Whats Wrong With My Betta staying at bottom?

Hello, I bought a crown tailed betta a little over a week ago. I have him in a 1 gallon tank with a filter. When I first got him, he was very lively. I changed about 25% of his water on thursday (a week after I got him) so I could add more conditoner in (the bottle says to condition for the first two weeks). I put him in a separate container with his own water and also cleaned his rocks and moss ball. I feed him twice a day about 3-4 little betta pellets. Today when I fed him, he ate one pellet and then swam to the bottom of the tank. He's been staying in that area quite a while now, ocassionally coming up to the surface. He keeps puffing his cheeks out and I think he is having trouble breathing? He also doesn't seem bloated but I'm not sure. I'm scared because this is the first fish I have ever owned and I don't want to see him die. He doesn't look like he has spots or anything (I looked at pictures of common diseases that occur with betta fish). Do you think he may be constipated from overfeeding? I was going to try to give him a pea and see if that helps. My next step would be to test his ph levels, and then maybe getting him some betta revive in case he is sick. Any advice? Thanks so much in advance.

 

Honestly I read the first sentence and I can tell you what’s wrong.... 1 gallon tank.... waaaaay too small you need (or should have for your Betta’s sake) at least a 5g
So what I am going to tell you is that most likely your fish is swimming in toxic ammonia...
You really need to get a bigger tank... get a filter and read up on the nitrogen cycle...

The fish is slowly being poisoned.... by the food waste... by its own waste... and it won’t take long in that small of a tank

Do you have a test kit of any kind?

Also that’s too much food for one betta... like 3-4 pellets a day is LOTS and only once a day... and you should also add in a starvation day

 

Honestly I read the first sentence and I can tell you what’s wrong.... 1 gallon tank.... waaaaay too small you need (or should have for your Betta’s sake) at least a 5g
So what I am going to tell you is that most likely your fish is swimming in toxic ammonia...
You really need to get a bigger tank... get a filter and read up on the nitrogen cycle...

The fish is slowly being poisoned.... by the food waste... by its own waste... and it won’t take long in that small of a tank

Do you have a test kit of any kind?

Also that’s too much food for one betta... like 3-4 pellets a day is LOTS and only once a day... and you should also add in a starvation day

I plan on getting a test kit tomorrow. In the meantime, should I do another water change? I don't want to harm him in any way, but if it is too high ammonia levels I want to get it out of his tank.
Also, the tank does have a filter in it.

 

You should probably do a 50% water change. He’ll need a bigger tank, but in the meantime water changes can help. The absolute minimum recommended tank size is 2.5 gallons, but most betta keepers prefer 5 gallons and up as there’s more leeway and a smaller chance the levels will spike. I’m not sure if you have a Petsmart near you, but they have a 5.5 gallon kit on sale for 19.99. Not too bad, but you might still need a heater if you don’t have one. Where I live it’s HOT, so our tanks are at a constant 78. I do keep a heater in one of my betta tanks because I’ve learned he prefers 80 (he’s an old betta, so he gets extra spoiled lol). Good luck and I hope your betta feels better!!

 

When getting your test kit try and avoid strips... they are not accurate and they often do not even measure for ammonia which is the most toxic and what you are likely to have in your tank.... look for the apI freshwater master kit... it will have everything you need... I would do a water change but make sure when your doing it that you try and temperature match the water as to what’s in the tank... this could be stressing the fish out too.. if your refilling it with hotter or colder water than the tank... a couple degrees like 1-2 is not a huge deal but you don’t want it to be much more than that... and I would do like 25% and then another 25%... in a small tank like that 50% can be a shock to the fish once again causing stress... and you don’t want a stressed out fish that is already sick in a tank that’s most likely uncycled.... it will not be good results for the fishy

 

Honestly I read the first sentence and I can tell you what’s wrong.... 1 gallon tank.... waaaaay too small you need (or should have for your Betta’s sake) at least a 5g
So what I am going to tell you is that most likely your fish is swimming in toxic ammonia...
You really need to get a bigger tank... get a filter and read up on the nitrogen cycle...

