Betta not moving? Is he sick or sleeping?

Question

Okay, this is the first time that my betas have ever shared water with another beta since I got them. I'm not sure if they are just sleeping or if they are sick. They just sit there without any movement at all, but if I tap the tank they move. One of my crowntails doesn't move much when he tries to swim. It seems as if he is only using the front portion of his body. Is it because I woke him up or do I need to get him some medicine. I think that one of my others is losing his color as well. Is that a sign of sickness?

Okay, I guess I wasn't very specific. They are in a divided tank that has a cover so they can't see each other. They are just sharing the water. I am currently visiting my father so they have only been in these travel tanks for about 4 days... not quite that amount. I'm going to be away from them for about 32 hrs, and I just want to make sure that they are going to be okay in my absence. I don't use salt with my bettas because I've done some research and found out that they don't do so well with it. I've never been a big fan of aquarium salt as it is. (Just seems to cause more problems) I think that they may have swim bladder. I fed them flakes today instead of their normal pellets. Could that have anything to do with it?

The water is "Betta water" from petco and temp at about 72 degrees. I know that my 2 older ones aren't used to being in such a small area. They seem very unhappy with that fact, but they have seemed in perfect health until today.

Let me say gain. The fish are not together. They can't even see each other. They just are sharing the same water because they are in a divided tank. I know that they are in a small area, but it was the only way that I could travel with them and several people said it should be okay.... check my previous question.

Answer 1

If they traveled in a car, the jossling of the car is most likely what they don't like. Many times in road travel, (or any travel for that matter) they can get hurt when you take a turn and they slam against a side of the tank. Give them a few days and make sure that their tanks are clean. If the two are not used to sharing water with each other, that may be another problem you need to address. Each one might be giving off a scent that is freaking out the other one. They should be fine, I took mine on a road trip (6 hours once and 1.5 hours another time) and he is rather ticked off for the first couple of days, but then he returns to his normal self.

Answer 2

It seems your fish are stressed. Take into consideration the size of the aquarium you have them in. It is also important to maintain the aquarium and water quality. Check your water parameters, and make sure to clean the filter and keep up regular water changes. Also Bettas get territorial and aggressive around each other so that could be a possibility that they have been fighting. Other things to consider would be eating habits, have they stopped eating? Also, are there any other physical changes? Ragged fins? Bruising? Spots? Worms? Losing color may be a sign of sickness but it may take some further observations to be completely sure. I'd recommend a quarantine in order to really watch them, but I really think the fish are just really stressed out.Best wishes to you!

Answer 3

Are you using filtered water? If not do so. Change the water and make sure it is room temperature. Not too hot or cold. Also get a lighted betta tank..immediately.

Two small drops of Betta Fix Remedy at the pet store would do the trick. Your Betta is sick.

Answer 4

one thing i hope you didnt even feed youre fish too much cause will kill it and another thing you should 3 or 5 least a weeks you should clean the tank threw the dirty water and but first you should take the fish out and replace it inside with clear and clean water then you use osmething youre hoand and clean out the under the stones so that you can throw out the dirty poops that the fish lefted in and you should do it like 4 times so that the inside of the tank can be so clean and neat then you should also put everythign back to the tank with fresh water and youre fish. so that can be live in a healthy clean water . you should also feed the fish least three little pieces of fish foods one at morning , evening time that it no more then 3 pieces foods . you take the fish to the doctor to check if its doing okay.

Answer 5

When was your last water change? It could be the water causing the problem cos its common to all your bettas. OR, they could be stressed due to the travelling. There is no point in travelling with so many fish stressing yourself and them. I'd suggest you to leave them behind and have someone to take care of them while you're away the next time you travel.

Answer 6

Well, bettas don't live more than a few years. That sounds like what happened to my betta right before he died. You could try double checking the water temperature. It might have gotten too cold in the winter.

Answer 7

Water change. Aged, treated water that has been pre-filtered with charcoal. It's an ammonia build up, baby. Make at least a 25% water change and watch the color return. Just make sure you pretreat the water and use charcoal to remove the..oh hell, i dunno what you call it, but when you treat the water you get a spike of some chemical that is bad news for stressed fish.

Answer 8

i know that they definitely have their rest period. During the day, watch how they act and if they still don't move much, then they might be sick. Try changing the water if you haven't changed it in a while If they're sick, you just might have to watch them go to fish heaven.

Answer 9

first off
i would put some aquarium salt in the tank
like half a tea spoon or a full tea spoon
also
what is your temp at?
when was your last water change?
are your bettas facing each other
or apart?
have you changed thier foods at all?
are they new?
when was there last feed?

Answer 10

You are not supposed to put two betas together maybe he is dead or dying this is what happened to mine. Very little movement and then dead the next day.