Is my Betta too quiet?

[Lanpenn]

Hello everyone, how is it going?

Well, I have had my Betta splendens since May 14th, 2023 (that is, he will complete two years this year... or he is already two years old!) and I suspect some weird behavior from him.

This is the setup:
• Aquarium size: 17.74" length x 11.81" height x 9.84" width, about 7.92 gallons;
• Substrate: 11.02 lb gravel nº 0 Aqua Pedras;
• Heating: heater Roxin® HT-1300/Q3 50 W, adjusted to 80.6 ºF (temperature about 78.8 ºF)
• Filtration: Xynyou® xy-2835 sponge filter with air pump Tetra® Whisper The Shape of Silence™ (10-30 gallons)
• Lighting: Hygger® HG990 14 W, 68 LEDs, 817 lumina, 6500 Kelvin
• Photoperiod: 10 daily hours;
• Fauna: Betta splendens;
• Flora: Elodea sp. and Ceratophyllum demersum;
• pH: 7.5 (today I found out that my pH test has expired since October 2024...)
• Ammmonia/nitrite: 0/0 ppm

I have fed him the same thing since he arrived here but, since my brine shrimp culture does not exist anymore, I have been giving him some small isopods (every weekend; one day of fasting per week). I am testing to use tiny BSFL as a substitute too (or some kind of BSFL flakes). Recently, I added another sponge filter (JAD SF-101) with an air pump (Maxxi Pro-2000, 60 L/h), because there are still some fin holes (a small hole on the caudal fin and another on the dorsal fin) and this must help me in removing detritus from the tank.

My impressions may be wrong, but it seems that he is less active, resting more than some time ago (in this case, can be anywhere, from over the aquarium magnet to the smaller sponge filter...). Despite this, he always appears at the front of the aquarium during feed time. However, I know that Betta splendens is less active than other fish. How could I measure this? I only think about making some videos of him.

Thanks for your attention!

 

[MaloK]

He is already an old boy now, As long as he shows up for his meals, all is good.

 

[Lanpenn]

He is already an old boy now, As long as he shows up for his meals, all is good.

But Betta's age expectancy is not about 5-7 years?

 

[gwand]

Very few Betta live that long.

 

[MaloK]

But Betta's age expectancy is not about 5-7 years?

I'm not an expert in betta longevity, But 2-4 years is about what I experienced with one exception, 5 years.

Some people say they have reached 7 to 10 years in marvelous conditions. I have no proof of any of this.

But the first sign of a betta getting older is reduced activity, then a hump will appear behind his head and his spine will start to be droopy at the tail. They will also show some wear and less brilliant fins. And develop a grayish coloration around the mouth

That's is how a very old betta looks like. His organs are failing and he shows signs of bloating. You can even see on the picture that the fish has developed cataracts and the hump behind the head.

 

[GaryE]

A lot of commercial bettas have tb, and that reduces their lifespan to around 3 years. I've seen them live to 5 to 7 years, but it's been a while since then. In 2000, a 4 or 5 year betta if properly cared for wasn't a rarity. Now, it is.

But, and this is a serious but, they are also ambush predators, and floating still waiting to strike prey is an instinct.

 

[Lanpenn]

That is interesting. Would this be genetics? My betta is the typical betta you find in several places, without a pure lineage.

 

[MaloK]

The less pure the linage, the longer it has chance to live.

 

[Lanpenn]

A lot of commercial bettas have tb, and that reduces their lifespan to around 3 years. I've seen them live to 5 to 7 years, but it's been a while since then. In 2000, a 4 or 5 year betta if properly cared for wasn't a rarity. Now, it is.

But, and this is a serious but, they are also ambush predators, and floating still waiting to strike prey is an instinct.

Did you mean that it is common for the bettas to stay still at the water surface as ambush predators? A few months ago, my betta used to explore more the tank. Now he has more preference to stay still on the substrate and in some hiding place.

This is interesting, MaloK.

 

[MaloK]

A good old long finned betta splendens... Dropped In a shrimp tank...

First week: Chase all around like a maniac... Catches nothing.
Second week: Catches a shrimp that dropped on his nose while resting.
Third week: Flows in the water like a piece of debris to place his mouth in position. (you can see them using only their gills to navigate). And start catching stuff.

They are Very Smart Fish.

 

[Lanpenn]

This is the video I recorded today of him:

 

[Lanpenn]

Today I took more pictures. My Betta is now resting crooked. Do you realize the end of his backbone? It seems that there is a protuberance.

What do you think? Recently, I added Elodea densa (because it seems that almost no one plant goes well with the water...), as well as Lemna sp. (poor growth) and Salvinia minima (mediocre growth).

 

[Lanpenn]

On Monday, I went with my Betta splendens to the veterinarian in another city (Ribeirão Preto). It is the first time in 13 years I have brought a fish to a veterinarian. She said that my Betta was too thin and suspected some scoliosis. Later, she took a sample from him to look specifically for ectoparasites under the microscope (but found nothing), and also did an X-ray. On the X-ray, she told me that the central section of the spine was lacking in vitamins (it seems that it is vitamin C), because it was less “full” and prominent in the image generated. She prescribed salt baths and a change of the feed schedule and the foods used. Without so much money and being a tight-fisted person, I bought Tropical Dafnia Vitamined and Tropical Spirulina Super Forte Flakes (there are not so many food options... I did not find Hikari in Brazil). I hope they arrive soon. I must collect his faeces for the doctor doing the analysis, but it is hard to find them on the substrate. I could only think about adding almond leaves to enhance the contrast, but I do not have any more left. I will try to find out something on scientific articles on Google Scholar.

 

[Lcc86]

Wow I've never heard of a vet x-raying a fish before, did you get a picture?! No advice here but just wanted to say it's very impressive. Also just wondering if you can get hold of any live or frozen food? Might help fatten your betta up, live food is also good enrichment if you can find good quality. But also, if he is older then this may just be part of his ageing process.

 

[Lanpenn]

Theoretically, it is possible to do an X-ray on an ornamental fish, although I have never seen anything like this before personally. Veterinarians with specialization in ornamental fishes in Brazil are still rare, but fortunately, I found one in another city close to home.

I still did not receive the picture, but I will catalog it as a report from my Betta.