The fish is slowly being poisoned.... by the food waste... by its own waste... and it won’t take long in that small of a tank

Do you have a test kit of any kind?

Also that’s too much food for one betta... like 3-4 pellets a day is LOTS and only once a day... and you should also add in a starvation day

I mean there's a filter at least.
Hello! GloMarie Welcome to Fishlore! I agree that a 1 gallon is a little on the small side but as long as you have a filter and heater he should be okay for now. As soon as possible please get a 5 gallon or at least a 3.5 gallon. I'm guessing there is probably something to do with the nitrogen cycle (please click on the blue word cycle if you don't know what that means it is THE MOST important thing to learn in fish keeping) Also do you use water conditioner? Also please read this

*Due to picture limits, some posts are further down and mixed in with chit chat*
I was looking through the betta stickies and realized we have no betta care sheet!
I figure since I've kept them for over 4 years, and have quite the collection, why don't I write one up.

-The basics of betta care-
Tank size~ The minimum is 2.5 gallons(9.46 liters). I don't recommend going under a 5 gallon (18.92 liters) though. Bettas are very active fish, and when given the proper environment their personalities flourish. Bettas prefer long tanks over tall tanks since they have a labyrinth organ that allows them to breathe air. The long trek to the surface can easily tire your finned friend out.

Filters~ Like any fish, bettas need a cycled aquarium. No if's, and's, or but's. Having a cycled tank means having a cycled filter. I would recommend a filter that turns over the tank volume at least x5 an hour. I prefer sponge filters in my betta tanks since they are low flow and don't shred any fins. If you go with any other type, make sure the intake has a sponge covering it so no fins get stuck. If you haven't already, check out the aquarium nitrogen cycle, here's a great link explaining it. Aquarium Nitrogen Cycle . Some may argue, what about the Walstad method? I do not recommend this to beginners, there is a high chance things could go wrong. Stick with a filter for safety. Another thing, never, ever, change your filter cartridge. This gets rid of your beneficial bacteria. If it gets nasty, just rinse it in a bucket of old tank water. For sponge filters, just take it out of the tank and squeeze it in a bucket of old tank water.
View attachment 352543
(Sponge filter in with 5 day old betta fry)

Heating~ Bettas are tropical fish, this means they need warm water. Bettas should be kept in temperatures between 78-80 degrees fahrenheit(25-26 degrees celsius). Lightning is not a sufficient heat source, since the light is not on 24/7, there are fluctuations in temperature. How would you like to be warm and toasty, and as soon as the sun sets turn into a popsicle?

Food~ This is a very important component of keeping bettas, with no food, you don't have a fish. I know this sounds silly, but with all those "aquaculture" aquariums out there, it needs to be said. Bettas eat insects. They are not herbivores, this means they cannot survive on the roots of that plant in your "self sustaining" death trap your betta calls home. Bettas should get a variety of food, how would you feel if you were stuck eating one food for the rest of your life. Sure, you could survive, but you wouldn't like it. Bettas should be fed a high quality pellet food, I like Omega One(Betta Buffet Pellet | OmegaSea®). This should be supplemented with frozen brine shrimp, frozen bloodworms, and if possible mosquito larvae and wingless fruit fly's. Bettas also enjoy live daphnia and live brine shrimp, but frozen is a great alternative. Please don't feed your fish human food. It's bad for them and can make them sick. Freeze dried food is also a no-no for me. If not soaked correctly it can cause bloat, swim bladder issues, and constipation. It is not very nutritious anyways, think of it like potato chips. I try to stay away from flake food as well, since it is hard to determine how much you are giving the fish and there is a higher risk of swallowing air, causing swim bladder issues.

