unhappy betta

[melissakate]

hey ppls,
*GOLDFISH*
i have a pretty unhappy betta at the moment. he's not really eating & his water is 21 degrees celcius (sorry don't know how to convert to farenheit ) anyways, i live in north qld (australia) so the temperature shouldn't drop too much more coming into winter. it's mostly of a night when it gets cooler. he's currently in a fish bowl (size, roughly 2L, so what's that half a gallon). anyways, any help *thumbsups would be greatly appreciated *BOUNCINGS

thanks,
mel

 

[dss2004]

despite what most people think bettas like, prefer, and prosper in warm water. Most things I have read state that bettas should be kept at 80+. 21 degrees celcius is about 70 degrees farenheit so that is quite a difference. If you could figure out a way to get the bettas water heated I am sure you would find him much more active and much more inclined to eat. My betta is kept at 82 degrees and he is more active than any betta I have owned previously, and is always hungry.

 

[revfred]

Yes, they will be extremely lethargic in cool water. IMO you will need to raise the temp.

 

[twoluvcats]

heater! he's cold

 

[melissakate]

i have tried my best to try and warm the water.... i'm not sure how i can using a heater coz he is only in a bowl. i have moved the bowl out of any kind of draft, but he still hasn't improved. he looks this morning as he may be on his way out i have moved him again to a warmer place in the house but i doubt it will make a difference

 

[Expresso]

Aren't there heating pads you can buy to heat bowls? If I remember correctly they go under the bowl and heat the water that way.

 

[twoluvcats]

heating pads can be problematical...they cause hotspots in the tank, and its very easy to overheat a tank with them, thus cooking your fish.

Hagen makes a very nice 25w submersible heater that I have used succesfully in tanks as small as a gallon. If you have a gallon bowl, it would probably work just fine.

 

[revfred]

In a pinch I've used a desk lamp over the bowl. I monitored the water for awhile and it never got above 76F. Not ideal but an improvement over 21C.

Another thought is a heating pad with an airstone running. This would likely circulate the water, dissipate the heat and eliminate the hotspots I think.

 

[Lotus]

Definitely try to get the tank temp up to at least 26 C. Winter is only just starting there, I assume, so you will need a long term solution. A desk lamp may work somewhat.

 

[melissakate]

winter isn't really winter in north qld unfortunately that particular betta didn't make it and died later that day. i now have a blue crowntail with red tips on his fins. so far the male bettas i have are doing well. i have changed the smaller one to flake food so they can eat it. i think they may have been the problem too as the pellets i had were too big. anyways, i have just bought some females and soon am hoping to start breeding bettas

 

[adagiolove05]

yah my betta looks really unhappy too... i have three in three different vases- each a little more than a gallon (don't worry- no plants or anything, just marbles and a betta) and one of them just sits at the bottom and does nothing cept come up for food when he sees me. he doesn't look sick. his coloring is nice, his fins in tail are always well spread, he flares at the marbles once in a while- but he just sits there like a grouchy old man- his water is about 78 degrees- not quite perfect but still not too cold... i wonder if its just his personality.......?