Lethargic Betta

[iamxtine]

I just bought a betta 2 days ago, and it seems like he's yet to acclimate to his new home. I know it's not the best setup but I was given a kit awhile back with an 85oz bowl, fake plant, and decorate rocks.

He seemed ok at the store and when I brought him home, but ever since he got into the bowl he's been very lethargic. He'll either lie at the bottom or float at the surface at a diagonal angle. When he does happen to swim around it's quick and spurt-like. He's eaten everytime I've fed him though, which is only twice since he's been in the bowl.

I filled a large bowl with tap water and set out for about 2-3 days prior to purchasing the fish. Since the kit did not come with very many plastic rocks, I also added some decorative mancala/glass beads. The fish bowl, plant, rocks, and beads I rinsed clean without soap.

What is wrong with my betta? Or is it something I've done/haven't done? I currently have about 3 pints of water sitting out which I treated with water conditioner. I'm waiting for it to reach room temperature, and am considering changing half of the water in the fish bowl. Any help/advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[JohnPaul]

First, congrats on your new betta. Is this the first fish you have ever owned? If so, you've begun what will hopefully be a lifelong hobby.

Now, as for your betta and his home, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said "it's not the best setup." In order to be able to enjoy your betta to the full, and witness the complete spectrum of all the many, very interesting behaviors that bettas can have...you are going to need to move him to a new home.

A betta in 85 oz of water (barely over a quart) is going to suffer from ammonia poisoning very rapidly. That would be my first guess as to your problem. I would suggest doing an immediate 50% water change with the treated water you have ready. After that, you will probably need to do a 33% to 50% water change every day.

Now, in order for your betta to truly be happy, you will need to get him a home that can provide...

1. More space. Personally, I think a 2.5 gal aquarium is the absolute smallest you could possibly go with a betta, and more ideally something in the 5 or 10 gal size would be better. No fish is going to exhibit natural behavior in a tank that is barely 2 or 3 times its own body length. This isn't all that expensive either; you can find 10 gallon tanks for under $20, sometimes even much cheaper.

2. Heat. Bettas are tropical fish, and should be kept at a temperature of 78-82 degrees. Furthermore, they can be quite sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Thus you want to be able to have a heater in your tank that can maintain a constant tank temperature all day & all night. This also means avoiding placing the tank somewhere it will get direct sunlight, or placing it too close to a heater or air conditioning vent. It also means when you do water changes, you need to be sure the new water you are adding is the same temperature as the water in the tank, so you don't give the betta temperature shock.

3. Clean Water. In a 2.5 gal tank or smaller, essentially the only way to do this is to do regular, frequent partial water changes (PWC's). In a larger tank, the best way to do this is to have a filter of some sort on the tank and then cycle the tank fully, so that the bacteria in the filter are able to process the toxic ammonia the fish excretes into a much less toxic product (nitrate). Even with a filter you still need to do some PWC's, but you can do them much less frequently (once a week, or perhaps even every other week) and they can be much smaller (~20% or so).

If possible, it would be wise for you to pick up a liquid reagent water test kit (don't buy the strips, as they can be horribly innacurate), which will help you monitor levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask them. You might also read through some of the introductory articles on this website and other similar websites.

Welcome to AA! We're glad to have you.

 

[iamxtine]

I've actually been pet-sitting a friend's betta because she went home for the summer. Since I have to give him back to her soon, I decided to get my own betta. Her fish has been active and healthy, which is why it's so unsettling to see my own fish not doing very well. =(

How long do I need to let the conditioned water sit out before I can do the 50% water change? It's been about an hour so far. Will I see improvement after the half water change?

 

[new2betas]

You need to pick up some dechlorinating drops from your local fish store, wherever you bought him, I suppose. Just tell them that you need to buy some dechlorinating drops for your tap water to make it safe for your betta. They will be able to help you.
Until your tanks completely cycles (4-6 weeks) you will need to do very frequent water changes to keep the nitrites and ammonia at a safe level for him.

 

[iamxtine]

I did a 50% water change using the conditioned water, and there was definite improvement! Do I continue half water changes like this every couple days?

 

[new2betas]

By conditioned water do you mean water you just let sit out for a couple of hours or water that has been dechlorinated with drops? You REALLY need to get the drops. They are really cheap, like $2-3. It instantly dechlorinates water so you don't have to let it sit out. I would say in a bowl that small you are going to have to do at least daily 50% water changes or even more often, until the bowl gets completely cycled (4-6 weeks)
For your betta to be really happy, you need to follow JohnPaul's advice to the tee (on everything). Bettas are definitely more happy and healthy in a bigger environment. One of my bettas currently resides in a filtered and heated 10 gallon tank with three peppered cory catfish.

 

[JohnPaul]

I
How long do I need to let the conditioned water sit out before I can do the 50% water change? It's been about an hour so far. Will I see improvement after the half water change?

I am a bit confused about what you are calling "conditioned." If by that you mean water that you have added dechlorinator drops to, the answer is: it doesn't need to sit at all. All you need to do is add the drops, stir the water around for 30 seconds or so, and it's ready to put in the bowl.

If you have a pet store anywhere near you, I guarantee you they will have water dechlorinators in stock. The one almost universally considered to be the best is Seachem's "Prime." However, if your local pet store doesn't keep that particular one in stock, then any number of other similar products will do. What you want to look for is a product that detoxifies both chlorine and chloramine. Some city water systems use chlorine and some use chloramine, so be sure to get a dechlorinator that can handle either one.

Do I continue half water changes like this every couple days?

Yes, I would do a 50% change every day for the next 2 or 3 days. After that, maybe a 33% change every day. But long term, if at all physically possible without your budget, you really should try to get your fish into a big enough tank where you can have a filter running, cycle the tank, and then not have to worry about doing daily water changes.