My Betta Fish!?

Question

I have a blue betta named Lucky Louie, and he's been a joy for us.
He has a personality! I have some fresh leaves in there, and we've had him for 4 months. He loves swimming and hiding around them. Today I found him on top of one laying on his side
and not moving, dead like. I kept calling his name and he was dead for certain. I waited and waited and kept banging the tank, I was getting so sad--stupid huh? finally I decided to reach in and move the leaf and he fell off of it and started swimming like normal.
Do you think he wasnt' getting enough O2 and was going into failure because he was at the top of the bowl, almost sticking out!
Now I just checked him again and he's hiding behind another leaf,
could he be sick? What should I know about this behavior?

Answer 1

Are you sure that the leaves are safe? Almond leaves (or live freshwater plants) are the only thing that you should be using. If so, you should only be putting one leaf in the water. If there are too many he will jump onto them and suffocate. Bettas enjoy using the underside of almond leaves to hold their bubble nests.
A

Answer 2

First of all let me say this.

NEVER, ever, bang on a fish tank. It is rather harmful to the fish because it is very loud and it scares them pretty badly. To prove the point, stick your head underwater and bang two rocks together and see how loud it really is!

Please don't do that again to your fish. If you for some reason need to make a fish move, please remove/open the cover and use your hand or a net to stir them.

Here's a little info on Betta's. They are part of the Anabantid family of fish. Anabantid's not only have gills but they also have what is called a Labrinth Organ. It is similar to a lung in the sense that the fish gulps air at the surface and stores it in the Labrinth organ. It helps them get the proper oxygen they need. So the gills and the Labrinth organ work in unison to provide the oxygen the fish needs.

Other Anabantids are all the Gouramies. e.g. The Kissing, Blue, Gold, gouramies.

All Anabantids tend to spend quite a bit of their time at the top surface of the aquarium. Obviously it's to get to the air to help them breath, but it is also a trait from their original habitat. Additionally, the top is where the most oxygen is in the water. The oxygen in your aquariums water is absorbed at the surface and is not really put in by the bubbles you see in many tanks. Bubbles help a very little bit, but the real key is circulating the water so the water is always moving along the surface of the tank.

Betta's originally come from the rice paddies of Korea and Viet Nam (I think that is correct). When they were first discovered they didn't have any of the fancy fins and colors. They are quite a drab fish in their natural environment. The female betta best resembles the fish that is found in the rice paddies. They were bred and inbred to develop the fins and various colorations.

I used to breed Betta's and I never saw one lay on its' side. I don't doubt what you are saying, I've just never seen that behavior. Betta's do love to hide in tall plants near the surface of the tank so it's kind of important to provide those places for them to be. Your fish may have somehow gotten himself stranded on that leaf and was not able to get off on his own. His labrinth organ is probably what saved him because he was able to take in the air he needed that way. Instead of floating leafs, etc. on the surface try some tall plants (real or artificial) that reach the surface for them to hide and/or relax in.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Bettas definitely like to climb onto leaves. It may be an attempt to get closer to the surface to take a breath and it may also be to sleep. Once the lights go out I often find mine curling up in a plant. So if he is spending time on his leaf occasionally I wouldn't worry. If he is suddenly lethargic and hardly ever exploring then I would begin to look at environmental factors that may be affecting his health.

Sometimes when toxins like ammonia, nitrite or elevated nitrate levels present themselves (all are colorless and odorless and a natural biological byproduct) then the fish will try and hoist themselves out of the water. Ammonia poisoning can be very serious and may burn the bettas gills. Make sure you are keeping that water clean and testing is always highly recommended. You can have your water tested for free if you bring a cup to your local fish store. PetCo and PetSmart do it for free but call ahead if you go to a small ma & pa store.

Other causes of sluggishness include water that is too cool or the onset of illness. A stable 78 F (25.5C) is just about perfect.

Answer 4

Bettas breath air from the surface, my guess is he is starving if you are not feeding him proper Betta food then that could be the problem - they CANNOT digest plants - they are carnivours
we put a plant in with ours and the fish lost its color - we took the plant out and it was ok again
I suggest only using fake aquarium plants and making sure nothing that isnt aquarium safe is in the water (no coins etc)
DO NOT bang the tank - as water carries sound this could really hurt him
good luck - typically they eat 3 pellets of Betta food per day but its ok to forget a day

the only time I saw one was when the 5 year old one at work was about to die - somebody had changed its water 3 days prior and probably the water was too hot when they put it in.. are you making sure the cholorine is out of the water and the leaves are free of chemicals?

Answer 5

He could be sick, sometimes sick bettas will stay in one place motionless or hide. It's hard to tell with fish, usually they get sick fast and by the time you notice it, it might be too late. Check out to see if he has any physical symptoms like scales that are sticking up like a pinecone or a protruding stomach. Also, try to keep him warm, like putting him under a lamp and only change about 50% of his water at one time. Water changing is stressful to a fish. Maybe go to a pet store and see if they have any advice or products you could use to help him get better if he is sick. Good luck!

Answer 6

Bettas like to rest on things,and the behavior you describe could be normal "wierd betta behavior". Also remember bettas unlike most fish get their air from the surface of the water. So if he can reach the surface he's getting enough O2. As far as his behavior he could be mildly sick. Are you cleaning his water regularly? Are you not over feeding? (see betta talk link)

Answer 7

That is funny! I had a red one that loved to sleep on his side at the top of the tank. I thought he was dead too the first time I saw it. He is fine. That is just the way he likes to sleep.

Take Care.

Answer 8

well take the plants out and put in a fish toy anf if the betta starts changing colors like from 1 color to another means its gona die soon like if it is purple or soon to be purple it will die becaues we bought 1 that was purple and it died then we bought a blue one that turned purple and died then we got a red one that changed blue to purple and died.

Answer 9

best you can do is make sure the PH is right and all maintenance is being done to insure your beta has a healthy enviroment. and these leaves I hope you checked them for bio hazzard to fish. and washed them before placing them in it's bowl

Answer 10

He isn't sleeping he is lacking something. clean out your tank and watch him for a couple days. And I think it's cute that you love your fish!!!