betta fish

[platybreeder26]

We just bought a new 3.5 gallon tank with a filter and lighting to get a betta fish out of his unfiltered 0.5 gallon bowl. So we let the tank run for about 1 day, and when we put him in he was fine for a few hours, but then went to the top of the tank near the filter, and didnt move, When you poked him he responded slighttly but other wise didnt move. We put him back in the small bowl, and he began to act lively again, wierd. We thought he could be constipated so we tried peas but he wouldnt eat them. Anyone know what caused this?

 

[Trainer_Ruby_]

My Betta that I keep in a 2.5 at my work likes to chill by the filter. He just needs time to acclimate to his hew environment. Are there plants or hiding spots for him?


Keep calm and drum on

 

[MissGurnus]

The 3.5 has to be cycled, if he responded badly I would do a fishless cycle. Research the nitrogen cycle to get started and add some fish food to the tank to help start it.

(Fish in cycling is a viable method but he may just not be up to it)


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[platybreeder26]

My Betta that I keep in a 2.5 at my work likes to chill by the filter. He just needs time to acclimate to his hew environment. Are there plants or hiding spots for him?


Keep calm and drum on

We didnt cycle the tank will he be safe in the 3.5 cause he was fine in the bowl we did 100% water changes. Obviously we will be doing partial changes when he goes into the big tank.

 

[MissGurnus]

I would say that if he didn't freak out when you touched him in the 3 is a baaaad sign. Im not an expert but im pretty sure cycling is the problem here. Do you have a liquid test kit?


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[platybreeder26]

I would say that if he didn't freak out when you touched him in the 3 is a baaaad sign. Im not an expert but im pretty sure cycling is the problem here. Do you have a liquid test kit?


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No we have a strip test kit, but for now, we kept him in the bowl, the three has a few fish pellets and waste to help cycle.

 

[brennae]

Are you heating the tank at all?

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[Trainer_Ruby_]

If your bowl had a proper filter put some of the media in the new filter to help speed it up a little


Keep calm and drum on

 

[LayzorBeams]

Cycling Will take about 1.5-2 weeks to be safe for the Betta.

Get liquid tests; strip tests are more expensive per usage as well as they are EXTREMELY inaccurate. Don't rely on them.

Also, do extensive research on the nitrogen cycle of aquariums as well as how to clean the aquarium filter properly. Now that you have a real tank, cleaning PROPERLY is very important.

Also, did you acclimate the fish to his new water for a while? He may have not responded well to the different parameters. Research how to properly acclimate aquarium fish.

Once you get that figured out, you're on your way to letting you Betta live a happy life.


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[trennamw]

Uh ... So ...

A betta doesn't give off clouds of ammonia the second it goes into a new tank.

Not having cycled means NOTHING in terms of immediate behavior. An uncycled 3.5 is vastly superior in terms of toxin build up, to a half gallon bowl.

It might not like the filter, it might be disoriented. It might be scared and feels safer sitting still even when poked.

If the water is significantly different in another way, that might affect it ... I'd dip out much of the water, add water that is in the new tank, repeat a few times in a hour till old and new are mixed, then net him into the new tank and leave him be for a day or two before analyzing the situation.

Cycling is important but it is meaningful only in processing ammonia to nitrate over looooong periods of time. A fish in cycle of a betta in a 3.5 is as acceptable as keeping it in a 3.5 at all. Uncycled you need to do 50% changes every day probably, cycled it's once a week or more.

I've done this a lot (betta in a 3 gallon). Some react to the current or vibration from the filter by being still, till they get used to t.


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[trennamw]

No we have a strip test kit, but for now, we kept him in the bowl, the three has a few fish pellets and waste to help cycle.

You'll have a more successful cycle with just the fish. Don't feed it for the first several days. Read up on fish in cycling. Putting food into a tank that small will just lead to rotting and the wrong kind of bacteria.

If you're really worried get one of the seachem ammonia alert circles. While the strips and stuff test total ammonia the circle gives you a read on toxic ammonia (long story). I've used them for 2 years with liquid tests as backup and they are highly accurate. When it goes into the green, do a water change.

There's a lot of well intended advice here but lately a lot of it is from people who are following well intended but inaccurate advice.

There is zero advantage to keeping the betta in its bowl, rather than the big tank, even if it is Uncycled. Uncycled tanks aren't poisonous, they just are incomplete. And the bowl can't possibly have cleaner water.


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[LayzorBeams]

Uh ... So ...

A betta doesn't give off clouds of ammonia the second it goes into a new tank.

Not having cycled means NOTHING in terms of immediate behavior. An uncycled 3.5 is vastly superior in terms of toxin build up, to a half gallon bowl.

It might not like the filter, it might be disoriented. It might be scared and feels safer sitting still even when poked.

If the water is significantly different in another way, that might affect it ... I'd dip out much of the water, add water that is in the new tank, repeat a few times in a hour till old and new are mixed, then net him into the new tank and leave him be for a day or two before analyzing the situation.

Cycling is important but it is meaningful only in processing ammonia to nitrate over looooong periods of time. A fish in cycle of a betta in a 3.5 is as acceptable as keeping it in a 3.5 at all. Uncycled you need to do 50% changes every day probably, cycled it's once a week or more.

I've done this a lot (betta in a 3 gallon). Some react to the current or vibration from the filter by being still, till they get used to t.


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True. A Betta barely gives any waste.

However, as i said before, its still very important to know the things i said in my previous post.



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[MissGurnus]

Im not saying betta's are ammonia factory's here. But cycling is important and could possibly be a factor to his abnormal behavior, and in my opinion and only my opinion if a fish is reacting poorly to an environment it should not be left there without being monitored. And i did say fish in cycling is not bad, only if he's sick it might make things more difficult. Liquid test kits are the best and most accurate testing equipment in the hobby, I've heard way too many horror stories to trust them.


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[LayzorBeams]

Personally i think that he was just reacting to the change in temperature and the new movement of the water.


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[trennamw]

Im not saying betta's are ammonia factory's here. But cycling is important and could possibly be a factor to his abnormal behavior, and in my opinion and only my opinion if a fish is reacting poorly to an environment it should not be left there without being monitored. And i did say fish in cycling is not bad, only if he's sick it might make things more difficult. Liquid test kits are the best and most accurate testing equipment in the hobby, I've heard way too many horror stories to trust them.


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The thing is, that betta behavior isn't necessarily anything bad or abnormal.

Yea cycling is important. No it won't necessarily take 2-3 weeks. Yes test strips are different than liquid. No they aren't a fast road to a burial at sea. If the OP bought strips, use them. Using them daily you'll see when a change happens. Even if they don't give a perfect number they can be accurate to show its higher or lower than the last test. You could say the liquid tests are garbage because they don't differentiate between toxic ammonia and not toxic ammonia, and one should always use the charts with ph and temp to judge toxicity... Or the seachem circles.

Everyone means well and is giving some good info but there's just waaaaaay too much freaking out in here.

I took a 1/4" square snip off an established filter and cycled a 3 gallon in 24 hours. I also have run a 3 gallon betta tank with no filter, no water changes, and a lot of plants for a year with better water tests than my "50% wc weekly" tank.

Be cautious about stating advice in black and white absolute ways!




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[LayzorBeams]

Well considering all he had before that was a bowl, he has no filter media to start a cycle with. He could go and get some from somewhere else, but i was saying that cycling takes 2-3 weeks without seeding from other tanks, which i believe he is doing.


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[PoppaRyno]

Im curious if/how the betta was acclimated.

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