lazy betta?

[barbcrowe]

my betta, "D", spends alot of time laying around or hiding. he doesn't appear to be scraping, but i could be wrong-he is my first. he will lay on the bottom of his tank, hding beneath the fake (silk) plant. you honestly can not see him unless you know where to look. he will also lay against the top of his rock OR you will find him laying across the rubber suction cup attachment to his thermometer. he just lays there. he eats well, and i have not noticed any evidence of parasitic infection. is he sick or just lazy?

 

[purple_drazi]

um... that sounds wierd. Bettas aren't known as fast swimmers <cough>, ok, ok, they can be pretty lazy & just float there looking pretty but you say he's actually laying down most of the time?
What are the details of your set-up - tank size, food, water treatment, water temp etc.?

 

[Grim Reaper]

it depends if his new 2 the tanks then he'll take time before he becames active close the lights and see if he cames out

 

[BabbleFish]

betas also tend to become sluggish in colder temperatures, don't know if that's the problem. but you said you had a thermometer in there so i assume the tank is heated?

 

[barbcrowe]

"D" is in a 2.5 gallon tank, temp. 70 degrees (should it be higher?). feeding beta food with color enhancer, just started him on bloodworms also. i am feeding twice a day. running a small filtration system, the distilled water was aged and i added stress coat. have treated for ammonia. he also likes to "float" with his head down at the bottom of the tank (this is new), tail pointing up. he shares this tank with two platies, they get along fine, although at feeding time it is clear that "D" rules. i have purchased a ten gallon tank and would like to move them so i can add a couple more fish, but do not want to spread any diseases. "D" is a beautiful fish, i absolutely love him in spite of his odd behavior and would hate to see anything happen to him. i wondered about the filtration system (could it be stressing him?) but the thermometer and his favorite spot on the rock-which is next to the water outlet on the filter-are at the top of the tank. the platies were guarenteed disease free when i bought them.

 

[AlexsDaddy]

Betta's are tropical fish and should be kept in temps of 76-84 F. If yours is at 70, then that is probably a good reason for him just laying around. I have heard that distilled water isn't all that great for fish either because it lacks the nutrients that fish need to live and be healthy. I would try warming up your tank first and see if that helps.