New Betta and 2 gal UGF tank

C

Cher

Small Fish
#1
Oct 22, 2002
19
0
0
#1
Well, I got my new Betta friend today and after acclimating him and a little Cory that I also got to go in the tank, they're both in their new home..  As I mentioned in my earlier thread, I was concerned about the Betta dealing with the motion of the filter system which, to me, seems rather strong for such a small tank..  He does seem to be a bit weirded out which I know, of course, is partly because of the transition to his new home but after swimming around for a few minutes checking things out and intimidating the Cory, the Betta has gone into hiding under the little rock cave in the tank...  I watched him go up to the surface a couple of times for air, and he was pretty jostled around by the bubbles coming up from the filter.  He didn't seem to like it at all...   :(

At one point I turned off the filter, and he came out and spent a while checking things out.. When he seemed a bit relaxed I turned the filter back on and back under the rock he went..   :-/

Am I getting all concerned for nothing, do you think?  I keep thinking I should just turn off the filter and treat the tank like a big fish bowl which I know he's more familiar with..  I'm afraid he's going to be reluctant to go to the surface to breathe..  

On the other hand, the Cory seems to be okay with his new surroundings...

Any suggestions or input would be appreciated..  I'm such  a worry-wort, I know..   ::)

~Cher
 

C

colesea

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
1,612
0
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NY USA
#3
Yeah, it sounds like your poor fish is a touch freeked out. My betta at home hangs around at the top all the time, not disturbed by the bubbles at all. He's also been in that tank for at least a month now.

Give your little friend some time to adjust to his tank. Don't tap the glass on him, or stick your hand in the tank to poke stuff around. Bettas just love to simply hang around sometimes. My little guy "Mom's Fish" will sit on the plants and looks dead sometimes, but when I put my face to the glass, he charges and flares at me!

The only thing I would do is probably turn the bubbles off when you feed him. Some bettas, especially those who haven't yet acclimated to their new home, won't chase food around the top of their tank. Also, he'll get accustomed to the bubbles going off during chow time, and actually come to expect food, which makes feeding much easier because you know he's aware that food is going into the tank. You'll have to feed a bit more than you normally will because you want to make sure some of the food sinks to the bottom for your cory.

And watch for aggression to the cory. My late Elwood would harass his poor Jake friend constantly when he was first put in the tank (Jake was already the residant fish at the time). Poor Jake didn't even know Elwood was flaring at him, and could've cared less. It never came to violance because I interveaned each time, and Elwood learned to leave Jake alone (he would flare, look at me, think better about it, and go sulk on the other side of the tank).  
~~Colesea
 

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