Betta behaving strange

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Hi Chris! I have a betta that has been in a 10 gallon tank since this past February. For the past two weeks he's been either staying in his ornamental castle or staying at the bottom of the tank.

He eats once a day, if he gets up to eat. I do a 20% water change once a week and condition the water that I put back in the tank. His water temperature is at a steady 78 degrees F. Am I doing something wrong? Not sure why the little guy has been acting differently these past two weeks. Anything I can to help him? Thanks a lot.

Marc
Answer -
Hi Marc;

I'm sorry he's not feeling well. Looks like you are doing everything right so let's see if we can find out what's going on;

Look at his belly when he comes out next time. Is it larger than usual? Does it look bloated? Does he look puffy or pineconed like his scales are sticking out? Are his eyes looking larger or pushed out at all?

Are there other fish in with him? Do his fins look picked on or tattered? Do his fins look stuck together?

Are there any abnormal colors on his body or fins? Does it look like he has any sores or fungus patches on him?

What kind of food do you feed him? How much at a time?

Let me know as soon as you can.........

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Hi again. Thanks for the reply. His belley, scales, and eyes all look normal. He also lives alone. Sorry about not mentioning that before. On his fins, it seemes that they have gotton somewhat lighter in color, a whitish color than the color they use to be. I asked at a pet store about a month ago about the color change and they recommended a product called 'Bettafix Remedy'. It's suppose to enhance betta color and fix fungus if betta has fungus.

The food I feed him is 'Tetra Bettamin Flakes'. I also give him 'Tetra Bloodworms'twice a week. He doesn't seem to be a fan of the bloodworms. Maybe I should stop giving him it?

Also, not sure if this means anything but he seemed to be more lively when I kept the fishtank light on all day. The only problem with that is that the tank would get dirty really fast so I started to keep the light off. Algae would grow on everything, including the filter, his castle ornament, the plants, the glass of the tank, and the rocks on the bottom of tank. Do betta's need that constant light source?

Thanks again for all your help.

Marc
Answer -
Hi Marc;

I think you found the answer! Fish "sleep" when the lights are out and get lighter colored too. If there is more light on them they move around and get darker.

Algae is a natural thing. It may look "dirty" to you but it really is a healthy sign. You might consider putting in a couple of otocinclus cats to eat it. Don't get regular chinese algae eaters or plecostamus. They get too big. Chinese algae eaters are mean too. Look for otocinclus at your local fish store or ask if they can get some. They only get an inch and a half long and are very sweet docile little fish that love algae. They might even perk up your betta and give him something else to do with his time by chasing them around the tank! They are quick though so don't worry. I have several in my 55 gallon with semi-aggressive fish.  

Here is a link to a profile with a picture;

http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/otto.xml

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

Thanks again for all your help! I really appreciate it. One very last thing, I promise! Sorry about all the questions. Just really want to help my little buddy! I know it's important to test for pH level, ammonia, and    chlorine/chloramines. But is it important to test for nitrate/nitrit? I get confused as to what I should be testing the water for with all the test kits.

I tested the pH level and it's high so I used a pH decreaser. I use 'Water Safe Plus Tank Buddies' by Jungle for chlorine/chloramines and heavy metals, but have no idea what those heavy metals are that it gets rid of. I was told to use an ammonia kit so I will do so as soon as possible. Should I now test for nitrate/nitrit levels?

Marc

Answer
Hi Marc;

Don't mess with tests at all unless you have a new tank, it's overcrowded, overfed the fish, etc. Just keep the water clean and it will be just fine. I know you are maintaining your tank well so testing really doesn't need to be done. I don't even remember the last time I tested any of my tanks. I just make regular water changes and everyone is fine. Throw away the pH adjuster. I'm really serious about that. Adjusters cause fluctuations in pH that are much more harmful than a pH that isn't "right for the fish". After you add chemicals the pH will change and then change back within a few hours causing you to add more. Up and down and up and down and back again it goes. Like a rollercoaster ride, it will make your fish sick. Fish store employees often think that you need all kind of chemicals and additives. It's what they are trained to think. They are in business to sell stuff so that's what they do.

All pet fish do just fine in a wide range of pH, especially higher levels. This is because they are raised in cement commercial breeding ponds that have a pH on the high side anyway. The fish profiles with preferred pH listed on them are referring to what the fish in their native waters are living in. Our pet fish haven't been in those conditions for many generations now. They can't read those profiles to know it isn't what they are supposed to like anyway. ;-) They are all commercially bred. They live, breed, grow and thrive in many pH levels. Even delicate soft-water, low pH fish like discus will breed in a higher pH than we used to think they would.

The heavy metals they talk about are copper, iron, etc. They can often be found in very low amounts in our tap water. The water conditioner renders them harmless to our fish so they can't absorb them.

Ask as many followups as you need. That's what I'm here for.

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins