Is My First New Betta is Sick?

Hi,
I Have A Problem with My New Betta... I have him in a small fish tank and he seemed Happy... blew a bubble nest, swimed around a lot...
But Yesterday he looked really sad! He dosen't eat & He flots around at the top of the tank or he lies around at the bottom... I thougt he could be cold so I put him in a warmer place... what else could be wrong with him?
Please Help Me! I'm Real Fond Of The Little Guy Already!! And I Don't even have a week with him!!
Thanks! Rini!

 

Have you been doing water changes and conditioning the water with a conditioner that detoxifies ammonia?

 

He could've been sick when you got him.

In what size tank/container do you house him?
What is your waterchange schedule?
Did you cycle the tank/container before housing the fish there?
How often and how much are you feeding him?
Is there anything else in the container/tank with him?

 

Sorry! I'm totally New to Fish..

What does cycle mean?
I've had him for less than a week...
I've changed his water once
He eats pellets... 3 twice a day...
He's alone except for a plastic plant with a little rock he likes to sleep by...
His tank is small--- 1 gallon I think....
And no I haven't put anything in there with him but purified water...
My Sister bought 2 at the same place & Date as I Have and hers Are also in small tanks... They're perfectly fine & Perky...
I Hope it's nothing more is wrong with him...

 

Did you acclimate him in his new water? Do you take out any uneaten food an hour later? Does he have any white spots on him? Any blackened edges around his fins?

 

He started getting sad before I changed his water the first time....

 

Maybe he's stressed :/ I have a male like that, he just stays by the top (But he eats like a little pig) Try putting a mirror by his tank and see if he flares, if not he might be depressed. Was he by/with any other fish when you got him? Do the pellets float? My male won't touch anything cept' Freeze Dried Bloodworms (I got them from Ebay)

 

Do you have any pics of him? what is the water temp? Is he still eating fine? How long does it take for him to eat his pellets? does he gobble them up right away or do they sit there for a while before he eats it?

 

I would suggest reading these:

https://www.fishlore.com/WaterChemistry.htm

https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

https://www.fishlore.com/aquarium-water-test-kit.htm (primarily for learning to do nitrate/nitrite/ammonia testing on your water)

 

You might also wanna read this removed

 

ok. Thanks... I'll read all of it...
Maybe he does feel lonely.... He did have a lot of other fish around before I bought him... Maybe he ate too much...
He used to gobble the pellts right up but now he let's them float around...
How do you give out the Pea Remedy?
Can It be fresh peas, canned peas, only frozen peas????
Thanks for all you're help!!

 

Sorry to hear he's not his best.

ONLY feed FROZEN peas. Allow them to defrost at room temperature or a very quick blast in the micro ( I do 15 seconds) Then peel the outer shell off and chop it into little pieces. I feed it to mine using tweezers as they make it easy to hold the tiny pieces and the bettas take it from me.

You need to condition your water before adding it, read through some of the other posts on here they will help you understand and you will learn the names of the many products out there.

Change your water frequently, just think, the tank is the bettas house, kitchen and toilet too. When he has waste food he has no garbage bin and can not flush a toilet after a peepee!! So we have to make sure he has clean water. This is a very basic but I found an easy way to remember at first.

Keep him warm and chat to him, they are such babies and LOVE the attention.......Good luck with him

 

Maybe he's just tired of the pellets XD I used to feed mine flakes but they ended up wasteing in their water :/ If after a while you have no luck with the pellets try the Freeze Dried Bloodworms They work wonders XD Good luck with your new baby (I gotta go take care of mine now) ^.^

 

I think those links will help out a lot and we wish you and your new Betta the best.

I just wanted to say welcome to fishlore and don't worry about him being lonely for other fish. Bettas are happy without other fish, but they do like to be talked to. They seem to prefer people to other fish and our Bettas LOVE to be talked to, especially once they get to know us and that we aren't going to hurt them.

ok. Thanks... I'll read all of it...
Maybe he does feel lonely.

 

Thanks To Everyone!! And Thanks For All The Good Wishes!! Moody (My Betta) Seems a lot better today!! More Playful!! He's still eats little but a lot more than in past days! I hope what ever it is that was bothering him is over!
Thanks for all the info!! And all the friendly advice!!

 

Welcome to the fishy world (Now your gonna be addicted to them bettas) XD Good luck with Moody ^.^

 

Oh that's great news, BlackKat. Glad he's settling in.

 

Yeah great to hear he is picking up!!