Sick betta?

diamondloco

Hi, i just got some new bettas for my kids today. I did everything I was suppose to do as far as setting them up. I put 2 of the betta's in a divided tank. One of them , "Prince", is acting strange. He has been laying on the bottom, kinda tilted, then will rush to the top for air, come back down and do the same thing....at times, he will act normal and then seconds later....back to acting strange. He also has been keeping his mouth wide open and seems to be breathing faster than the other fish. What's wrong?

Cody

Tank size?
Heated?
How long was the tank setup before you added fish?
Filtered?

We need to know these to adress this further.

diamondloco

well, against my better judgement, I listened to the pet store. I had a betta when I was 12 yrs old and had him for 2 to 3 years and I never had anything but a tank and rocks and did well by myself. This time I did it their way and well looks like a mistake. The tank he's in is called a "Large Betta Keeper"....the box does not specify the size.....though small.....larger than what he was in to begin with.

diamondloco

Anyway, I put faucet water and used the drops for the chlorine. I then let their bags float on top for 10 minutes, then put some water in their bags and floated them again for 10 minutes, then took them out and put them in their new home.

diamondloco

Also, there is no filter or heater.....Will he survive the night w/out one?
It might be a little cold.

okiemavis

He'll definitely survive the night without one, unless the room is really chilly. Think of those cups they keep them in! You can put a heating pad under the tank if you are worried.

diamondloco

oh, ok.....thanks.....I didn't think of the heating pad. He is acting a lot better now. I took the lid off.....does that make any sense? He still has his mouth open though.....maybe that's just him....the other 2 do not do that....he and the other next to him are constantly flaring at eachother.....that's encouraging.

diamondloco

Thanks alot......my daughter (6 yrs) is very worried about him. She said 3 prayers for him. I told her if he survived the night, then we would put "Sebastian" & "Prince" in her room. She's becoming a great little, as she would put it, "doctor & caretaker". :)