Betta Isn't Acting Right

[Kelsyann]

I've had my betta for almost 6 months. He's a common red petstore Veil Tail. He's usually really active and swims all around his tank, but for the past couple days, he's just been resting on the plants or the substrate. . I have a hallow log thing and I just checked on him and he's hiding in there, which he never does. He does seem to be eating, but I almost have to wake him up by pokeing at him with something. Last water change was about 5 days ago and I was going to do another one today. Haven't tested water conditions yet, I'm doing it after I type this.
Tank Info:
-10 US gallons
-moderately planted
-Playsand Substrate
-Tetra Whisper 20i filter
-Stealth 15 watt heater(tank is currently 80 degrees F)
-Tank is shared with 7 cory cats, (3 of which will be moved soon) and an apple snail.
I haven't added anything new in or changed anything around in quite sometime so I don't believe its shock.

 

[Kelsyann]

Okay just checked water stats and Nitrite was off the charts!
Ammonia: 0
NitrIte 5.0ish
NitrAte 5
pH: 7.6

I cycled my tank properly about 4 months ago, why is nitrIte so high? Could this be the reason my betta is acting weird? The other fish seem fine

 

[JasonU]

Okay just checked water stats and Nitrite was off the charts!
Ammonia: 0
NitrIte 5.0ish
NitrAte 5
pH: 7.6

I cycled my tank properly about 4 months ago, why is nitrIte so high? Could this be the reason my betta is acting weird? The other fish seem fine

What is the temperature in the tank?

I dont think it is unusal for bettas to rest on plants. Mine, until it took ill this week does it all the time. Also rests on the back of the water heater.

My last betta used to sit out of the water on top of a broad leafed plant.

Does he look alright? Any thing look out of place? Does he look bloated at all?

 

[Kelsyann]

Water is at 80F He himself looks fine, no bloating or white spots or anything. If anything I'd say his color turned more vibrant.

 

[Gilli]

Sounds like new tank syndrome.- your nitrite reading should be 0. Nitrite is formed as part of the nitrogen cycle, when the bacteria in the tank breaks down the ammonia, nitrite are produced. While nitrite isn’t as poisonous to fish as ammonia, it is still very dangerous and can easily kill fish. In a mature aquarium the nitrite levels will always be at zero, thus not being a problem to fish. If nitrite is present at lower levels, fish may only show signs of toxicity when they are stressed further and require more oxygen. Over longer periods of exposure to nitrite, fish can become anemic.

Change 50% of your water every day until your water levels stablilize and all is well again, and make sure you test your water on a regular basis - that way you can spot problems right away and correct them.

 

[Kelsyann]

I'm just confused as to how I have new tank syndrome when this tank has been established for 3 months! My stats were perfectly normal when I checked last week. Okay I guess I'll be doing plenty of water changes the next few days then.

 

[Kelsyann]

Okay just did a massive water change, about 60% and when I tested Nitrite it came up as 0. Does this mean it'll stay st zero? I'll keep checking, but I'm going to be away until sunday night. I'll try and get my dad to test the water and if needed do a change.

 

[Kelsyann]

Well this morning I discovered one of my Peppered Cories was dead and I can't find another of them. CHecked water:
Ammonia 0
NitrIte 0
NitrAte 10
pH 7.6

and now my Betta sits on the bottoom of the tank not moving, only going up for air and not eating. Whats going on here?! I just want my fishys to be okay

 

[arobinson1984]

How did you originally cycle your tank?

What chemicals do you put in your tank during water changes etc?

Does your filter have zeolite in it?

Andy

 

[liz2]

I wish I could help. I keep my bettas in separate small tanks, could you move yours for the time being?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Kelsyann

One of the reasons you are losing your corys might be the extremely warm temperature you are keeping them in. C. paleatus (peppered corys) prefer their water to be in the 59-77 F. range, and you have well exceeded that.

The warmer the tank is, the better the chances are that there will be a less than ideal amount of oxygen present in the water. Please make certain that you have good water movement at the surface.

Either of these conditions alone, can lead to stress and bacterial infections.

 

[Kelsyann]

Well the Betta has perked up a little, he even ate this afternoon! I found my other peppered, so I now have the 3 peppered and 3 panda.

How did you originally cycle your tank?

What chemicals do you put in your tank during water changes etc?

Does your filter have zeolite in it?

Andy

I originally cycled using fish flakes as I couldn't find ammonia. It only took about 3 weeks before nitrIte and ammonia stayed at a steady zero. I use Top Fin Tap Water Dechlorinator when I do my water changes. I'm not sure as to what Zeolite is, so I can't answer that one.

Inchworm, I'll go turn my heater down now and see if that changes anything, but after that huge water change and a little rest, everyone looks like they've recovered well Oh and there is some surface movement from my filter, but not much because of the Betta.

 

[arobinson1984]

Zeolite is inside your filter and normally in either a plastic container or a bag and the zeolite itself looks like white chips of stone. If you had any it should say in your filter's instructions.

I was just asking because zeolite gets rid of ammonia but if you have zeolite in a tank when its cycling it can cause probs due to neutralising the ammonia needed for the bacteria to form so I was just looking at the possibility that the tank hadnt cycled properly. If you dont have zeolite in your filter then this wouldn't be the prob.

Andy