What is going on with my betta?

[Squeakfish]

I have a male crowntail betta in a one gallon tank, complete with filter/light/heater. It has a few plants as well. The temp stays around 84, but it may rise some during the night. (I don't put the heater on during the day.)
Recently, he's just stopped being a betta fish! He sits at the bottom, listless. Spends most of his day in his terra cotta pot or under the heater. He doesn't even eat that much anymore. Last week, he was a total pig! What's going on here? Does anyone have any ideas? I don't have any clue what could be wrong.. he doesn't have any physical signs of illness, save for his total lack of energy and unwillingness to eat.

 

[MGDMIRAGE]

For one that is some high temperatures typically a fish will be hyper active and eat far more with higher temperatures. Perhaps its just too much for him, what is the ambient temperature of your house during the day and night? There are other things that can cause such behavior but from what i've seen they are typically low temperatures or ph shock. What is your cleaning schedule on the tank?

 

[Squeakfish]

I replace 50%+ weekly. I did a water change yesterday, but he hasn't done any better since then. And the temp never drops below 82 in his tank- I have a thermometer on it.
I added some salt today. I thought he might feel a little better with it, but it hasn't made a difference. And the pH here is 8.2, same as the water he was used to at the store I got him from.

 

[Ratlova30]

A 1gal is pretty small for a betta, sure it's an improvement from the cups you get them in but I'd recommend upgrading his home. I'd also recommend removing the heater, that tank is too small for one.

 

[Squeakfish]

A 1g is about all I can afford to have him in at the moment, and I don't want to put him in my 10g. Well, I can't put him in there. I have fish he wouldn't get along with.

If I take the heater out, the temperature will fluctuate dramatically after the light is shut off, which will make him sick. The tank stays at/around 84, and like I said, never drops below 82.

 

[avanc]

How lomg have you had this setup? This might sound silly but if it isn't a health issue he may be lonely I have had bettas before that got depressed when I stop paying as much attention to them so I added a snail to his tank and he had a good ol time harassing him, it improved his energy alot.

 

[Squeakfish]

He has snail buddies. He was never one for flaring. That's why I took him home.. he was lovely and active, but not much a flarer and the stringy type of crowntail. No one wanted him and I thought he was lovely.
I was honestly thinking he was depressed. We don't spend a lot of time watching him... maybe we should.

 

[Ara]

Sorry to hear aobut your Betta.

I think it could be a few things.

First, its possible he is constipated.. it happens sometimes with fishies. Perhaps try feeding him a peeled pea for some fibre, and see if he will take it.

Second, I do think that is perhaps a little high for temp.. I would recommend lowering it a couple degrees, especially now that summer is upon us and the ambient house temperatures tend to go up. I ussually keep mine heated to around 78-80..

Third.. definately a tank-size problem. I know you said you cannot arrod much else right now, but maybe it is something to think about saving up & upgrading. You could try finidng a second-hand tank on Kijiji or Craiglist or something.. I've gotten 5 gallon tanks for $10-20 before.. Sadly, 1 gallon is really not big enough for a variety of reasons. First of all, it doe snot ive the fish enough room to swim and stretch our (mine swim the whole lenght of their 10 / 20 gallons). Also, it is very hard to keep stable and healthy water conditions in such a small tank, such as building up healthy bacteria for them to survive for long. A 1 gallon tank really only works as a holding tank .. I would hate to see your poor betta die young, so I hope you can manage something in the near future. ..

Good luck!

 

[kevinb120]

My bettas do much better with tank mates, and they both like filter flows(they both play in the output). Both are chill, very active, and are completely non aggressive(the shrimp put their feelers all over one of them). I keep both tanks around 81 degrees. I periodically 'play' with them with my fingers(they like to curl around em), both act amazingly similar. I'd scrounge up a few bucks for a 3, 5, or 6 gallon setup, like an eclipse, although you may have to introduce him into a tank with other fish already in it, rather then the other way around.

I got lucky on a Tetra 10G half-moon, they typically run ~$110, but petco had them way up high on a shelf with a $49 clearance sale, when they rang it up it was $28! Although I did end up putting an AC20 and a bigger heater in it. I was going to buy the last two but the kid at the register freaked and said he wanted one as his first tank. After talking to him I gave him 'till the next day, sure enough, it was gone.

 

[Juice]

Your temp seems a little too high. What heater are you using and what is the wattage? It just might be too much for your little 1g. Also, I'm assuming you test your water since you know your ph, so that's good.

If the heater you currently use is too much for that tank, I'd just go get a nano heater that will safely heat that small of an aquarium.

I bought a 10g from wallyworld for $30. If you can somehow scrounge up the money, I think your betta would truly appreciate it.