Tips on how to make my new crowntail betta happy and comfortable?

Question

I bought a red crowntail at the petstore today, but it's rather lethargic and not at all aggressive (as I had heard bettas were). It was living in a small plastic cup in the store, though. I've moved it into a good-sized tank, with some decorations. It has no filter. I have already conditioned the water, and fed him 6 small pellets, which he gobbled up readily. Still, he's not swimming around much, mostly moping at the bottom. Any tips on how to make him more happier, and livelier?

I have a fluorescent light in the tank; could this serve as a heater?

Answer 1

in addition to what copperhead said, lights don't work great as heaters because the must be turned off at night which causes fluctuations int he tank everyday, this can be worse than no heater at all. a heater is the best choice. I suggest keeping the tank at 80°F.

a filter would also be a wise choice, otherwise you're going to haver to pull everything out to clean it and fill the tank back up again at least once a week. it's kind of like not having a toilet :( yuck!

one more thing, you may want to make sure all the decorations are soft and smooth (ex- no plastic plants or rough rocks). these things can easily tear the delicate fins of a betta.

one you heat the tank he should perk right up, he may take a few days to adjust to his new home, but soon he'll be patrolling it all the time :)

Answer 2

You can put a mirror against the tank and let the fish get active for at least 20mins and you can observe its natural instinct of it with another male.

If you leave the light on for a long period of time yes it will start to act as a heater(temp for a betta is 76 to 80 degrees)

Hope this helps.

WT

Answer 3

I don't recommend using lights as heaters. They're usually not very stable.

Also, don't put any fish inside your tank unless it is at least 10 gallons. If he's in a 5 gallon tank, he can survive with one African Dwarf Frog to kepe him company. ADFs are great betta tankmates, but be careful not to get an African Clawed Frog instead - they can eat your fish!

You might want to wait a couple of days before he gets perkier. You have to understand that he's just been placed into a completely new environment - bigger, with new decorations. What's more, his water has probably gone under a drastic change (maybe not drastic to you, but certainly to him) in hardness, pH and so on. In other words, moving into a new home is usually a sensory overload for your betta. He'll be fine, but you might want to give him a couple of days just to settle in and get used to things. In my opinion, he should be okay in no time.

If in a couple of days he's still mopey, try flaring him by putting a mirror up to the side of the tank. He will think it's another betta and immediately perk up to defend his territory aggressively. (Don't worry, it doesn't harm him in any way.) However, be sure not to have the mirror up for more than 15 to 20 minutes a day - it exhausts your fish and can lead to the overstretching of fins.

Crowntails are particularly prone to ray-curling, an occurrence in which the rays of the fins curl or become thinned out. To prevent this from happening, add some blackwater extract or Indian Almond Leaf to your water. It helps to soften the water and creates the brackish water conditions that bettas have in their natural habitat, so that they're calmer and more comfortable. I've found that crowntails are particularly sensitive to hard water, and in the case of my own crowntail, I've been able to prevent any ray-curling with some blackwater extract and a small piece of Indian Almond Leaf. (The leaves are a bit harder to find outside Southeast Asia, but Kent makes a good brand of blackwater extract.) Other than that, try not to net your crowntail - instead, during a water change, scoop him into a cup instead of a net. Nets get their fins all tangled up and bent which leads to ray-thinning.

Answer 4

Fluorescent lights generally don't produce that much heat. Bettas like temperatures between 76-86o. They can survive water temperatures outside this range, but they don't necessarily thrive in them.

He may take a while to become active (in even the best of conditions) since he's new.

Answer 5

Don't tease them with another betta or a mirror. If you have a heater in the tank you could add some nice tropical fish. You add add any community fish, as long as they don't have long, flowing fins or are brightly colored.

Answer 6

please help me my crownetail fish. is lifeless and whem I got him he was very active. I want my betta to be happy again.

Answer 7

buy another one and put it in a tank that is close (not the same tank). They will keep each other amused. Don't expect too much movement. Also, don't let it get cold.