Water Changes~ Bettas should have weekly water changes. Around 25%-50%. Make sure any water you add back is the same temperature as the water already in the tank, otherwise you risk temperature shock. It is necessary to treat the water with a water conditioner, I recommend Seachem Prime( Seachem - Prime) because it removes chlorine, chloramines, and detoxifies up to 1 PPM(part per million) of ammonia and nitrite for 24 hours. You use less of it per gallon than most other water conditioners as well, which saves you tons of money.

All pictures are mine unless specified otherwise.

What do you guys think? Am I missing anything?

If anyone has any pictures they would let me include in here please comment below. You will receive credit for the picture.

 

I did advise her that most likely the problem is the small tank and lack of the BB... and that the fish is basically living in ammonia...

The thing that upsets me when I hear about a betta living in these 1 and 2 gallon tanks is that people do not account for water displacement... so you have a 1 gallon tank like this case for example... I’m not sure what kind of filter would work on a one gallon tank so I’d be interested to know the brand and type... (just simply because I’ve never seen one suitable for that small of a tank)
When you buy a tank that is labeled “1g” it means when you fill it full of water to the max line it will hold 1g... then you add a filter... displaces water... then you add substrate... displaces more water, then you add a Marimo ball and plants and decor and before you know it that 1 or 2g’s easily becomes only half of that... so really your fish is not in fact being kept in 1 or 2g’s of water and probably would not have much room to even turn around... I blame this on pet shops... they keep them in those little tiny containers so people think that’s all they need however what they don’t think about is they are only kept in those containers usually for a day or 2 maybe a couple longer at smaller shops.... it’s the same way people walk in and see 30 mollies in a 15 gallon tank so they think they can stock theirs like that... but what they don’t think about, again, is 1- the fish are in there for a short period of time
2- the stores fiktration systems run and are much much different than the ones we use at home... next time your in you LFS just ask if you can have a look... if they know you well enough they will let you I’ve seen lots... and they are huge and complex and are constantly flowing new water through them... this is not the case when you bring them home...
I answer these types of questions all the time- “why is my fish sick or stressed” well probably because you have overstocked your tank... and then they will reply “well the fish store had 30 of them in a smaller tank than mine and they were all healthy” but it’s not the same... for example I can go to my LFS (which is a properly run privately owned one, not a Walmart or Petco type deals) and they can have 30 mollies and I can go back in the next day and there are like 5 left...
And then people buy the fish and tank on the same day and most of the employees at those “other types” of stores will just let them walk out of there because to them it’s all about the money... they don’t tell people about tank cycling or the nitrogen cycle... because they either don’t even know themselves or because they know the fish will most likely die and they will be back for more....
that is why I think 5 gallon should really be the minimum because then by the time you add all your stuff your fish will end up with about 3gallons or so depending on what you have to add... which is correct that would be enough to fit a betta... but a smaller tank with all the essentials and under 5g’s to me just won’t give the fish the water they need after displacement...
It’s also the same way they will sell people test strips... where I live not one type of test strip I have come across doesn’t even have an ammonia test (I’m not sure if any exist) so not only are they inaccurate but they also don’t measure the critical things you need to be watching for... a little off topic but just trying to get my point across... and again this is just MY opinion... everyone’s will differ... but when I read that a fish needs 2.5g’s... I take that as they need 2.5g’s of water not tank size... so you must accommodate for the displacement... that’s all... but I just offer my advice of my many many years of keeping all kinds and sizes of tanks and fish and it’s the OP’s decision in what they ultimately do and choose.... hopefully you can get a bit of an upgrade soon and get a working nitrogen cycle (since you have the fish already I would suggest using TSS- (tetra safe start) and you must follow the directions to a T or else it will not work... if you ever decide to go that route and need some info on what to do and what not to do I’d be glad to answer them for you I have used the product successfully many many times

 

I didn't mean any disrespect. I just meant that it's a 1 gallon that better then the cup of water their in at the store. AND it has a filter which is better then the normal .5 gallon unheated unfiltered divided container with two bettas in full view of each other

 

Oh no... none taken at all... I was just trying to explain the same thing you just said in a different way.. people think that because they buy them in that little cup that that’s all they need to live