Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Hey all, this is my first time keeping a betta? So I want to know if this is normal behavior, he likes to just lay down on the bottom of the tank. He does this a lot. It started approx a week ago. Before that he was almost always swimming in the water column or flaring at his reflection. I checked water parameters: ph 7.4 nitrite and ammonia 0 Nitrate 20-30ppm gh 150 kh 40 he also eats fine. He prefers to pick the food off the ground and doesn’t intercept in the water column very often. When he does swim, he doesn’t have any issues. the only other behavior I have noticed is he will occasionally flash on the decor. No skin/fin abnormalities that I can see. let me know if he is being normal or if this is something I need to be concerned about. thanks, derek Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorydorasEthan Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 What's the temperature of the tank? I heard bettas act lethargic when the water is too cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 Just now, CorydorasEthan said: What's the temperature of the tank? I heard bettas act lethargic when the water is too cold. I keep it at 78-79. I even bought a new heater because my 50W only kept the temp up to 76 when it was cooler. And I wanted my betta a little warmer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorydorasEthan Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 minute ago, Goosedub said: I keep it at 78-79. I even bought a new heater because my 50W only kept the temp up to 76 when it was cooler. And I wanted my betta a little warmer Hm. I don't know what could be causing the issue then. How old is your betta? It is normal behavior for an older betta to lie on the bottom. It also could be something is bothering him internally (like a parasite), which would also explain the occassional flashing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 47 minutes ago, CorydorasEthan said: Hm. I don't know what could be causing the issue then. How old is your betta? It is normal behavior for an older betta to lie on the bottom. It also could be something is bothering him internally (like a parasite), which would also explain the occassional flashing. I don’t know how old he is, but I got him less than 2 months ago. I doubt it is age. Just wondering what I should do for him if this is abnormal behavior. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Could be normal. My betta fish is less than 1 year old and is what I would consider to be fairly active. When I looked at him just now, he was lying down on the ground with his fins draped over a cryptocoryne plant. Then a minute later, he swam away, examined the sponge filter, and then took a breath from the water surface. Afterwards, he came back next to the crypt plant, trying to snuggle next to it and find a comfortable resting position. When I glanced back, he was gone again. Just another day in the life of a male betta. 🤷♀️ 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Irene said:Just another day in the life of a male betta. 🤷♀️ Ya.... he has kind of been a dork since I got him, and from what I have read, Bettas are kind of goofy. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriendlyLoach Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 The flaring is normal, but too much can stress them out. Try taping black paper to the sides of the tank you can afford to not see through. That may help. Your fish sounds alright, but you don't want to freak them out with to much reflection on the glass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 7 minutes ago, FriendlyLoach said: The flaring is normal, but too much can stress them out. Try taping black paper to the sides of the tank you can afford to not see through. That may help. Your fish sounds alright, but you don't want to freak them out with to much reflection on the glass. He actually only flares at the back glass which already has black out window tint on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I think he is fighting something though. I just found him in on the ground breathing hard. He also looks bloated. It could be nothing but it could be swim bladder issues or a parasite. I decided to move him to the QT to treat with salt. He perked up pretty well. He seems pretty twitchy though like something is irritating him. bummer cause I have fish coming in this week and they were going to go in the QT. I guess will have to find somewhere else to put them for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betsy Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 That is a bummer!!! I'll be interested to hear how the salt treatment goes! The perking up is very encouraging! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriendlyLoach Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Could be flukes because of the twithing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 I didn’t see any flukes. But it is possible. He may have some sores right behind his gills. It is tough to tell with his coloration. Salt will take care of it right? Or should I also do an ich x or paracleanse? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriendlyLoach Posted April 12, 2021 Share Posted April 12, 2021 Flukes on the skin I dont think you can see them with your eyes. I don't know though. Salt would take care of it but it would take a longer time because they are bigger then bacteria or something. Paracleanse would be better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Lover Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Is he still bloated? Could be dropsy or something more benign like constipation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbit Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Rooting for your betta! I agree that paracleanse would be a good thing to try. You may even be able to use it with salt? I’m not sure though so someone else should verify that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daedalus Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Get a video or pics up, it'd be a lot easier to try and diagnose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 14 hours ago, FriendlyLoach said: Flukes on the skin I dont think you can see them with your eyes. I don't know though. Salt would take care of it but it would take a longer time because they are bigger then bacteria or something. Paracleanse would be better. Ya. I am going to leave him in the salt for today and most of tomorrow to hel with constipation if that’s the issue. He is acting fine now in the hospital tank. There is always the chance that there is nothing wrong with him and Inam putting him through all of this for nothing, but he did not look right yesterday. I think I will add him back to the main tank tomorrow and treat the whole tank with paracleanse. Just gotta not kill him with treatments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goosedub Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 Here is what ended up happening. I put my Betta in salt and he perked right up. However, the corydoras in his normal tank started acting lethargic and were darting to the surface to breathe very frequently. there was definitely something wrong, either a parasite or a contaminant I can’t measure for. I added the betta back to the main tank and he started acting lethargic again too. I did a 50% water change and treated with paracleanse as well. We are now on day 4 of treatment with paracleanse and everyone is actually acting normal again . I’m going to do another big water change tomorrow but thinking I may be out of the woods here. And no casualties yet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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