Crazy Betta Darting Around

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Vincenia

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I have this one betta that for some reason darts around his vase. The vase is only temporary till I get a 10 gallon tank and divide it. I have no clue why my black betta is darting around like crazy, he hits the glass and the rocks, and then he stops. He does this about once a day or so, plus his tail is torn, his tail was fine two weeks ago. I been treating his tail but it's not getting any better.

Someone please help me out.

I have experience with bettas for a while but never had this happen to me.
 

SubRosa

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Water parameters?
 

missmeliss

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Betta's will freak out like that if the water parameters aren't perfect, or if the temperature changes too drastically after a water change. It is a sign of serious distress.
 

missmeliss

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That is a big jump in temperature... It needs to stay consistant or the betta will freak. You really need to get an API Master Test Kit and check your parameters. You need to get that 10Gal ASAP! Toxic chemical levels build up a lot faster in such a tiny container, those can poison and burn your Betta.
 

mykidsmylife

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I agree with everyone above but would like to add that some of the issues may be the fact you are only doing water changes once a week in vases. You know they aren't the best for them so I won't add to that but they need changed far more often then once a week. The torn fin may be the start of an infection. Try daily water changes for him and see if that helps him out. I would up your water changes to at minimum 3 times a week and more if you can until they are in a larger, filtered environment.
 

missmeliss

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Good point, mykidsmylife! I totally missed that in the OP. I definitely agree, make sure the temperature of the new water is the same as the temperature of the water currently in the vase. My suggestion for that would be to get a gallon or so of water, and leave it out in the same room as the vase - it will be the same temp after about a day.
 

Vincenia

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I'm treating him for infection. The vase is a gallon, I am very busy to do 3 water changes a week. I never had this problem with one of my older bettas which lived in a gallon vase for 5 years. Test kits are not cheap where I live and well I don't know how to use them.
 

BettaFishMommy

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IMO, if you are going to keep fish, especially bettas in an unfiltered bowl/vase, you NEED to have a test kit. it may seem like a hefty chunk of money ($20-30 or $35 depending on location), but that test kit will last you at least a couple years before it expires, and it is imperative to have one.

water changes need to be done DAILY on a small unfiltered environment. especially when you are medicating or treating for infection. clean water and a pristine environment are the number one things to aid in healing a fish. when dosing medications, it is best to redose them after a large daily water change, because medications break down quickly in water and are essentially useless after a short time. whenever i have to treat for a bacterial infection, i do daily 80-100% water changes and re-dose daily throughout the whole treatment period.

back when i had bettas in bowls, i did an ammonia test within 2 or 3 days of doing a 100% water change. the ammonia was at 4 ppm!!! that ppm is lethal for any fish, including bettas. since then, any betta in my home gets a filtered tank of at least 2.5 gallons, with live plants.

the darting could also be a symptom of parasites. fish will 'flash' against surfaces when they are affected by things like velvet or gill flukes. shine a flashlight on your betta. if he looks like he is covered in a shimmery 'powder', then i would suspect velvet. if you see anything funny/worm-like at the edge of his gill plate, that could be gill flukes.
 
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