Bored Male Betta?

Question

Hi,
I've had my male betta fish for about 7-6 months in a 5 gallon tank... He used to be active (swim around n all), he would also react to activity inside and out of his tank,eat well, etc. But lately hes been very lethargic. He doesn't swim around much, only stays in one place, his appetite has also decreased, I have tried new kinds of food but he doesn't seem to be interested. Could he be bored? Should I try introducing a new fish into the tank? How would a Black Moor do?
Pls reply. Thank you.

There are no physical signs of weight loss/ich or any kind of illness.

Answer 1

#1 NO BLACK MOORE! this is a goldfish and will grow large, and needs entirely different tank conditions to a betta.

#2 how often are you doing water changes? if all water parameters are correct, and he has no obvious other symptoms such as weightloss (which would indicated internal bacteria) then yes i would suspect possible boredom.

you could change his surroundings a bit, add a new silk plant or a new cave. as for tank mates, in a 5 gallon no other fish would really thrive, you could however try a snail, a single apple snail could work. i have a spixi (striped) apple snail with one of my bettas as he also gets bored, and tail bites. pesky fish. a snail does do a lot of pooping and would need feeding of its own (veg such as cucumber or plec flakes, although bettas like to eat plec flakes too because they're pigs, so stick to the veg!)

you could try and give your betta live food such as bloodworm or brine shrimp, that would perk him up!

Answer 2

The black Moor would certainly cause excitement. Violence, injury, maiming, and death are exciting, but.... Goldfish aren't suitable tank mates for betta in any way. Also 6-7 month alone in a 5 gallon tank generally results in an antisocial betta.

Things to consider:
- Is he warm? 75-85F
- Is the tank water clean (test the nitrates, or just change 20% of your every 2 days for a week.)
- Maybe he is bored. Try an hour of mirror time, and rearrange his tank decorations.
- Are you over feeding? He only needs about as much food per day as his eye ball. Skip a day each week.
- Maybe he is constipated. Fast him for 2 days, and the feed 1/2 a peeled cooked pea. (cooked peas are fish exlax)
- Maybe he is sick try a gentler med like melafix, and/or primafix.

Read bettatalk
http://bettatalk.com/

Answer 3

Don't put a goldfish in the tank with the Betta! The blackmoor will just dirty up the water quicker,and I suspect that dirty water is the problem with your Betta,if you have been diligent with your water care then the problem could be the lower temperatures of the season. Bettas are tropicals and do best in temps above 75 F. Also when you change water make sure that the water you add is the same temperature as the tank. Temperature differences can shock fish and weaken them so other diseases can set in.-----Good luck.----PeeTee

Answer 4

Betta do not get along well with other fish they will try to eat other fish. Betta are regularly very inactive fish and if the activity of the fish goes down well then naturally it will eat less.

Answer 5

my guess would be the temperature. they get that way when they get cold. if you have a heater make sure the water is at least 75 degrees. if you don't try putting a bright light near his tank. don't dump hot water in there with him.

don't get him fish friends. they really prefer to live alone.