I've had my female betta for about a month. She is in her own tank, a nice size, with special water from bottles called "Betta Water" that has already been treated. I've noticed that she lays on her plant and sticks half of her face out of the water. The first time I saw that, when I removed the cover because I couldn't find her, it scared the crap out of me because I thought she was dead. I poked her and she darted off and started swimming around and ate and was all normal. In the beginning she used to sleep in her castle, now it's just at the top of the water. Lately I've been seeing her just float at the top without even being on her plant. She's not floating sideways or anything, just aimlessly and lassily. She's fed according to directions. Her body is a light pink and her fins are a dark red. This morning I noticed that the dark red in her fins are fading. I don't know what that is from because I take good care of her and her water. The lid does have a light on all the time.
2007-06-30 04:01:09 · 5 answers · asked by Nessy K 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
So I don't know if the light could cause this? I have a male betta in a seperate tank. I've had him for a good few months now and he's never acted the way my female betta is acting. The thing I don't get is that she's active other than that. Does anyone know what is wrong? Or is that just her sleeping preferance?
2007-06-30 04:02:37 · update #1
It's very bad for any fish to leave the light on 24/7
They need rest and darkness just as we do
Generally you leave the light on for 10-12 hours during the day and turn of the light for 12-14 hours at night
fishes sleep just as you do
hope that helps
Good luck
EB
2007-06-30 09:27:40 · answer #1 · answered by Kribensis lover 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i am not sure what a nice size for a betta is. i have found they are more active the more space you give them. 2 1/2 gallons is a nice size and 5 gallons is better. you shouldn't keep the light on all day -- with no live plants 8 hours is more than enough -- you will grow algae leaving the light on too long. i have started floating water sprite in with my bettas and most love to sit on top of it for a large portion of the day. i would check the temperature it should be upper 70s at least and forget about the betta water. save the money for a bigger betta home or a live plant.
2007-06-30 16:21:35 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's probably just her sleeping preference. My betta sleeps with his nose to the bottom of the tank and his body vertically upwards. I've heard of a ton of different strange betta sleeping positions too. So don't worry about it. If you want to do something about it, maybe you could raise the water level so that she can rest on the plant without having her head stick out?
However, you shouldn't have the light on all the time. Fish need darkness at night, and excessive light can encourage algae growth.
2007-06-30 23:27:22 · answer #3 · answered by ninjaaa! 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The light shouldn't be on 24/7 - all fish need a day/night cycle to rest.
This could just be her sleeping preference, but I'd also suggest checking her water temperature. Bettas are most comfortable between 76-85o, although I keep mine at 76-80o unless I breeding. If the temperature is outside that range, they might survive, but not thrive. This could be what's causing her to be lethargic and lose her color (a sign of stress).
The bottled water really isn't necessary. Tap water with conditioner to remove chlorine/chloramine is fine in most cases.
2007-06-30 12:09:20 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suspect two things, one that she is not doing too well with whatever is in the special water (aloe?) and two that she needs oxygen
I could be wrong
2007-06-30 11:13:42 · answer #5 · answered by sego lily 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