# Fish lethargic after new heater



## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

I have had Floyd since July 2013.
5 gallon tank with filter and heater
Fed twice daily - small amount .. a couple of betta pellets in AM and a few flakes in PM
I change out 2 gallons of water 2x per week - conditioned water.
He's been a very happy fish - always making his little bubble nests.
The old heater was suddenly not working and tank temp was at 68 degrees so I bought a new 50W aqueon heater which is preset at 78. I have a thermometer in the tank and it reads 78. 
The heater was put in on Monday .... and he seemed very happy. On Wed Floyd became very lethargic. He is not interested in food. He comes to the surface for air but then goes right back to his log hideout.

I changed out 2 gallons last nite ... but no change.

Is this just an adjustment period or do I need to do anything else? He looks fine - no change in color.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

What are your water parameters? Have a test kit that isn't strips?

Did you acclimate the heater before turning it on, and rinse it off first? Sometimes it can have junk on it that can make your fish sick. Not acclimating the heater before turning it on(you're supposed to leave it in the tank for about a day without being turned on before turning it on), can actually cause random malfunctions or even break it. Check it and make sure it has no cracks or anything. Unlikely since it's holding the proper temp but you never know.

Did you turn up the temp slowly, or did you do the whole ten degrees at once? If you set it in right off, that's probably it and he's been shocked, needs to re-acclimate himself. This is a very dangerous thing to do, but changing it now wont help. You should only do about 1-2 degrees per day.


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

yes, did you was the heater at all. 

You also should always let heaters sit the tank for a few hours to adjust before turning them on. 

Also side not - the aqueon heaters are not that great honestly. I had one for a few months and replaced it because I never got the water warm enough.


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## MikeG14 (May 31, 2014)

+1 to Viv, a heater must be properly acclimated for it to work correctly. 

The Aqueon Pros are awesome but really expensive. I agree about the cheaper models, I was never really happy with mine.


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

Thanks .... I didn't know to acclimate it ... nothing in the directions even mentioned that. However, I can't change the past - so do you think Floyd will be okay? Is anything I can do but wait?


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## TerriGtoo (Jul 2, 2013)

What type of heater was your old heater, and what did you have it set at before the heater died? 
If it was set above the 78 of your new heater that and the fact that he got chilled when it died, that may be part of the problem. 

+1 to the acclimation. Being that it is preset, what is the temp in the surrounding environment. If it is very low your new heater may not heat enough to being it up to the 80 to 82F that is the best for your betta.

Many of the preset heaters also have a "self-destruct" thermostat. Being that if you remove the heater from the water while still plugged in you run the risk of destroying the heater. So be careful when you do water changes or move the heater.


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

My old heater was also an aqueon but the smaller one designed for less than 5 gal. It was over a year and half old. 

The room temperature is average 68 degrees in the winter. (it is a hardy 3 degrees outside). Floyd seems a tad better tonite - he comes up for air a bit more often and seems to be looking for food - but doesn't eat any. Hopefully another day will help him. I'm leaving the light off this evening ... I usually have it on from 6 PM to 10 PM. Thanks everyone!


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

Let him rest and don't mess with the tank for a few days. He may recover, they are hardy and it sounds like he's been thoroughly shocked. 

Also keep in mind that he's probably been oxygen deprived and reacclimating himself. Warmer water has less oxygen. Yes, bettas are labyrinth fish and breathe directly from the air, but they also have gills and need to take in some air like normal fish at the same time. 
I have a girlie who gets meh if the temp is lower than 80-82 degrees(it's typically set somewhere in between that), so I added a very small air stone hooked by one corner out of her way so it didn't blast her around, and halved the flow with a rubberband kinking it partially. That fixed her lethargy. Also allowed some hardier plants to grow in there like najas grass and java moss, which she just loves to check out. :3


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

What is an air stone? What type would be recommended for a 5 gallon tank? If I get one, do I have to acclimate it somehow before introducing into the tank?


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

I'd attribute the behavior to getting a bit chilled. If you drop the tank temperature with a large cold water change (breeding trick) you'll notice the fish get lethargic until it warms up. Cooler temps slows metabolism, requiring less food, to that end it's actually good that he isn't eating, prevents digestive issues.

You don't need to acclimate anything with an air stone, pump or any of that. I've never acclimated heaters, and I set up & break down tanks on a regular basis. This is most often a rack of 5's & 2.5's, angel hatching tanks. If I waited hours or a day before pulling a spawn my angel breeding adventures would be history. 

Water gets set up in the hatching tank to the pair's temperature, heater is room temp, 5, maybe 7F colder, and gets plugged in. It may get a 10 second acclimation, long enough to plug it into the power strip above. If this caused problems I would have noticed it years ago.

Taking it out is a different story, unplug it, let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Heaters are designed to heat water, if they try to heat air they tend to toast.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

nkfloyd said:


> What is an air stone? What type would be recommended for a 5 gallon tank? If I get one, do I have to acclimate it somehow before introducing into the tank?


Air stones are those little blue things you put on a bubbler, helps oxygenate water. Size-wise you want the smallest you can find. Usually about an inch long, and not as long around. I'd have to do exact measurements to tell you what mine is, though it may not be the smallest, it's toned down with a light kink in the tube. Mine enjoy going through the bubbles once they get over that "New item, must stay away" part. lol


Adding cold water to a warmer tank is not recommended as it can cause air bubbles under the skin and do some nasty damage. 

As for acclimating heaters, it says right in the directions to do that as you can damage the heater and it can malfunction messing up the tank.

