Betta Acting Strange

[vgames33]

Hello. I was given a gift of a new betta fish a few days ago, so he is going through the new tank's cycle on his own. Its a 10 gallon tank, filled with roughly 8 gallons. The filter is a bit undersized to keep the water nice and calm. Ammonia levels are low, but I'm still waiting on the rest of my tests to finish.

Anyway, my fish, Rufus, is very active and seems friendly. He doesn't sit in one part of his tank for very long unless hes resting. But for the last hour or so, he has been huddled in one corner, swimming back and forth against the glass while he thrashes rather violently. I can't tell if he's trying to rub his gills or dorsal fin against the glass, but he does turn on his side slightly while doing it. He only stops to get air from the top, which he's doing more often than usual. I think he might be trying to fight his reflection, since his gills do look a bit flared while he does it, but that side of the tank is against the wall, so I can't tell. He's never been interested in fighting himself before. I did get him to stop for food, which he ate without hassle before returning to his corner.

---------------------

After some more looking, I think his gills looks a little darker than usual, but I'm not sure. He's also mellowed out a bit and started swimming in a big loop, rather than back and forth.

 

[Htw]

It's often difficult to tell if there is something actually wrong with the fish. My first thought would be to do a water change asap. You need to change water very frequently as he will not like being the source of the tanks cycle as well, so treat it as though there were no filter really to start with. [Make sure you use dechlorinator at every water change, as chlorine will irritate his gills]

 

[lilfishie]

is he near a mirror or anything colourful?

 

[Kyrielle]

The side of the tank is against the wall and it's probably turning that corner into a mirror. Try moving your tank a few inches away from the wall and see if that helps.

 

[Maxsmom]

It's hard to say but I've been told that if your betta (or other fish) are acting diffently during a cycle - it's best to remove them. I understand that bettas don't do cycling very well. I'm actually doing a fishless cycle (using pure ammonia in place of the fish) of my new 5 gallon as Max, my betta, seems very sensitive to even the slightest elevation in ammonia.

If you have to keep your betta in there, I would make sure you're using a really good water conditioner like Prime and perhaps add a bit of aquarium salt. It sounds to me that something is irritating Rufus with the sudden change in behaviour.

How is his appetite? If you've noticed a change in that too (usually less of an appetite)... then I'd err on the side of caution and put him in a smaller tank for the time being while you do a "betta"-less cycle. It's also good to have a smaller tank on hand incase you ever have to medicate your fish or quarantine them.

There's also a new product out on the market called Bio-Spira. It's LIVE "good-guy" bacteria that get to work almost immediately converting the ammonia and nitrites... so the spikes are milder and much more short-lived. It apparently takes most tanks about a week to cycle with this stuff. I just can't get it in Canada without paying a small fortune for it.

 

[vgames33]

He seems to be alright now, although a bit less lively than usual. He's eating just as much as he always has. Maybe he's worn out from all that swimming?

As much as I'd like to remove him and do a fishless cycle, I can't. He was given as a suprise gift from my girlfriend, so I didn't have a tank or anything prepared. After doing some reading, I decided that he would be much happier in a tank, rather than the bowl he was in, and I would be happier with the less frequent maintanence. I bought a tank and got it ready, but decided that he would be better off in an uncycled 10 gallon tank than an uncycled 3/4 gallon bowl. The ammonia and nitrate/trite levels are close enough to zero that my kit can't find any. The water is a bit harder and basic than what it should be, at 22 and 7.5 respectively, do you think that would be bothering him?. I'd assume that the cycle is more important that those at this time.

I'll have to try moving the tank away from the wall a bit.

Is it safe to use the Bio-Spira with the fish in there?

Thanks for the help.

 

[Christine1014]

I believe you can use Bio-Spora w/ the fish in there, but just be warned; for Bio-Spora to be of any benefit at all, it must have remained constantly refrigerated to keep the good bacteria alive. It's kind of expensive I think, so make sure you're buying from a really reputable shop. But honestly, while you're tank cycles, you might be better off keeping the betta in a fishbowl and changing the water ever day. As your tank cycles, the ammonia levels are going to go really high, and then the nitrite levels will go really high... it's a bad thing for fish. Do you have any friends w/ cycled tanks? If you take one of their old filter cartridges and put it in your filter, you'll dramatically reduce the amount of time it takes your tank to cycle (just keep the borrowed filter media wet during transport, and get it in your tank ASAP. The longer you leave it out of water, the more bacteria will die). Good luck to you and your little fishy!