My Beta is chilling at the bottom of the bowl a bit too much

[willyd]

My Beta has been hanging out at the bottom of his bowl lately. He
rarely moves and eats a lot less than he used to. This has been going
on for a couple of weeks now and nothing has changed. Is he sick? Is
there anything that can be done for him?

My girlfriend will kill me if the Beta dies. She said that the Beta is
a symbol of our love and if the Beta dies then I'm out the door. Ok
just kidding about that but the fish really isn't doing well and I like
him.

[IDzine01]

A love fish? That reminds me of the "love fern" in the movie How To
Loose A Guy in Ten Days. I'd make fun of you, but I'm a sucker for cute
things like that, so I won't.

Anyway,
Bettas (two "T"s) pronounced, "Beh-ta" instead of "Bay-ta" have a list
of needs which should be met to keep them healthy and active. Healthy
Bettas are usually very busy swimming around and begging for food so
you are right to be questioning his lethargy.

First, you should make sure his tank is big enough, that his water is
warm enough, there are no toxins in his water and he's being fed
properly.

http://www.nippyfish.net will cover the basics for you.

Usually, when people first start out with Bettas they don't know all
the basics because the fish store doesn't know to tell them.

-Your betta should have at least 1 gallon of water (2 - 5 is better for
small tanks)

-He's tropical, so his water should be about 78=B0 [25.5=B0C] and stable
(not fluctuating more then 2=B0F in 24 hours) A temperature below 75*F
[23.8=B0C] can cause him to lay around and be listless. These low
temperatures can also weaken his immune system and leave him open to
illness and disease.

-All fish keepers need to test their water to make sure that toxins
aren't building up. You'll need to test the ammonia, nitrite and pH
frequently and check your water temperature every day.

-Always use water conditioners in your new water at every water change
if you are using tap water.

-Make sure you are feeding your betta the proper amount every day.

This should get you started with the very basics. Can you tell us more
about your tank set up and care regimen? How often do you do water
changes, how much water at a time, what are you feeding, how much and
how often, etc.

Sorry to bombard you with information, but making sure the very basics
are met will help fix many common problems like inactivity.
Good luck,
Christie

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: My Beta is chilling at the bottom of the bowl a bit too much
>From: "willyd"
>Date: 2/1/2005 3:46 P.M. Central Standard Time
>Message-id: . com>
>
>My Beta has been hanging out at the bottom of his bowl lately. He
>rarely moves and eats a lot less than he used to. This has been going
>on for a couple of weeks now and nothing has changed. Is he sick? Is
>there anything that can be done for him?
>
>My girlfriend will kill me if the Beta dies. She said that the Beta is
>a symbol of our love and if the Beta dies then I'm out the door. Ok
>just kidding about that but the fish really isn't doing well and I like
>him.
>
>

Hi there.
You have a Betta, not beta. = )
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?betta001.wav=betta

Being that Bettas are warm water tropicals, they prefer their water temp
between 78-80*f.
When they're kept in a room temp bowl they will often become listless and their
color will even fade.
Yet that same Betta put into warm water is virbrantly colored and quite active.
This could be your little dudes problem, or it could also be old age symptoms.
Hard to say without seeing his behavior.
How long have you had him?
Most males are already near or over a year old when you buy them at the pet
shop. Bettas live an average of 2-4 years, some less...some more. I've had
several Bettas (mostly females) live past 5 yrs with me and were fully grown
when they were purchased...so I would estimate my oldest to be at least 5 1/2
yrs, but I'm leaning more towards 6.
Warm, filtered water seems to keep them living longer than if kept in a chilly
room temp bowl.
What size is the bowl he's in anyway?
Is it at least a gallon?

[willyd]

IDzine01 wrote:

> Sorry to bombard you with information, but making sure the very
basics
> are met will help fix many common problems like inactivity.
> Good luck,
> Christie

Thanks for the info. I should have done more research. I feel like a
bad parent.

WD