betta fish problems........plz help?

Question

IVE HAD BETTA FISH BEFORE BUT THEY DIED DUE TO THE WHOLE PLANT ON TOP OF THE VASE SETUP THAT MY MOM CREATED...SHE THOUGHT IT WOULD LOOK CUTE...ANYWAYS.......I RECENTLY MOVED MY FISH FROM A .5 GAL TANK TO A 2.5 GAL TANK....HE WAS DOING FINE AND EVERYTHING....BUT NOW HE WONT EAT....AND HE SITS AT EITHER THE TOP OF THE TANK OR AT THE BOTTOM AND DOES NOT MOVE....AND WHEN I SAY DOES NOT MOVE I OFTEN PASS BY HIM AND THINK THAT HE IS DEAD....I DONT REALLY KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON HIM OR ANYTHING TO DETERMINE DISEASE. I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE A FILTER OF SOME SORT AND SOME KIND OF HEATING BUT I DONT KNOW WHERE TO GET ONE AT THAT WILL FIT A 2.5 GAL TANK. I CANT GET A BIGGER TANK DUE TO SPACE ISSUES....I ALSO HOUSE 2 HAMSTERS IN MY BEDROOM IN SEPARATE CAGES AND LIVE IN AN APARTMENT. ANY ADVICE ON SAVING STIR-FRY (THATS HIS NAME...BOYFRIEND NAMED HIM...LOL) WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED...

Answer 1

**Your bettas shall be much happier and healthier if attention is paid to the cleanliness of their water. As part of your betta fish care, change at least half of the water once every week or sooner if it starts to turn cloudy. Also make sure that you use aged water for changing, meaning, let it stand for twenty four hours. This shall also help in releasing the chemicals (especially chlorine), if there is any.


These fishes have tiny stomachs. It is therefore recommended that one gives small quantities of food maybe twice a day. All kinds of frozen foods and pellets are available in the market but bettas love live food like worms and brine shrimp and so it is a good idea that included in your betta fish care routine, is a treat with these live foods, every once in a while.


These fishes like the temperature of the tank to be between 75 and 84 degrees or 24 -30 degrees Celsius. The ph most suited to keeping them healthy is in the range of 6.8 to 7.3.


Bettas tend to jump out of the water, so make sure you have some kind of cover on the bowl or tank. We normally have a few tank accessories or decorations and care should be taken not to use soap while cleaning them. Even a slight trace of soap residue can have an adverse effect on the health of your beautiful fish

Answer 2

I think the lack of a heater may be causing his problems. They can suvive at room temperatures, but they become more lethargic and don't eat as well - they're also more susceptible to fungal infections.

You should be able to get a small heater at any pet store. You want one that's at least 5 watts for every gallon of tank volume, and there are 25 watt heaters that work well in tanks under 5 gallons. I think if you get him a heater so the water temperature is at least 76o, you'll notice a change in his behavior.

Without a filter, you may also have problems with ammonia and nitrite building up in the water. This isn't so much of a problem in a filtered tank, because the bacteria that convert these into a less harmful compound (nitrate) would be present. But without a filter, there isn't much oxygen in the water at the bottom of the tank that the bacteria need to survive. You should be doing regular water changes for him every 2-3 days because of this. If you had a small filter, you would only need to do 25% water changes about once a week.

Answer 3

you dont have to buy another tank just go to walmart or petsmart and buy a gold fish bowl and she would be happy that way she can eat and don't worry about gettin attacked! If a female that wasn’t ripe, or ready for spawning, would have entered a males tank, it’s possible that she would’ve been attacked, as non-ripe females are not tolerated within the vicinity of the nest. By not fleeing, a female indicates her readiness to spawn. Yes, some times if you are not careful when trying too breed bettas, the male will attack the female and he can injure the female, the females are much smaller than the males. A Male and a Female: In the wild, females stay clear of males, except during mating. When cohabiting in tanks, males might kill females, and are generally kept apart unless (a) they are juvenile siblings, (b) they are breeding, (c) there is a partition, or (d) the tank is large enough for the female to escape attack. Often, before breeding, breeders use such a container to allow female display without risking harm by the male. Two or more Females: Bettas are not schooling fish, but in a large tank with many hiding spaces, female bettas can cohabit. When two females share a tank, one usually bullies the other, however, four or more females will establish a hierarchy allowing peaceful co-existence, nevertheless, females living in community must be monitored for aggressive females.

Answer 4

Let's start by going through a check list;
1.) First off (as has been mentioned before) what is the temperature of the water he is in? You can buy cheap little stick on thermometers that will give you a decent idea of the water temperature. If it is lower than 72-74, try to warm it up my moving it to a warmer part of the house or looking into a small heater (make sure it is not too powerful or it could fry your betta).
2.) Water quality is important. Do a 50% water change with clean conditioned 'aged' (left to sit overnight) water. Do these changes once a week and see if that perks him up. Make sure you siphon waste out of the bottom with a small siphon made of airline tubing, or purchased at you local fish store. Excess waste builds up ammonia and will poison your fish. You do not need a filter as allot of water movement will stress you betta further.
3.) Look for signs of disease. Small with spots that look like salt (ich), or small fuzzy white patches (fungus), or anything else that is abnormal like missing scales, etc. If you notice anything make a list and talk to someone at your local fish store about it.
4.) A last effort is to try to bribe him into eating. Bettas LOVE frozen bloodworms, and one pack will last you forever if you only have one betta. Break off a little piece with you fingers or a knife and put in right over his nose, see if that entices him a little. Be careful with frozen food though not to overfeed as it breaks down quickly and creates high ammonia levels rapidly.
5.) If all else pails it just may be that you betta is old. Most bettas only live 2 years or so under optimal conditions and by the time you purchase them in the pet stores they are often 8 months +, so he just might be getting old and not wanting to move around as much as he used to. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Its because of the new tank syndrome. Put some drops AmmoLock or Amquel into the tank for immediate relief. Get some water from a friends old & healthy tank and seed this one with beneficial bacteria. Read about the nitrogen cycle at the link below.

Answer 6

It sounds like he may be cold. I had a beta and his water got to cold one time and he didn't eat or swim around. Your tank might be too big for him without a heater. They keep well in smaller tanks because the water temperature stays fairly even. I put mine in a 10 gallon tank with a heater to keep him happy. I know, it's a lot of tank for one fish but he liked it because it was warm. :-) You could get a 5 gallon tank and put a heater in it.

Answer 7

He may just be getting used to the new tank. Sometimes it takes a couple of days for them to get aquainted with a larger aquarium. He may be cold...if you do not want to get a small heater from the pet store you could put a heating pad next to it so it can absorb the heat. Bettas can take the colder temperature down to about 65-70 degrees. They can also survive not eating for days. So, don't worry, I am sure it's nothing, and just wait it out.

Answer 8

lets take on water quality -- how often do you change the water? if you answer anything more than one week you should change your answer and change the water more often.

does he have a nice big plant or something he can swim around? bettas like some stimulation. you wouldn't want to live in a room with nothing in it -- he doesn't either.

do you know the temperature in your apt? the water would be about the same. if its below 70 you should figure out a way to warm up your stirfry.

Answer 9

i have 2 bettas and when they are my sons rooms, they don't do much put stirfry in the family room so he sees more activity. hell come around. BTW if your house is kept btwn 70-74
stirfry will be fine and does not need a heater. neither of ours have them and have been fine for 2 and 3.5 years

Answer 10

Maybe hes not happy there Did U change the food the tempurature anything. id U use fish conditiner in the water