"Gill Passman" wrote in message
...
Altum wrote:
I can't decide whether one of my bettas is sick or just lazy. He spends
most of his time either sitting plants near the surface of his tank or
nose-down in the plants at the bottom. He looks fine and eats eagerly.
I've had him since January and his fins have grown nicely and he's not
lost any weight. He eats frozen foods (brine shrimp, mini-mysis,
bloodworms, etc.) or freeze-dried bloodworms once a day.

He got a bit more active after large water changes so I thought maybe
there was a subtle water quality problem - his 2 gal planted tank has a
deep Flourite substrate and I can't gravel-vac because of all the roots.
The water tests fine, but you never know... I moved him into a different
small tank with a bare bottom, and he still shows the same odd behavior.
Now he snoozes on a raft of riccia or rests quietly on the bottom of the
tank.

I tried putting my other betta (the one I just pulled out of the
community tank) next to him and he never even noticed so I don't think
it's loneliness.

Is this laziness normal for some bettas? Is he sick? I've never seen a
betta act like this all the time.


Has he always been this way or is it a recent change? If he has been like
this since you got him and is otherwise healthy and feeding then it might
be just him - although it would certainly be a good idea to keep an eye on
the water quality as you say he perks up with the change - what about
temp? Do you match the new water or allow it to heat up? Maybe the water
is too warm...

If it is a recent change then it sounds a little how my Betta Bob became
before he died I'm afraid....he went from active to less and less so - it
was like he was aging before my eyes...

Only one other thing...it looks like you feed a high protein diet from
what you list. Do you ever feed him flake or veggie matter such as peas?
Maybe he is constipated - certainly makes people drowsy...

Gill

I don't know if anyone else does this with their betta but I skip (kind of)
1 day a week, I will give them a few flakes just enough that they are not
hungry, but I normally feed them 2-3 small meals a day instead of two reg
ones, then on Sunday morning when I change & clean tanks I only give a
couple flakes. I do the pea thing once in a while when I remember, if by
some chance its constipation Epson salt is good for that and I *think*
pretty safe.
Nik