# New Betta -- Laying around?



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

My friend gave me a beautiful new red and black crown tail for my birthday and a 2 gallon tank for him. I have two artificial plants and a *pinch* off of a live plant that should grow. He has an ariator (sorry, spelling) and his water temp is 74 pretty much constantly. 

He doesn't eat as much as my other betta (seperate tanks) but he will eat, (flakes only, he wont touch blood worms) I'm a bit worried because he just lays on the rocks.

Checked out a Betta disease site, he has a bit of a belly on him, but thats just compaired to my other Betta (normal, not Crown Tail). I'm really Hoping that I can get him active. Any suggestions?

Sorry if this seems to babble, not very awake right now.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Not sure if he will survive the night, just caught him standing on his head in the corner. Will leave my computer on until I have to go to bed. The only thing I can think to do is a 100% water change?


----------



## kelicom (Sep 27, 2005)

74 is too cool for a betta. They prefer 78-82 degrees. You need a small heater, or better, a bigger tank so that the temp will be easier to stabilize. Good luck.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Thanks, I did do a complete water change and he's alot more active, knocked the temperature up to 80 yesterday but I'm having a TON of trouble keeping them stable in my two smaller tanks. Don't have room for what I have, much less anything larger, but he seems to be doing alright since the water change... Wouldn't usually do a full, but he was looking like he was going to die and that was the only think I could think to do.


----------



## Guest (Dec 6, 2005)

i glad that he is looking betta  LOL :lol:


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Is it possible that that is just his personallity? I mean he's been swimming around all day now, until recently, and he's at the botom again now.


----------



## Guest (Dec 6, 2005)

good to hear :fish:


----------



## BettaMommy (Aug 20, 2005)

It is probably just his personality, you can never be too sure with bettas.


----------



## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

yeah I really think it could just be the betta. I have a male who is a 2.5 with a heater and filter, clean tank, fed a variety of food, and he just lays around, like a lazy butt. But then I have two females in two (1-2) gallon bowls with no heater or filter and they are constantly swimming, so who knows. :?:


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Yeah, he seems ok after a few days of watching... Got him to flair up at my other male yesterday and now he flairs all of the time... Well, when he's swimming around.


----------



## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

I'm glad he is turning out to be more active. :wink:


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I don't know what to do with this fish to tell you the truth... Every time I say more active.... bye bye activity. Yes, he has been more active as a whole, but he still lays around at the bottom... A few mins ago I thought he was dead... He didn't move when I tapped or anything, finally had to feed again to get him to the top... Now he's laying in plants etc... But when he's active he's really active.


Anyway, I was reading a disease site, and maybe I have what they call 'medical students syndrome, but I read about over feeding and the bellies that they get, and tried to take apicture to see if I need to feed less or not. (Or if it's something else?) I just got this fish 5 days ago so I really don't know him yet. Belly has been like this for as long as I can remember, but my other male doesn't have it.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Guess I should comment since the quallity is so bad.... The dark blobs In the 2nd and 4th pics are my fish's front half.... They seem to be the better ones to see the 'belly' I'll try to get better ones but have no knowledge how to... Seems like my camera doesn't want to shoot through the tank.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Not sure if these two are any better or not, did my best to make them visible at least. These are the second and the fourth.


----------



## Imbrium (Feb 7, 2005)

I think you should just give him a bit to settle in to his new home before you start trying to diagnose him with stuff. He looks ok from the pics, as far as I can tell. 
I got a fish once that just laid at the bottom all the time. He was pretty weak. He could swim around for a little while, but it was like he got tired easily and had to rest. I made sure I fed him good foods, and exercised him with a mirror for short periods of time at first (around 2 min) eventually working up to 20 min a day. Now he is very active and strong.


----------



## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

yeah, I think he's probably still settling in. Or, like I said before, it could just be his personality. I have a betta that just lays at the bottom, sometimes he'll be in the same spot for hours. Right now he has gotten worse because he got attacked by a female, and she litrally almost ate him alive. However, even before this he still was not very active. Sorry, I don't know what to tell ya. I, myself am going to try what Imbrium did, and excersize him with a mirror once he is completely healed.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I will try the mirror thing, and let him settle some more. I know he's not 100%, but serriously, sometimes it looks like this fish is on his death bed.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

It still seems to me like something is wrong with him, I serriously keep thinking that he is dead. He lays on his side at the top of the water on a plant... I know you said don't diagnose too soon, but I don't want to take to long and kill the fish...


----------



## Alisha (Aug 5, 2005)

hmmm...my betta does the same thing. Your betta could be sick. Mine had Swim blatter disease when he just floated at the surface on his side. Here are a couple of good disease sites, see if he has any of these symptoms:

http://www.klsnet.com/files/fishchart.htm

http://www.exotictropicals.com/ency...on/Diseases.htm


good luck.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I was thinking it may be that, but I read that it wasn't curable. I guess I'll try not feeding for 3 days (Hope that doesn't kill him). He either lays in a corner or on one of his lilly pad type things at the top of the water and lifts his head up to breathe. He seems to swim ok when he swims, but lately he wont even flare up.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Well, Day one of not feeding... I've only thought he was dead about 20 times today, that's down from fifty... I know that sounds sarcastic but this is one strange fish. He's been laying on his side with his head out of the water alot today as well. I sat here and watched him for about 20 mins with his head up above the water. Guess I'll update if anything happens. This is one of the prettiest betta's I've ever had, I want him to be healthy.


----------



## kaybee (Aug 12, 2005)

I had to remove my Mario from my 10g into a mini aquarium about 3 weeks ago because he was getting aggressive with his tank mates. He had been laying around ALOT lately also so last night I gave him a mirror and now he's much more active. I guess he was bored?

Kay


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

This one is to the point where he doesn't even respond to the mirror.... This is the third day of not feeding and it doesn't seem to of helped. There are also brown spots on his fake plants.... And, he's caught ich.... Even while I was treating him with betta fix... I'm going to have to go get some rid ich I guess, because this stuff sure isn't working.

Ugh, I was going to get some guppies for my 10 gallon, but I'm not sure I trust petco fish.... I know this guy was one since the friend who gave it to me works there.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Woohoo! He's finally flairing again... When I put a mirror around him, He's still laying around when there is no mirror, but for the past few days he has been hiding from the mirror. Today he's out in full color. Unfortunatly he has ich, which I am treating with rid-ich but it makes me ha[[y that he's actually doing something.


----------



## Beerleader (May 31, 2005)

Wow thats good to hear, hopefully at least one of us will get our betta better. Mine is steadily looking worse. Still laying w/ just his head tilted upwards. But he looks horrible, can't say I am very optimistic at this point, but I'm trying.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

I'm feeding today (at last) I feel like I've been waiting as long as the fish has. He still sulks at the bottom, but he doesn't lay around on the plants anymore. His swimming still seems to be a bit jurky, but at least he's moving around.

Good luck with your's Beerleader. This one had me looking for the petco reciept a few dozen times.


----------



## kristian18f (Oct 31, 2005)

Alright, the Betta is swimming and acting normal now , thank goodness... I haven't seen him at the bottom of the tank all monring (which has only been an hour, but still). I started feeding again yesterday but I am feeding VERY little... Not even half of what I give my other Betta. 

This one wont touch bloodworms, well, actualyl he spits them back ou so I feed flakes, how little is too little? I don't wanna starve the little guy.


----------

