King Betta help

[Plague]

So I recently got a king betta and decided to add him to my 55g. The only threats to him were my zebra danios and molly. Fortunately my molly is borderline vegetable retarded and helps my betta fight himself (reflection off mirror) and my danios are too busy playing super tag across my 55g tank.


What I need help in though is current. I have 2 AC70's running on max and I notice that my betta can not swim against it and is pushed by the flow. I've also noticed that he spends his time hiding in my drift woods and swimming through the plants exclusively. Its been 4 days and he has not eaten due to always hiding.

I'm worried the 55g is too much for him to handle? I picked a king betta expecting it to be easier to swim since he has less drag than any other variations with longer tails.


Edit: I bought the king betta from petco but I'm wondering how can I tell it is a king betta and not a female? It is larger than any betta I've ever owned and slightly smaller than the molly I have. Is there some distinction between female's and males besides the fins?

 

[BettaFishMommy]

to find out if it is female or not (and this would apply to both regular and king bettas), you want to look on the underside of the betta, near the ventral fins (the two little ones under the tummy). if there is a white bump there on the tummy then it is a female. this bump is the ovipositor spot, part of the female's sexual anatomy.

using fin length/variation is not a very good method, as fins on a spade tailed male can look identical to a female. always look for the ovipositor for confirmation.

have you tried turning the flow down on your filters?

as long as there are areas of the tank where the betta can get away from the flow i wouldn't be too concerned. after a while he will build up his 'fin muscles' and should be fine.

4 days is still 'settling in time'. i wouldn't be too concerned if he hasn't eaten yet. if he still hasn't eaten in a week then i would start to worry.

 

[Plague]

Didn't cross my mind that fish can potentially build muscle. I wonder if this is why my neon tetras laugh at the current of my AC70's... I've noticed that my betta has nothing notable under his belly so I would take it as a male. It is pretty interesting seeing a betta interact in a community tank as it has always been taboo to have a betta by itself. Funny seeing him sleep with my kuhlis and let the molly touch his belly. No nipping though all friendly.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

sounds like he's settling in just fine. and he may be getting food that is hiding amongst the plants, so i wouldn't be too concerned if you don't actually see him eat for the first little while here. after time i'm sure he'll learn to come begging at dinnertime like i'm sure your molly does, lol.

 

[Lillyan]

Plakat, females and king betta have shorter fins, that helps a lot with swimming. They will not be caught by the current as easily as long finned males with their 'sails' will.