# Depressed Betta ?



## HFGGHG (Aug 28, 2011)

I have a female betta in a 10 gal tank. I mentioned in a previous thread that I was thinking of adding platy fry to join her. I have done that with
2 teenage platies. All are getting along.
A few days ago, I topped off the tank with water and added conditioner.
I also hung a heater, set for 82 degrees. 
Within a few hours, the platies fins were clamped but the betta was OK.
I vacuumed the tank, taking out a couple of gallons. I then added
water and Stress Coat.
The next day, the betta lay dormant in her cave where she remained 
until yesterday. I thought she was dead. The platies made a full recovery.
Last night I took out approx 1 1/2 gallons of water,
in an attempt to save my poor betta by bringing down the water level
so she could swim to the top for air.
This morning she was swimming happily around the tank !
She gobbled up her betta pellets too !
I have not brought the water level back up.
Was she depressed that I changed her water conditions too rapidly
and added the heater that may have changed the temp in the tank
also ? She exhibited no other sx's other than lethargy and not eating.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Fish can have bad days just like us. She may be getting up in age as well. If the temp raised too fast it could have affected her as well. Any time you make changes do so gradually so they can acclimate to them.


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## HFGGHG (Aug 28, 2011)

Should I leave the water level down for a day or two 
or should I start adding water a small amount at a time ?

I took the heater out of the tank, thinking that may have stressed out
the betta and 2 platies. (It looks like a huge monstrosity in the
10 gal tank.)
Currently outside temps are warm (80's) and so is the fish room,
thus the fish tanks are maintaining high 70's, low 80's.

Thanks for the advice !


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## Tralyn (Dec 2, 2011)

82 degrees is too high for the platys. You want to keep the temp around 75-78. It may seem a little low for the betta but it will do just fine. If your room is 78 in the summer without the heater, then in the winter that's what you need to set the temp at. That way it's not constantly fluctuating. Fish can have good days and bad days and can be extremely sensitive to rapid changes in their environment.


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## chipmunk1210 (Jul 3, 2012)

I would put the heater back in. Your betta needs stable non fluxuating temperature of 78degrees at minimum. The platys are probably not the best tankmates for the betta since they require different temperature levels to be happy. Fish do have "off" days just like everything else although I think that she was a little shocked from the quick change in temp and water conditions. Temperature should be raised no more than 1 degree per hour and water used to refill the tank should match that temp by no less/more than 2 degrees and be added slowly in order to keep from shocking the fish-particularly the betta.


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## Tralyn (Dec 2, 2011)

I had platys and a betta live together for quite a few months in a 15g until I transferred the platys to a bigger 55g and at which point I moved the betta back to a 3g. The betta "seemed" to actually get lonely and depressed and died a few months after that. The betta loved the company of the other fish. I even had African dwarf frogs in at one point (before they "committed" suicide, still not sure how they did it), the frogs would ride around on the betta as he happily swam around the tank. I wish I had pictures. They would let me watch them, but as soon as the camera out, they would be like "oh shoot, no pictures" and then scatter! It was the funniest thing to watch!


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## HFGGHG (Aug 28, 2011)

I originally had this female betta, named Sabra, in a 1.7 gallon. After moving Sabra to the 10 gal, I turned the 1.7 gal into a platy fry growout
tank. 
I've supplied Sabra with a cave and lots of floating live plants. I thought
she might like company, so when a couple of the platy fry were
big enough, I transferred them in.
Sabra appeared to be annoyed at first, chasing and nipping at the platies.
Fortunately that lasted only a few hours.

Currently Sabra has made a full recovery from the H20 changes.
Sadly, one of the teenage platies passed away. 
Happily, with platies, there are more fry !


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