Moved Betta To Larger Tank... And I Don't Think He Likes It :(

So we've been planning this move for a while now, we decided to move my daughters Betta from his 2.5 gallon tank to a 5 gallon tank. I've been doing lots of reading on this site, and I'm pretty sure we did everything right... but he's just lying on the bottom of the tank, and hasn't eaten in a couple of days. We're very worried

I thought we did everything 'right' to prepare for 'moving day' - I put the bag of filter media that goes with the 5 gal tank into his old tank filter about a month ago, to seed it with bacteria. When we moved him on Saturday morning, we moved the bag into the new tank filter. I also put the 'floss' cartridge filter from his old tank into the new filter (carbon bits removed). Moved the black pre-filter sponge from the filter intake into the new tank. Made sure the temps of both tanks were the same.
When we first moved him, he seemed active and a little curious - didn't really explore the new tank, but swam around and didn't hide. Ate like usual. That was Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, he was hiding on the gravel under a plant, and has pretty much been doing the same thing since then. He has moved to a couple of different spots in the same area of the tank, and also hides in his log. Hasn't eaten since Sunday morning, or even come up to the top of the tank. He has 4 plants, a betta log, and a clay pot to hide in.
I've been testing the water, seems there's a bit of nitrites - on Monday 0.05 and 5 nitrates. Did a 30% water change on Monday night. Tuesday, nitrites 0.03 and 8 nitrates. Did another 30% water change. This morning, tested the water and got 0.05 nitrites and 7 nitrates. 0 Ammonia every time. I have added water conditioner when doing the water changes (for chlorine) and also Nutrifin Cycle which takes care of Ammonia and Nitrites for 24 hrs. This morning I dosed the tank with the Nutrifin Cycle since I'm not able to to a water change until tonight. Does it sound like my tank is having a mini-cycle? What else should I be doing? Larger water changes? We're really worried about him. Is his behaviour just him 'adjusting' to his new home? I can't see him very well since he's hiding, but it doesn't' look like there is anything obvious physically wrong with him. Any advice would be very much appreciated! We're concerned about our little blue baby!

 

Nitrites are very toxic to fish. If you aren't using it, I would use Prime for your water changes. It will render the nitrites harmless for 24 hours up to 1ppm. It sounds like you're going through a minI cycle at the moment. What is the temperature in the new tank? Make sure it is warm enough and the heater is keeping up with the increase in water volume. 79-81 is a good temperature for a betta.

 

The temp is 79 degrees.
So how long would a mini-cycle last? anything else I can do to speed that up?
I'll get some prime today, although the Nutrifin product I'm using says it takes care of Chlorine, Ammonia and Nitrites.
Recommendations on the water change amounts? Should I just keep doing 30% daily or should it be more than that?
thank you

 

The thing about Prime is that not only does it neutralize the toxins immediately, it continues working for 24 hours, protecting your fish from recurring build-up (like you're having with the mini-cycle). As long as you test and your nitrites are below 1ppm, then I would just redose the tank each morning with enough Prime for the whole tank and then test again in 24 hours.

It doesn't appear that you've lost your cycle completely, so hopefully the nitrifying bacteria can kick into gear and get going. You could add some Tetra Safe Start Plus if you want or Stability, but as long as your nitrites stay below 1ppm then I would probably just let it go.

 

And continue with daily 30% water changes?

 

Nutrafin has the same claims as prime just a different manufacture. Nitrites at .05 are safe for your fish even without conditioner. I would test everyday and let the test results guide you. Personally I try to keep under .25 of ammonia and nitrites when cycling a tank. So you may only need to do water changes every 2 or 3 days.

 

Nutrafin has the same claims as prime just a different manufacture. Nitrites at .05 are safe for your fish even without conditioner. I would test everyday and let the test results guide you. Personally I try to keep under .25 of ammonia and nitrites when cycling a tank. So you may only need to do water changes every 2 or 3 days.

 

So if it's not likely to be the slight increase in nitrites/nitrates that's bothering him, do you think it's just him adjusting to the move? He should be protected with the Nutrafin Cycle in the water, so will it just take some time for him to come around? I'm not sure what else to do for him.

 

I would give him some time. I know when I add a new one or two they hide for a few days but eventually get braver and start swimming around.

 

So I tricked him into coming out of his log last night by dropping some pellets in front of the little entranceway... he came out and ate them off the gravel. I'm So relieved that he's eaten something finally! He swam to the top as well, then back into his log. Baby steps I guess. Water test last night was Nitrate 0.03, Nitrate 8, Ammonia 0. I did a 50% water change, and used the Nutrafin Cycle and water conditioner. Will test again tonight, hopefully we're moving in the right direction... fingers crossed! thanks for the advice

 

So sometimes these guys can just be jerks, too! I kid you not, I had a betta named Seymour who I bought at Walmart. He lived in a 2.5 gallon tank for a really long time and I went through the full 8 week cycling process to make sure his new 10 gallon tank was PERFECT. Moss mats, live plants, leaves, it was paradise. He would physically avert himself so he wouldnt look at me for a WEEK afterwards. He pouted. He wouldn’t eat anything but bloodworms. Destroyed half the tank. Eventually we put him back in his 2.5 and he was totally normal again. Moral of the story, betta fish are underwater cats

 

As many of the other users mentioned, bettas are very temperamental. When I moved my betta from a 2.5g to an 8.5g, he sulked in the same spot for three days before he started to move around and enjoy his new tank. As long as you keep the temperature at a good level from him (76 - 82 F ish), keep nitrites and ammonia low, pH at a good level, he'll come around. Moving a betta to a larger tank if you can is always a good idea, so you've done the right thing!

 

It's funny how someone who's only an inch long can have such a giant attitude

Thanks for the thoughts on this - the good news is that he's coming around. The mini-cycle seems to be done, so that's a relief. Water parameters are back to normal and he's exploring his new home a bit more now! Although apparently, I had put his leaf hammock in the Incorrect Location in the new tank. I took it out the other day to clean it, and put it back in a different spot, a bit closer to the surface. He slept on it that night! Such a princess

thanks everyone for the support, it sure helps a lot to have somewhere to turn when things aren't going smoothly!

 

It's funny how someone who's only an inch long can have such a giant attitude

Thanks for the thoughts on this - the good news is that he's coming around. The mini-cycle seems to be done, so that's a relief. Water parameters are back to normal and he's exploring his new home a bit more now! Although apparently, I had put his leaf hammock in the Incorrect Location in the new tank. I took it out the other day to clean it, and put it back in a different spot, a bit closer to the surface. He slept on it that night! Such a princess

thanks everyone for the support, it sure helps a lot to have somewhere to turn when things aren't going smoothly!

Hammock in the incorrect spot.... sounds like a betta