Everytime i see him (pinky) he is always at the top of the bowl. i understand that he does that for air, but every second. He never hangs out at the bottom. why? what can i do?
2006-11-30 13:52:54 · 7 answers · asked by smileco2004 3 in Pets ➔ Fish
i have had this pet since august of this year. I feed him usually every other day, so that i don't overfeed, and dirty his bowl. he lives in a bowl that was made for two bettas and has a divider in the middle of it. he is in there by himself with no divider, so the whole bowl is his.
2006-11-30 14:40:30 · update #1
There is more oxygen at the top of the bowl then the bottom. Thats why he hangs around up top. If you put him in a tank with a filtration system then that will put more oxygen into the water and your little guy will move around a lot more and not hang out at the top of the tank so much. The more oxygen the fish has in his water, the more active he is. Beta's are fine with out a filtration system but they will not move around near as much. Hope this helps.
2006-11-30 14:52:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Agreed, Bettas will thrive with a heater and filter. Though the reason its sitting at the top of the bowl is due to its labrynth organ. This allows your Betta to breathe under very undesirable circumstances such as the cold strike in the mid 1980's which brought their true habitat to a temperature of 59 degrees. Because of this extra organ to assist the gills, Bettas are litterally capable of breathing in mud so long as it has access to a surface from which to gather oxygen, this often leads to mistreated fish a family pet. Such as being placed in a peace lilly vase, or a bowl, I've seen them in cups and even once, a lamp...
The argument weather or not the Betta is in true need of a filter and heater to maintain its life is incorrect, they will live without them, though they will first not live as long, never show the full vibrance of their colour, be more succeptible to disease and parasites, and other such undesirable things to save 25 bucks.
When you place a fish in a bowl, oxygen is not as plentiful in their natural habitat. This is due to the lack of movement in the water, reducing its surface area, not permitting enough oxygen to be absorbed into the water.
In Lamen terms.. Your betta is essentially drowning in the bowl, but is lucky enough to be able to work around this with its labrynth. Be aware this is in a sense a natural means for your Betta fish to breathe, however it is not its preferred method. It over time will lead to exhaustion in general, needless to say you would need an accountant in order to keep track of the stress it will experience.
I strongly urge you to upgrade from a bowl to a small tank, for the happiness of your fish, and if you care not for its happiness, care for its safety. Small 3 gallon plastic "Betta" tanks come in bowfronts, hexagons and should only run you 30 dollars. You will not recieve a heater with this, however it will come with a small filter which will do a mediocre job of filtering your water, but will maintain a mild current, allowing more oxygen to enter your water.
Hope this helps.
2006-11-30 16:55:58 · answer #2 · answered by Accellerated Catalyst 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you don't have a heater in the tank, he may be hanging at the top to be in the warmest water he can get to. Bettas are tropical fish and should be kept between 76-80 degrees F.
2006-11-30 15:57:29 · answer #3 · answered by Inundated in SF 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends how big his home is, and what is in it. If you just got him, he might just be getting used to his home, if not, he should explore further when you see bubbles staying on the top of the water. Other than that I'm not sure, unless he is hungry, and you are not feeding him enough. If you want to stimulate his fighting side, slowly move a mirror back and forth infront of him, he will puff his gills out and flare his tail and fins out, don't do it too often, doing it too much will stress him out, making him think other males are trying to take over his home.
2006-11-30 14:01:05 · answer #4 · answered by Missy C 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I agree with Catalyst! Great answer.
I just wanted to add that bettas have great personalities and can be very fun to watch. If you give them a tank with plenty of plants and small caves to explore (as well as warm water and oxygen) they'll stay busy most of the time.
2006-12-01 03:48:48 · answer #5 · answered by ceci9293 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they all hang out at the bottom at the fish store they need bigger bowls
2006-12-01 04:27:35 · answer #6 · answered by JoAnn W 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just leave him be. I had one and he was at the bottom only when i put food in there. his name was marty, he died march something of this year
2006-11-30 14:00:43 · answer #7 · answered by Pro challenger 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