Lately my siamese fighting fish has been lying down at bottom of the bowl and only comes up for a feed. He seems lazy and lifeless. Can anyone tell my why and how I can improve his condition? I change his water frequently (adding conditioner) perhaps is it the temp of the water? It is beginning to get quite cold....
2007-05-27 14:55:19 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
It sounds like you have already figured the problem out. If the water falls below about 75 F or so the fish will get rather lethargic and lifeless. The single best way to improve his living situation would be to get a small tank with a filter and heater that will keep his environment clean and stable.
MM
2007-05-27 15:02:50 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Well it could be the temp. But at my house my fish like the cold water for some reason, but I just recently got a new tank that came with the fish conditioner and my fish was getting sick and lazy and weird! So I cleaned his tank and didn't put in any beta conditioner and he was fine. But what I do is fill up a big continier of water let it sit for 2 or 3 days then I will put it in his tank because the sudden shock of the water with toxins and stuff might also hurt him.
2007-05-29 03:01:55 · answer #2 · answered by xXLiTtLePuPpYXx 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bettas like the temp around 76-82F, so if it is in the 70s or under, that probably is why he has decreased in activity. Check for signs of illness though, ill fish become lifeless. Most likely it is the temperature, so get a heater and you will have a perky betta again. Also, how old is he?
2007-05-27 15:02:29 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Bettas are tropical fish from Southeast Asia (Thailand, formerly Siam, hence the name Siamese fighting fish) that need to be kept in at least a 5 gallon aquarium with a filter and heater that maintains the water temp at between 78-82 degrees.
In the wild, they are carnivores that eat bugs and larvae that fall or live in the water. Diet is a big factor in their early deaths. They need meat. Frozen bloodworms and frozen adult brine shrimp are eaten with gusto. The hard dry pellets are (IMHO) not good for them because of their small digestive tracts. If you feed pellets, soak them in tank water to soften them before giving them to the fish. I feed BettaMin flakes by Tetra and treats twice a week of bloodworms and brine shrimp.
Their life span in the wild is about 5 years, in a well maintained aquarium they can live up to 7 years and the record as far as I know it just over 10 years in a lab situation. In the care of uninformed owners, they are lucky to live a year. It must be pure torture for the betta, too.
Small bowls or vases are death traps for bettas as the temperature will vary with the temp of the room because the water volume is so small. Poor diet, constant fluctuation of temp and poor water quality causes a great deal of stress to the fish and eventually compromises their immune system allowing opportunistic diseases to gain a foothold and ultimately kill your fish.
It would cost about $30 to get a 10 gallon tank, small power filter and a small heater for your betta, a small price to pay to provide a good healthy environment for your pet. You can also add more fish to this tank, bettas only fight with other male bettas, not other tropicals.
BTW, it is pronounced bet-tah, not bay-tah.
2007-05-27 15:04:47 · answer #4 · answered by 8 In the corner 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Betta's are not schooling danios my friend, they are low metabolism fish. They don't like to waste food swimming, but rather just enjoy the moments. They are much happier in large areas(even though thye don't like to swim a lot),They are happier in warmer climates, and they love java fern( expensive than others, but grows well). I have one with 3 bronze corys and some 100 shrimps in a planted aquairum. He always statys close in the java fern or moss when scared.
2007-05-27 15:44:06 · answer #5 · answered by Asphodel 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah if the temperature gets too cold they don't swim. Just like you when you're in a cold pool or at the beach, when you get in you just stand still. It kinda hurts to move until you warm up. (Not literally "hurts"), but it's uncomfortable. The water should be room temperature, so you can put him under light like on your dresser or something. Just don't put him by a window.
2007-05-27 23:58:49 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bettas are comfortable with water of about 30 degrees Celsius, so you could try putting it in a warmer place. Also, I think the behaviour is relatively normal. My betta always was so still that it looked dead, but it was getting old. Then it died for real after a few months. Maybe yours is old too?
2007-05-27 15:10:18 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
thats it ! if the waters to cold they will get slugish if i were you i would get a tank with fake plants and gravle and put a filter and heater inside your total cost will only be around 55 dollars
p.s 55$ if you get the multi purpose tank thats not really a tank it can hold hamsters and stuff in it and the top comes in diffrent colors
2007-05-27 15:02:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Get him a tank(5-10gallon) he will be happy. They can survive in a bowl, but it's just not healthy!
2007-05-27 15:35:02 · answer #9 · answered by slybry0466 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It sounds like the temp.
If it goes under 75F, he would be lethargic all the time.
ßübblëš
2007-05-28 11:51:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