (i.e. rocks, plant leaves, pots...all decorative items) and making sure to eliminate all chlorine. Also to make sure temp is as near as exact to prev temp before putting him back.
Anyways, the last few days hes lost a lot of the black pigment and he sleeps a lot in his little cave. When i wake him up in the morning he kinda spazzes out; darting around and crashing/banking off the rocks then he hides in the back corner, panting and unresponsive to me.
He still eats, as soon as he snaps out of that...whatever it is....
Also he used to make crazy huge elaborate buble nests, but lately he has not.....just many things like that that tell me something is not quite right with him.
If anyone has any ideas......
Also, i just did a water/filter change, so maybe that'll help.

 

[BlitzCraze]

Ok let me lay it out for you he's not happy because of his living conditions

You have him in a 1.5 with plants and decorations which take up space so your tank now is a .7 gallon tank which is dangerous to heat that small of a tank

Buy a bigger tank minimum 5 gallons
Make sure you use water conditioner
And change his food as offer as possible I myself feed mine

Freeze dried blood worms
Live brine shrimp
Live blackworms
Live white worms

And make sur you do my over feed a bettas stomach is the size of his eye not very big at all

Please not I find bettas like water at 75-76 the most

Please take proper care of your betta I can tell you did research which is great but get a bigger tank go for a 10 gallon and give him some company

 

[Mumma.of.two]

80F is perfect for bettas. They do prefer warmer temps. 1.5gals is a bit too small for him. IMO a 2.5gal is the bare minimum. 5gal would be even better. The larger the tank the more stable the water conditions.

Do you know your parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH)?

 

[donica_anne]

Ok let me lay it out for you he's not happy because of his living conditions

You have him in a 1.5 with plants and decorations which take up space so your tank now is a .7 gallon tank which is dangerous to heat that small of a tank

Buy a bigger tank minimum 5 gallons
Make sure you use water conditioner
And change his food as offer as possible I myself feed mine

Freeze dried blood worms
Live brine shrimp
Live blackworms
Live white worms

And make sur you do my over feed a bettas stomach is the size of his eye not very big at all

Please not I find bettas like water at 75-76 the most

Please take proper care of your betta I can tell you did research which is great but get a bigger tank go for a 10 gallon and give him some company

ThankU for the input, but i do not believe thats really the issue . Im sure he would be delighted to have much more space, but i am not inclined to think that his current spacial parameters are of much consequence. He has, up till this last week, been perfectly delighted with his space; territorial, active, and very interested in his surroundings.
I tried a tank mate but they just stressed eachother out. Some bettas do better in solitary quarters, other betta-owners will vouch for this as well.
I really do appreciate the input, and advice, however maybe you should try and stay away from talking to people like they need to be schooled.
If your bettas like 76 degree water best then wonderful for them. Mine however, seems to be more active with the warmer allowable range.
Thanks again for the response.

 

[donica_anne]

80F is perfect for bettas. They do prefer warmer temps. 1.5gals is a bit too small for him. IMO a 2.5gal is the bare minimum. 5gal would be even better. The larger the tank the more stable the water conditions.

Do you know your parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH)?

Not sure on those, i only have a cheapo test strip kit....everything was in the "safe zone" lol... right before i changed the water. Ph was at about 7.5 .... alkalinity was around 180, and no measurable nitrate or nitrite. But its all fresh now.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Not sure on those, i only have a cheapo test strip kit....everything was in the "safe zone" lol... right before i changed the water. Ph was at about 7.5 .... alkalinity was around 180, and no measurable nitrate or nitrite. But its all fresh now.

Ok. Changing the waters good! test strips are very inaccurate. Try and get a liquid test kit if you can. do you have a test for ammonia?
When you say you wake him up in the morning is that by turning on his light? Does he go crazy then calm down after a bit?

 

[donica_anne]

Yes, i turn on his light and it takes him a few min to wake up then he comes out of his cave and acts somewhat drunk....then goes a little bazerk....then after a few min he seems to snap out of it.

