Hi All, I'm new!

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schwannsee24

New Member
Hi All, I'm new!

Hello! My name is Juli, and I have been a fish keeper for most of my life. My dad got me started pretty young, and I've made a ton of mistakes, but I love keeping fish!. Currently I am at a low, with only 2 tanks- a 10 g on my desk at the office with a single white male dumbo betta, and a 40 g at home housing an elderly featherfin catfish and a couple of snails. Both tanks are planted lightly, mostly due to my inexperience in plants!

My betta is weird, and analyzing him is a hobby in it's own right. I'm totally willing to try new things to make him less odd/more happy.

I also own 3 pit bulls, 13 years, 9 years and 2 years. One house demon cleverly disguised as a cat. A bearded dragon. I read, I garden, and I am a nerd.
 
lloyd378

lloyd378

Administrator
Staff member
Contributing Member Level III
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Welcome! What makes you say that your betta is weird? I'm sure one of us on here will have a suggestion to help......


And we are glad you joined
 
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Lamental Jester

New Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Bonjour!

tumblr_m534scaGWP1rwcc6bo1_250_zps7364b343.gif
 
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schwannsee24

New Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Thanks! I've never had a betta like this! I'll start with the basics...
Tank is 10 g, heated to 82, planted with a sword, java fern, anubias, and a moss ball. Driftwood for cover, and I usually give him an almond leaf with each water change.
Water chemistry is normal, every time, and I do a pretty big water change at minimum every 2 weeks, though I aim for every week.

Now for the weird behavior. He eats well, though only small foods, he struggles, for example with frozen bloodworms, and doesn't seem to be able to eat normal betta pellets. I have both Attison's and Omega One. I crush the attison's, and he can eat them. I have never had a betta that couldn't/wouldn't eat anything.

He also plays dead. Literally, looks like he died, lying sideways or doing a headstand on the bottom of the tank. My bettas have always been pretty interactive, but this guy just hides or plays dead. Or both. He doesn't seem to be struggling to breathe, is not pineconing.

I am at a loss.
 
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KaraWolf

Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

I have had a betta who hides so much so that company has informed me my fish is dead (he also liked finding the tightest spots to hide) but never one that seems like he does it on purpose o.oi know high current will make them behave weird especially when they're dumbos and halfmoons and the like. Their fins just can't handle it too much finnage not enough strength.
welcome to the forum!!
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Hi Juli, and welcome!

I think your Beta is hot, that's how I react when its 82 degrees out ;)
IDK, lol - but I have never kept Beta in waters above 80 & that's only because my bowl temp flux's with ambient temp. Normally the water is at 70 in the spring,fall,winter.

Would be great to see pictures :)
 
Madness

Madness

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

:welcome!:  Juli, I cant help with your Betta issue, only to say I agree with FnaB, and I also have one of those demons. A female demon. LOL
 
jettej

jettej

Well-Known Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

:welcome!: 

Pics of betta pls!!

Btw i have a 1year and 9months pit bull. She is a very sweet bugger.
 
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cichlid-gal

New Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Hi Juli (guys it's Juli not Judi according to her intro)! Like others have said there are some basic things with the bettas that help keep them happy. Low flow..I use AC50's on my 10G tanks with a plastic bottle cut that fits over the outflow area and diffuses the flow. I also have some sponge filters in other tanks...and a HMF in my betta sorority tank. Temps...my guys are at around 78-79 degrees. Foods...I feed pellets too...NLS betta...and some live food like bloodworms or blackworks. Seems to work well with my guys. I have three gravel betta tanks and one sand betta tank. All my betta tanks have plants. I do water changes on these guys about every 5 days as they are in my smaller tanks...10-20 gallon tanks.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

schwannsee24 said:
I also own 3 pit bulls, 13 years, 9 years and 2 years. One house demon cleverly disguised as a cat. A bearded dragon. I read, I garden, and I am a nerd.
Click to expand...
:welcome!: I was also dragon keeper but went to wet pets instead.
 
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escapay

New Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Welcome!

I once had a betta that would sleep upside down in a plastic plant that looked like tall grass. He was the only one that ever did that. It was strange.
 
Livebearer

Livebearer

Member
Re: Hi All, I'm new!

Welcome!!!
I have had numerous betta's over a 3 year period and the fish stores LOVE ME!!!!
O.K. in all seriousness I read a great book on Betta keeping and husbandtry and the
Author/breeder stated firmly to the reader to get the P.H. to exactly a neutral (7.0) state!
I have soft water with a high p.h. from my well and it was burning the fishes fins over a short period of time! (blood vessels bursted in the tail and dorsal fins) Like I said the L.F.S. loved me.. This advice is now used with precision everytime they get theirs bowls changed at 5-7 day intervolds religiously!
I keep only 2 now in 1/2g. Glass bowls I picked up at the thrift store (widemouth clear kind) and keep them on seasoned graveled bottoms with one snai each bowll and a few live plants.
NO heat at all. Just room temps. They each are now 1 and 1.5 years old! :sunny: :cheers: I think 10g's is too large for any betta as they seem to tame up better when in a smaller enviroment mine will now jump for food!!! 
 
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