# ho do i ow if my betta is ok?



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

*how do i know if my betta is ok?*

he has been in the tank for 4 days ... he has some plants in my 10g tank he is alone.. however the plants were a transfer form a 1g tank i had so they are smaller than they looked in my 1 g the ph is 7 and the nitrate and nitrite are 0 th the kh is 0 so the water is balanced but he does not move much from the bottom and from between the plants and from his litttle zen garden decoration.... he swims up and comes to me when i come close but as soon as i turn around he sinks back down and lies on the gravel or between the plants with out moving... the water is kept at a 78 degrees or so... what do you recommend?...*frown i will be buying plants soon for him to explore around...


----------



## HeyManItsMeMatt (Aug 3, 2011)

you could get some surface plants as betta's love the top of the tank with some cover. you could also get a tank divider and attempt to slowly introduce a female or throw in some neon tetra's or something. is the tank established? my philosophy is when in doubt, do a 25% water change.


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

My suggestion is to turn his heat up to 84.You have him at the lowest I would keep a betta.Does he have a filter?If the filter is making a lot of movement in the water he may be trying to stay away from that.

Also,please keep an eye on him.If his fins are clamped,he could be sick.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

he finaly ate today . the filter has a regulator and its at min (he could easily swim next to the water flow) the heater is self adjust at 78 so i have no control and the plants are still to come... Im a college student so im not in my dorm 24/7 only at night... i thought it was depression so not i use my laptop next to the aquarium and he seems to cheer up but if i turn my back he fall to the little folliege and sits and ignores me when i come next to the aquarium until i tap the glass he com to again and plays with my fingure by following it... 
I think he is bored or lonely so the plants are to come *** soon as i get a ride to the petstore and yes the aquarium is balanced and i just did my forst 10% water change in the first week of the tank cycling... i add essential bacteria to not deplet the aquarium stability... his fins ar fine and he flares if i put a mirror so i think he is healthy just bored or depressed... the fish are to come to (i talked about that in an earlier forum help me decode on my community tank) so i will keep u updated... there is a pic of him on pg six of the betta photo contest he is the last pic... thank you for helping me... the tetras will come in a month or so to give the tanmk to stebalize after the plants incerted


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

sounds good.For boredom,try a ping pong ball floating in his tank Some will bounce it around.Also,plants as you mentioned and tankmates,but also live food will do him well.Ghost shrimp are a favorite of many bettas.fresh hatched baby brine shrimp too.

Please look into an adjustable heater for him.He will be less prone to things like ich with the temp up higher.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

yeah... i wanted to buy some live feed because he does not seem to like the pellets... neither of the 2 i have... but i read that this could make him prone to bloat and or parasites that the live food may have and that it is not as nutritious... he likes one a little more than the other but he does not seem to like it to much he plays around with it before actuatly swallows it... so i might make them as treats for him... yeah i have to save up money .. the heater is automatic and will turn on when temp is below 1 degree below 78..... he is a baby(i think) i got him of petsmart because he was small so i could see him grow into the large hm tail... so its hard to feed him... 
this is tsuki(moon) flared up hahah


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Hes a cute little fellow!Does look young and may not have been properly weaned.If you hatch BBS,They are good for 24 hours.Only hatch a little for him.Frozen is good for him,and highly nutritious.

However,no one type of food is complete on its own regardless what packaging says.For a complete diet,he needs a variety.

Also,I think possibly he is having troubles eating the pellets.Soak them for about five minutes in some of his tank water then feed and see if he takes them better that way.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

yeah even soaked he does not eat them he plays around with them of will look and swi away.. yeah i get the tiny ones and soak them for 3 min or so so they are soft and them put them in one by one so i know he eats... but i will buy some frozen and some smaller pellets that may fit his tiny mouth... im happy that he finnaly ate 2 whole pellets...*O3
yeah space is an issue in school dorms lol so i might not hatch anything might buy some frozen brine shrimp to feed him every so often allong with pellets


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Buy frozen bloodworms,he will like that alot more.Try to get the Hikari brand,but San Fransisco brand is ok.I think OSI makes some too,but the reason I suggest the Hikari brand is the add vitamins to theirs,and my fish have always loved them the best.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

thank you so much for your help i will look into it... i hope this little guys gets to grown into a big hansome hm betta beacause even flred he does not look to impressive... but i think it has to do with his age i really hope he gros nd so do his fins


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Halfmoon has to do with his tail spread.You can count the rays to see if he has it in him,but you need to exercise him in order for him to reach his full 180* spread.

This is done by causing him to flare daily,but not for too long.Just a few minutes will do good.Too much and he will rip his fins so only a few minutes.

Feed him well and exercise him and I bet he will be a great looking adult.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

how many rays should he have... wow i did not know that it needed to be exercised... and how long a min or 2 is good after he begins to eat regularly... right?


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Three at least,but most look for four.

Here is a small guide to how to count them.Bettafanism: Betta Ray Counting Guide

Exercise him for about five minutes a day.Just place a mirror up to him for a bit and let him flare.It will stretch his fins.Too much and they will stretch and rip.That will help him reach the 180 degree spread.


----------



## Bettafan (Sep 14, 2011)

ok guys ne thing came up after adding the plants i have noticed him flaring alot at the waals of my 10g tnak made out of glass... after fralirn he wuickly dives and then cumes up flares some more and then swims of into a new spot and repeats the procees... he just tore his tail in a little in his upper most ray... and he also seems to quick jab the wall of the tank idk what is going on can i get any advice plz.... the water conditions are as follows nitrate 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm, ph 6.5-7, kh 0-40ppm, gh 0ppm... an no extrenal parasites can bee seen


----------

