Betta Acting Strange

[Falconwithaboxon]

My girlfriend just got a little 5 gallon tank and a betta. It is under planted I know but she wants to put a cave in first before more plants. The issue I'm having is how it is acting. It is either swimming on the bottom or top but not between at all. Is this normal? He was just introduced today. She did one of the bottles that is supposed to complete the cycle instantly, I used that for my newest tank with no issues. It is from PetSmart from one of those cups so I know those can be iffy. It is not discolored and there is no noticeable damage to any part of the fish but it does appear to be breathing considerably faster than I would expect. I might be overreacting, I don't know anything about Bettas, I've never owned one but it is acting weird compared to how my other fish act, even at first introduction to a new tank.

Parameters are 7.4 pH, 78°F, 0 for ammonia and nitrite, 25 ppm for nitrate, not sure of gh or kh but I assume it is similar to my other tanks at 6 gh and 4 kh. There is no heater though, it said she doesn't need one for a tank that size but I think she needs it.

I will get a closer picture when I get home.

 

[EllRog]

You can't instantly cycle a tank, even when seeding it with established media. The water was probably too hot/cold when the fish was added, because there's no heater, and now it has cooled making the fish less active.

The tank needs cycling as well as a heater

 

[Falconwithaboxon]

You can't instantly cycle a tank, even when seeding it with established media. The water was probably too hot/cold when the fish was added, because there's no heater, and now it has cooled making the fish less active.

The tank needs cycling as well as a heater

Yeah I'm kind of iffy on that chemical, forget the name but it's from Tetra, that claims to cycle the tank instantly, it worked for me though so I let her use it. I'm taking her back to the store so she can get a heater.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

It may be in shock, especially if it doesn’t have a heater...

 

[Essjay]

Besides getting a heater and more live plants, she also needs to test the water for ammonia and nitrite every day to make sure they stay at zero.

Bettas need a heater unless you live in the tropics as bettas need water slightly higher than most tropical fish.
Getting live plants as soon as possible will also help as they take up ammonia and they don't turn it into nitrite.

 

[Falconwithaboxon]

Besides getting a heater and more live plants, she also needs to test the water for ammonia and nitrite every day to make sure they stay at zero.

Bettas need a heater unless you live in the tropics as bettas need water slightly higher than most tropical fish.
Getting live plants as soon as possible will also help as they take up ammonia and they don't turn it into nitrite.

She got the heater, more plants, and structures. He's acting better so we think he was just stressed from lack of hiding spots and a new tank. Water parameters are still looking good but I'm making sure she is testing it still.

 

[Essjay]

That's good to hear

 

[mark4785]

I once used one of these ‘instant cycle’ products when I was doing a fishless cycle and in addition to being completely ineffective it also stalled the cycle. As other posters have said, you need a heater to ensure the temperature stays at 78 F or above and you need to plant densely so the live plants can remove any ammonia or nitrite.

 

[Slaphppy7]

Liquid test kit, paper strips are mostly useless.
And agree with the others, "instant cycles" are about as common as unicorns....