What you have is a shocked fish, you heated it too fast. He'll either recover with some rest or he wont unfortunately, but if he's still going it's likely he will. His system just needs adjusting.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

You made me dig into my new heater stash for this, heaters around here are a consumable. Won Pro Heat, 300w, wait 5 minutes before plugging in. Visi Therm, 25w, wait 15 minutes before plugging in. Sera, 300w (nice higher end heater with a guard, got a deal on two) no mention of time, just make sure it's completely submerged before plugging in. Instructions on most filters say to change out your media, we all know how well that works. Heater instructions seem to work the same as far as temperatures go. I imagine they're figuring the fishkeeper may fill the tank with ice cold water, they're covering their end for defective heater refunds. 

If I had a problem with plugging heaters in right away I would have noticed it long ago. The 25w heaters in the 5's stay plugged in for a month tops, tank gets broken down & bleached, heater waits for the next run, unplugged in a dry tank. I'd say 5 gallon tanks are pretty much the average for bettas, spawns hatch at 80-82F here, so pretty much betta temps.

Cooler water changes are a known trick for getting fish to spawn; http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/breeding/adolfsson_dry and rainy seasons.html

I'll hit pairs & pairing tanks I'm working with 10%-20% straight cold tap daily. Each pair has the potential to bring in $300+ monthly when sales are good, often considerably more. I try to keep it to 3 producing pairs, though I'm set up to run 5. Do you really think I'm going to take chances with that when I could just reach over & flip the warm water handle? Same goes with heaters, 200-300 little fish per spawn, sell angels for a buck or two each. If for a second I thought not waiting that 5-15 minutes for a heater to acclimate would risk wiping out a spawn don't you think I'd be all over that? 

No, plugging in heaters when the water is close to the temperature of the heater is not an issue. Heaters in hatching tanks get rotated out yearly, growouts every 2 years. Cold water isn't an issue, it's an asset. Cold water under pressure that holds more gasses can be an issue, it isn't if you let it splash in really well, releasing those gasses. If you're using buckets that in itself solves that problem.


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

Well Pretty Boy Floyd is finally coming back a bit to life.... swimming a bit more mid-tank and a bit more aware of surroundings. Not back to 100% yet but definitely seeming better.


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

It may take a bit. Fish that get shipped are often a bit chilled, not to mention stressed. Best bet when getting fish shipped in is fasting for a day, & feeding lightly for the next week. I'll bet it goes in a similar manner for your guy, takes several days for them to get back into the swing of things.


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

I do think it isn't so much as acclimating the heater but watching how fast it heats up the water. The water had fallen to 68 degrees and this is a good sized heater and it warmed up the water very quickly to 78 degrees. Next time I'll watch the temperature change and make it more gradual. I'll let you know when he's back to normal and making his bubble nests again. He is a bubble nest factory


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Hey NK, just noticed your local, Chicago area. Real active fish club scene around here, got some nice events happening this month. Next weekend is Greenwater's auction, 600+ item auction, runs all day long; http://www.greenwateraquaristsociety.org/auction-information You'll probably find more in the way of supplies there, food & such than bettas, but it's way cheaper than a shop.

The weekend after is the GCCA swap on the 25th. 80+ table swap meet, they usually set up my table across from the betta guy, who has some really nice fish. These swaps are the most busy events in the Midwest, if you can't find it or make a connection to find it here you probably don't need it; http://www.gcca.net/docs-events/upcoming-events/swap-meet-1-25


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

Thanks Tolak ... Floyd is my first fish and I'm not looking to expand due to time constraints. One dog, one cat and one fish ... enough for me for now. However, I'll send that link to my brother who is much more into fish - angels etc. I might attend the swap meet 1/25 as it looks rather fun and I might learn something. 

Floyd is much better today - actually greeted me this morning and ate a little. He's hanging out in his floating log rather than being glued to the bottom.


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

Tolak said:


> Hey NK, just noticed your local, Chicago area. Real active fish club scene around here, got some nice events happening this month. Next weekend is Greenwater's auction, 600+ item auction, runs all day long; http://www.greenwateraquaristsociety.org/auction-information You'll probably find more in the way of supplies there, food & such than bettas, but it's way cheaper than a shop.
> 
> The weekend after is the GCCA swap on the 25th. 80+ table swap meet, they usually set up my table across from the betta guy, who has some really nice fish. These swaps are the most busy events in the Midwest, if you can't find it or make a connection to find it here you probably don't need it; http://www.gcca.net/docs-events/upcoming-events/swap-meet-1-25


Heh, I'm also in the Chicagoland area. I might have to check that out. Thanks for the info!


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## Tolak (Nov 13, 2012)

Greenapp1es said:


> Heh, I'm also in the Chicagoland area. I might have to check that out. Thanks for the info!


Any time! You'll get better deals on just about anything at club events, can't remember the last time I bought anything at a shop. You will learn a lot yakking with people at these events, lots of breeders. Swaps are real busy for me, 4 hours of slinging blackworms & bagging angels. I work the auctions, but there's plenty of time to hang out, talk shop, and eat pizza. The gymnastic team does concessions at the auction, the event helps the local kids as well. I help them out by eating lots of pizza. :-D


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## nkfloyd (Jan 8, 2015)

Yippee!! Floyd is fully recovered, is swimming around normally, greeted me when I got home from work and has started making his bubble nest again! Whew! I've rewarded him by getting a couple of live plants - for a beginner. Got an anubias nana and a java fern. He seems to enjoy them ... 

Thanks everyone for the support!


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