I think my betta's fins are weighing him down. When he swims it seems like his fins are weighing him down. Is this normal? I'll try and get a picture of him in a day or two.
betta's fins weighing him down?
- Thread starter Flower1982
- Start date
No, it's not normal, but yes it is. A normal fish shouldn't have fins that weigh it down so much that it's nearly innefective at being a fish; but years (lots of them) of selective breeding has led to the domesticated betta (somewhat 'made' to live in a bowl - but not really) as it is today. It's not really like there's anything you can do about it, short of a pair of scissors; I think your fish would prefer to be weighed down; unless, it's something causing him(her?, It?) to be espescially groggy (parasite, lazyness, sleepy) but it doesn't sound like that's the case.
bettas fins don't normally weigh them down, halfmoons have the heaviest fins and seem to be able to keep them up. Your fish is probably sick.
Here is are some pictures of my betta.
I can never seem to get a good picture of him swimming. Please ignore the bottle of medication in the 1st picture.
I can never seem to get a good picture of him swimming. Please ignore the bottle of medication in the 1st picture.
he looks like he's probably come down with something, it's weird I don't know what it could be. I had to kill my betta today cause he had a really bad infection on his mouth, it was bleeding. He would't even come up for air. 
He was halfmoon too so it was a super bummer.
He was halfmoon too so it was a super bummer.
How long have you had him? I've noticed that it takes a couple weeks for bettas to become active - I think it's because their muscles are atrophied from living in a cup for so long. Every betta I've ever had looked sad and sleepy at first, but after awhile they perk up and swim all over the place, even in the filter outflow.
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
anytime i had a betta lay under anything they weren't feeling well. is he laying there in the first photo or is he just swimming underneath?
he looks healthy and you'll notice he's flaring a little in the second shot, which means he's feeling good. he may still be adjusting to his new home and feeling a lil out of sorts.
if its a new betta and a brand new tank with a brand new filter then i'd be doing daily water changes to keep ammonia and nitrites down. if mr betta is a lil under the weather then he will be even more adversely affected by any toxins in the water.
those fins are nowhere near heavy enough to weigh him down. i had veiltails with fins twice as full and longer and they did the fishy indy around their tanks, lol.
he looks healthy and you'll notice he's flaring a little in the second shot, which means he's feeling good. he may still be adjusting to his new home and feeling a lil out of sorts.
if its a new betta and a brand new tank with a brand new filter then i'd be doing daily water changes to keep ammonia and nitrites down. if mr betta is a lil under the weather then he will be even more adversely affected by any toxins in the water.
those fins are nowhere near heavy enough to weigh him down. i had veiltails with fins twice as full and longer and they did the fishy indy around their tanks, lol.
I've had my betta for a little over a year. He was in my 9 gallon biube but my mom's betta reccently passed away so I moved him into the 3 gallon (the biube was a pain to clean). I did a 50% water change and waited a few days before putting him in the 3 gallon. So the tank he's in is fulled cycled. He was acting the same way even when he was in the 9 gallon. In the 1st picture he was laying underneath the plant but that was taken his first night in his new tank.
Although this is the same betta I rescued. He was really sick when I got him. Here is a link to explains about how I got him:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158828
Although this is the same betta I rescued. He was really sick when I got him. Here is a link to explains about how I got him:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158828
BettaFishMommy
finkids make me happy :-)
its possible he's just feeling old? i know, a year isn't a long time for a betta but when he was with his former owners (the ones that brought him in with popeye) he may not have had the best of treatment. not having ideal conditions will shorten the lifespan of pretty much anything, IMO.
as long as he's eating, pooping, and generally looking and acting ok i wouldn't worry too terribly much, but maybe keep a close eye on him just to be sure.
as long as he's eating, pooping, and generally looking and acting ok i wouldn't worry too terribly much, but maybe keep a close eye on him just to be sure.