Betta Not Moving...is This Normal?

[NinjaNick]

hi,

firstly im new to the whole having a fish thing. if this is a repost (i wouldnt be suprised), please do direct me to it.

k, so i got my betta fish yesturday (clowntail), hes really pretty btw, black with long red fins. he is in a 10L tank. he is eating freeze dried blood worms. my only concern is he doesnt move around at all. he just kinda hangs out in one spot, and goes the the surface to breath every couple minutes, and then goes back down.

ive got a lamp that shines on the tank from 4 inches away, to keep it slightly above room temperature. room temp = 75'F i dont have a thermometer so what is the best way of telling how warm to keep the water.

but my main concern is my fish doest do much...is that normal? well he end up adapting to his new environment and become more active...

 

[liz2]

Hello nice to hear from you. If your fish is new he will be scared and will take a while to get used to the set up. Mine didnt eat for a week when I got them. Just leave him to get settled in. Does the light warm the water and then it cools down? If so, I have found the fish dont like temp. changes. Could be this that is upsetting him.
You can get thermometers quite cheap if you are asking about temp. perhaps you ought to get one. Saying that I dont use them but got too many tanks.
Keep us posted..

 

[SPLiSH]

Hi NinjaNick,

Your betta is probably still adjusting, they often are a bit listless in the first few days. An aquarium heater is much better at warming the water than a lamp, and as Liz said, a lamp isn't always on so the water cools down at night. A 25 watt heater would keep your betta's tank at a stable temperature, around 26 degrees celcius is best. Thermometers are really cheap, $2-3 or so.

BTW - the tail type is called cRowntail.

 

[jollysue]

except for the really long tail part

What is your maintenence schedule and tank size?

 

[NinjaNick]

hi everyone,

i have some pretty bad news... my fishy died :'(

i was very upset, especially because it was self caused, the lamp got the water too hot, and ya.

but i have good news. determined not to allow this to happen again, i bought a water heater and filter and plants, and ofcourse a new fish. i named this one otto too, in memory

he seems really happy, moves around and is now eating bloodworms. as well as enjoys fighting himself in the evenings when he can see his reflection through the window side of his tank. i don't know what type of a 'tank schedule' i should have...could someone give me some advice, its a 2.5g tank.

-nick

 

[starrynightxxi]

sorry about your fish. I was going to say that that is another problem with lamps. they can easily get the water too hot.

BUT, on to making this next fish as happy as can be, a 2.5g is a good start. You should be doing a 100% water change on that 1-2 times a week. Make sure you use dechlorinated water.

it doesn't take much more than that. good luck with this one