Dragon scale betta help!

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Can anyone give me info on the dragon scale Betta. I bought one at petsmart. The fish hasn't eaten much since I got it, could it be stressed out? What do they eat? I have regular Betta food and it won't eat it. Any help will be appreciated, thanks!

 

[BakerBoy17]

Its pretty much just like any other betta. Is your tank cycled? How long have you had the fish?

 

[blert]

Pretty fish. Being stuck in a cup for who knows how long can be fairly traumatic for any creature. When did you get it? If fairly recently I would give it time to adjust.

How big is the tank that it is in now and has said tank been properly cycled? Keep an eye on your toxin levels and give the little guy plenty of fresh water.

 

[egynoor]

Well, bettas get depressed after staying jarred or cuped for long time. I would say if it doesnt show any sign of disease, as clamped fins, hanging under water surface with the head up and body down, laying on the bottom for long times and only going up to take a breath, i would say if all these are not present the fish would be depressed. Give it time and most important try to give it live food or frozen..... Bettas adore frozen blood warms

 

[Hholly]

My Betta took about 4 days before he would actually eat the flakes. He just spit them out at first. Then he adjusted. Good luck!

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Its pretty much just like any other betta. Is your tank cycled? How long have you had the fish?

Tank is cycled and I have had it for two days.

 

[Hholly]

I bet he'll come around. You may be feeding something he's not familiar with. Maybe try a different kind.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Pretty fish. Being stuck in a cup for who knows how long can be fairly traumatic for any creature. When did you get it? If fairly recently I would give it time to adjust.

How big is the tank that it is in now and has said tank been properly cycled? Keep an eye on your toxin levels and give the little guy plenty of fresh water.

Tank is cycled. Is this Betta any nicer, could it go in with guppies and a bolivian ram? His tank is a Betta bowl (1 gallon). I wanna put it in with my ram and feeder guppies they r in a ten gal.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

I bet he'll come around. You may be feeding something he's not familiar with. Maybe try a different kind.

I have tried blood worms and Betta flakes.

 

[Sharkbait54]

Put some dried bloodworms he will eat those.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

How can I tell if it's male or female? And it seems kinda jumpy when I approach the tank to feed or view.

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Put some dried bloodworms he will eat those.

Okay why won't it eat the frozen ones?

 

[blert]

Tank is cycled. Is this Betta any nicer, could it go in with guppies and a bolivian ram? His tank is a Betta bowl (1 gallon). I wanna put it in with my ram and feeder guppies they r in a ten gal.

I wouldn't put him in with those fish in a ten gallon. The ram really should be in a bigger tank IMO. Bettas and guppies don't get along very well and the betta will probably attack them, especially in a tank so small. Wait to hear from some other people first though, they may have different opinions. You could try but keep an eye on them and be ready to put the betta back into the other tank, but I dont think it's a good idea. As I said, the ram really should be in a larger tank.

Since you got the betta a Pet### it should have said male or female on the cup. Males have longer fins.

 

[pisces201]

Hi the Betta you have is a male and you can have him in a tank with guppies my Betts does just fine with mine and sorry to hear he's not eating he's probably still in shock from the transport I had that same problem with my betta he wouldn't eat ether he would just nibble off what the other fish left behind but once he got used to New home hes the first one to the top to eat now lol

 

[pisces201]

Also you could get a bigger tank so the betta and the ram wont feel cramped

 

[Chasnkevin4ever]

Hi the Betta you have is a male and you can have him in a tank with guppies my Betts does just fine with mine and sorry to hear he's not eating he's probably still in shock from the transport I had that same problem with my betta he wouldn't eat ether he would just nibble off what the other fish left behind but once he got used to New home hes the first one to the top to eat now lol

Ok thanks!

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

About him being with other fish, dragonscales tend (not always, though) to be on the more aggressive side. I would wait until you have him eating (stress, depression, probably some minor ailments also) and have a good idea of his personality. He may be carrying something and you wouldn't want that transferring to your guppies. Give it a month or so and then try by floating him for a good while in a cup so he can see them for awhile. Then, add him in. Keep a net in hand. He may attack or the guppies may nip.

For a dragonscale especially, you should look into some high quality pellets. He is a gorgeous fish and if you get him on a good diet, he will just pop with color. Flakes really aren't the best when it comes to nutrition and they also are a lot messier for your tank in general. I would encourage you to look into things like New Life Spectrum, Hikari, Omega One, etc. I personally use Hikari pellets currently and have seen a great increase in color/energy/health of my bettas. Also, freeze-dried blood worms should be used only as a treat. They do not give much of anything to your fish and the freeze drying process pulls out most of the good stuff. If you want a treat (a little once a week or one every two weeks) then go for some frozen bloodworms or some live small ghost shrimp.

It's is for sure a male. Petsmart normally does not carry females in anything other than veil-tail and crown-tail for the most part. It will get more used to you in a few days/weeks. Just make sure to always slowly walk up to the tank, making as little vibration as possible. He will warm up soon. Just takes him to get over the huge hump of what he was subjected to before you bought him.

Good luck!