Looking For Person I Bought Betta From Months Ago?

[Mauricia]

Hey, I bought a male green hm/ft betta from someone on the forums awhile back and I can't remember who I bought him from. I just had a couple of questions about his behavior to see if I need to alter his habitat or something, I was wondering what environment he was kept in before.
His swimming just seems odd to me, all of my bettas just kind of casually and slowly swim about, go in and out of their caves, etc. But this little guy just won't settle down, he darts rapidly back and forth along the side of his tank. I'm worried that it's tearing up his fins, because they won't seem to grow back after a fin rot incident due to USPS screwing up his shpping and him being left in the box too long. I realize they may never grow back to what they would have been, but I want him to be as healthy as possible. His finrot has come back twice since the original really bad case, the first time I just did extra water changes and added salt and melafix, the most recent time that didn't improve it in one day so I treated with jungle fungus eliminator and tetracycline.
Here's some info about his tank:
He's in a 6 gallon tank with a 3i whisper filter, I added my own more powerful pump and my own filter media, it's was fully cycled before he was put in and the current is enough to keep the tank clean without obstructing his swimming. The water is 80 degrees. He gets Hikari gold pellets 3 days a week, brine shrimp 2 days, fast day, and pea day. He eats very well. His tank has no background and no substrate. There's one tall silk plant that reaches the top, a coconut shell, a large piece of driftwood that creats another cave, and a large low silk plant that covers most of the ground. I test/change the water weekly and there's 0 Amonia and nirtrites, nitrates never about 40ppm. pH is high, around 8.5, but that's about the same as the pH he was bred in. I only turn the light on to check on his condition once a day because bright light seems to worry him. He gets low level natural light from the room's windows.

Sorry this is really long but I'm at a loss of what to do. He just seems kind of anxious and his health isn't what I want it to be (with the recurring fin rot). I really want to get him happier. Anything I can do for his general well being? Here are my ideas, and any feedback would be great:
1) Get some sort of non reflective background for the back and/or sides. Would this just make him more stressed or would it be ok if it wasn't reflective?
2) Cover the bottom somehow, maybe with slate? Is there fish safe paint I could paint it with? Maybe silicone a thin layer of gravel down? I want to keep it substrate free for cleanliness, but the bottom is mirrored so maybe this stresses him. However, he always stays in the top corner, I never see him flaring at his reflection or anything.
3) Twice weekly water changes instead of one? The water's levels are always good though
4) Keep a little aquarium salt in all the time?
5) More decorations and tall plants to provide more cover?

Open to ideas! I'm trying to provide the best home possible but I may well be doing something wrong

 

[Mauricia]

Oops, I meant blood worms not brine shrimp, I'm growing brine shrimp for a lab at my university and I guess they're stuck on my mind.

 

[lilacamy931]

I would say part of it is to do with the mirrored effect.

1) Backgrounds always good, gives them a sense of security from what I have been told, also cheap to do and you can just do it with black card/paper

2) Again the less reflective sides the better. Some suggestions have included black card again underneath the tank. A nice alternative idea is to have a plastic mat and tie on java moss or sorts. The plant will help th ewater and be beneficial and it is tied to the mat so easy for removal, could always try this on just half of the tank. Or just a thin layer of gravel or even marbles or stones just so the reflective quality isnt there.

3) If the levels are good and it is fully cycled then stick to one for less stress on the fish (though crystal water will help the fins grow back, but again if more frequent water changes stresses him more where unnecessary than do more harm than good)

4) Aquarium salt is all good and that but some fish react to it badly, handy to have a little. I personally have not had of need of any but keep a wonderful bottle of myaxzin instead (depends on circumstance )

5) More plants the better as always! LOL. Have you a picture of the tank for us to have a look at? They are clever inquisitive creatures and more the better

Those are just my thoughts opinions hope helps a little x

 

[Honeythorn]

I would go with the java moss mat if you can. Get some plain plastic embroidery mesh and tie the moss down to it. You will need to leave the lights on for it to grow well.

Wether it covers half or all the tank base, it will be very easy to clean. You can either syphon the surface with a normal aquarium syphon, or simply lift the mesh out and wash the moss under a gentle running cold tap, then replace it in the tank.

Live plants will help to use up a bit of nitrate and look nicer than silk. Java fern tied to smooth wood is also a good choice. He can safely hide in the green leaves or lurk in the overhanging roots.

I would also suggest investing in a floating surface plant such as a Water Lettuce, or Frogbit for him to lurk under.

Coloured glass pebbles are another good option as glass is inert and safe . Their flat bases make them a better choice than marbles as they can't move about and possibly trap the fish's fins should he happen to be on the bottom. You can buy opaque/non shiny ones with no reflection which should help solve that problem. Just make sure to give them a very thourough wash in hot water before putting them into the tank.

 

[Mauricia]

Thanks guys, I have some non shiny flat marbles so I'll put those in for now. I would like to try a java moss mat but I'm worried about leaving the light on, if I put a desk lamp next to the tank do you think it would be enough light? When I turn the light on he frantically crashes into the walls
I don't have a camera so I can't post a pic, but I forgot to add that there's a large, smooth rock with little caves in it too. He def has a lot of hiding spots, but there's room for a couple more tall plants so I'll get some tomorrow. And I temporarily covered the sides and back with cardboard. Surface plants are a good idea, I'll get some of those tomorrow.

 

[lilacamy931]

If you do surface plants with lighting that will be a good combo as it won't glare so much on him. Java moss grows better the brighter the light i believe but does well over time with low lighting, so wouldnt worry too much on this