 

[donica_anne]

Oops...sent that last one too soon lol. Yes i have the strips for amonia testing. I do plan on getting him at least a 2.5g tank asap, and the better testing kit!!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yes, i turn on his light and it takes him a few min to wake up then he comes out of his cave and acts somewhat drunk....then goes a little bazerk....then after a few min he seems to snap out of it.

Maybe try opening the curtains, then turn the room lights on, wait for him to wake up, then turn his tank lights on.
Is he showing any symptoms like clamped fins, heavy breathing, gasping, etc?

 

[donica_anne]

Maybe try opening the curtains, then turn the room lights on, wait for him to wake up, then turn his tank lights on.
Is he showing any symptoms like clamped fins, heavy breathing, gasping, etc?

He seems to be panting after his little freak outs..... no clamped fins though...
If it is the light, do you think he might like a not so intensely bright lamp? Or maybe no lamp for the bowl, as its mostly for my gazing pleasure...but if its causing him stress, theres no need for it!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

He seems to be panting after his little freak outs..... no clamped fins though...
If it is the light, do you think he might like a not so intensely bright lamp? Or maybe no lamp for the bowl, as its mostly for my gazing pleasure...but if its causing him stress, theres no need for it!

I have heard Bettas prefer dimmer lighting. Definitely try dimmer lighting and making the room brighter before turning it on. The panting would just be from the fast swimming and dashing. If it stops after a little bit it's nothing to worry about.

 

[donica_anne]

Oh i forgot, the only other thing i can think of thats changed is over TG weekend i put one of those fish feeder pellets in... the kind that dissolves over time and supposedly feeds them for a week....i dont know if those are good or great, or not so great....idk if that cold have anything to do with it. Other than that his feeding schedule is a flake or two once a day...he always begs for more, glubs at me and makes eyes at the surface, but i know better! Haha

 

[donica_anne]

I have heard Bettas prefer dimmer lighting. Definitely try dimmer lighting and making the room brighter before turning it on. The panting would just be from the fast swimming and dashing. If it stops after a little bit it's nothing to worry about.

Ok! We'll try dimmer and see how it goes! Thanks for the troubleshooting

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Oh i forgot, the only other thing i can think of thats changed is over TG weekend i put one of those fish feeder pellets in... the kind that dissolves over time and supposedly feeds them for a week....i dont know if those are good or great, or not so great....idk if that cold have anything to do with it. Other than that his feeding schedule is a flake or two once a day...he always begs for more, glubs at me and makes eyes at the surface, but i know better! Haha

That definitely could have something to do with it. Those vacation feeder blocks are nasty. They can foul up your tank really fast and cause an ammonia spike. A PWC to remove it is the best thing you could have done. If your fish is healthy and the tank is well maintained you don't have to feed him if you go away for a few days or even a week.
Since the tank is quite small can a suggest you do a large PWC twice a week just to keep his water as clean as possible.

 

[donica_anne]

At the risk of sounding stupid, i must ask, as i am not up to speed on all the A.A. abreviations lol. What is PWC? Something....water change haha.

 

[Mumma.of.two]

At the risk of sounding stupid, i must ask, as i am not up to speed on all the A.A. abreviations lol. What is PWC? Something....water change haha.

Oh sorry lol. PWC is partial water change

 

[Hholly]

Maybe have some floating plants to make shade for him if you keep using your light.

 

[donica_anne]

I have heard Bettas prefer dimmer lighting. Definitely try dimmer lighting and making the room brighter before turning it on. The panting would just be from the fast swimming and dashing. If it stops after a little bit it's nothing to worry about.

Yay! He's back to his usual spunky self! i dont have time to watch him wake up in the morning, so hes still sleepin when i leave for work, but when i get home he's up around the surface swimmin around waiting for me im glad it was such an easy fix!

 

[Mumma.of.two]

Yay! He's back to his usual spunky self! i dont have time to watch him wake up in the morning, so hes still sleepin when i leave for work, but when i get home he's up around the surface swimmin around waiting for me im glad it was such an easy fix!

That's good! glad he's back to normal

 

[Hholly]

Glad he's feeling better.