# My fish is... lazy?



## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

Hey everyone!! Just got my very first beta!! His name is Rudolphus the fishy and he's a red delta tail. I'm just not sure if hes behaving normally?? (seriously only got him home tonight). He's been in his new tank for about an hour and has yet to leave this one little corner of his tank. I bought him a pretty big tank too, so he could have plenty of room to swim, and he's yet to... idk... swim? Does he just need some more time? Or could the filter bubbles be bothering him? (I read in the beta book they gave me at the pet store that they sometimes don't like moving water, but the pump isn't moving the water extremely so... I don't think at least). Or (this might sound really stupid) could the dinosaur I put in his tank for decoration be scaring him? I never would have thought the fish would be scared, but I mean... it's worth throwing out there as a suggestion I suppose... 











A picture of Rudolphus' tank and the corner he's been hanging out in. 

I am really excited about getting him. I've wanted one since I was a little kid. i really really want everything to work out with him. He's amazing and I love him already.


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## purplemuffin (Aug 12, 2010)

He might be a little scared, there's a lot of open space there.  Some more plants(silk or real) to ocupy space might make him feel more comfortable!


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

sorry that picture is so huge... I uploaded it from my phone and it looked tiny until it was posted!


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

ohhh more plants!! I can do that : ) I didn't put too many cause I didn't want him to feel crowded haha but I'll see what I can find at the petstore to sort of fill up that space : ) Thank you so much for that suggestion!


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## vilmarisv (Apr 17, 2010)

LOL!
Well, how did you aclimate him to his new home??
Did you add water conditioner to his tank?
I don't see a heater in your tank so he might be lethargic.


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

yes, i remembered the water conditioner, and he soaked in his bag in the tank for an hour or two before i let him finally swim free. I don't have a seperate heater, but the box said the lightbulb was designed to heat as well? I'm not really sure how well that's working at the moment though. I think tomorrow I'm going to pay petco another visit. theres so many things i wish the people there had told me! a thermometer and some more plants are a must and maybe even something to keep the little dude warm as well. *makes a list*


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## GreenTea (Jan 31, 2011)

He actually looks like a double tail not a delta tail. Nice Dino ;]


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

Oh I just know what the sticker onthe little cup said when I bought him haha I turned the filter off and he seems to be swimming a little more now ... I wish I could come up with an idea for making the pump not so hard on him. I have been trying to play with ways to baffle it or what not, but so far nothings really working for the way the thing is shaped. What if I raised the water level to higher than the top of the bubble spout?? I know that wouldn't stop the water from moving completely though... Guess I could just limit his filter time >.> then again, maybe i'm just being an over protective fish mommy. the petstore guy told me he shouldn't have any problems with the filter... then again he also said i didnt have to heat the fish when i asked too so perhaps hes not the best person to be selling fish to first time fish owners.


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

actually just read about putting sponges at where the water comes out!!! *will be going to buy sponges tomorrow as well*


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## Larkspur (Jun 26, 2011)

yeah, petstores are not the most knolageable on bettas... 
He looks really good! 
I have had success with using floating plants to stop the filter from making so much water movement 
but a sponge would probably work better I just personally hate how that looks XD but I'm picky!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It's a sad fact that many petshops are not well informed on betta care.  Definitely do make sure you pick up a heater. There are two problems with lights to heat the water:
- they aren't adjustable, so you can't control what temperature they make the water
- you have to turn them off at night to let the betta sleep, at which point the tank temperature will drop right back down. A fluctuating temperature is dangerous.

A heater is definitely good.  Bettas like their water between 78 and 82F. Have a fun shopping trip! I love that dinosaur, by the way. It freaked me out when I first saw it, but it looks awesome.


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

Yeah, I didn't like how the sponge looked either x.x I played with it for about an hour too. I finally just decided to put the pump in backwards and see what would happen. Now it blows the bubbles up against the wall of the tank, and its sooo much better!! The water is so calm now. AND it causes this tiny bit of foam in the back corner of the tank, right at the waters surface, and my little Rudolphus just LOVES attacking those bubbles. It's so cute. He'll poke at the bubble foam and then puff up at it and then do a weird swimmy twist like he's stalking them. it's so cute to watch. I'm glad he's swimming around now and looking happy. I added a thermometor to his tank today just to see what his water temperature was. He's sitting right at 75 which is slightly cold but its much better than I thought the heating light thing was doing. The box said it could take a couple days to get the water the right temp with the light, so doesnt seem too bad.


One more question.. how can I tell if my fish has a swim bladder issue??? He sorta swims down and then floats back up to the top... I'm not sure if thats just normal beta swim pattern or not though.. maybe I worry about him too much though x.x


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

Bombalurina said:


> It's a sad fact that many petshops are not well informed on betta care.  Definitely do make sure you pick up a heater. There are two problems with lights to heat the water:
> - they aren't adjustable, so you can't control what temperature they make the water
> - you have to turn them off at night to let the betta sleep, at which point the tank temperature will drop right back down. A fluctuating temperature is dangerous.
> 
> A heater is definitely good.  Bettas like their water between 78 and 82F. Have a fun shopping trip! I love that dinosaur, by the way. It freaked me out when I first saw it, but it looks awesome.



Yeah, I know, but this tank was all I could afford right now! He wont live here long though. A friend of mine has a 10 gallon tank for me, but it's just a matter of getting it from her and then getting it cleared with the dorm I live in. Anything over 5 gallons needs a permit, which is hard to get >.> Once I get a non-plastic tank, I am definitely getting him a heater though! Poor little guy cant be cold!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

10 gallons! That's betta paradise right there.  I hope they let you have it!


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## shinsolo (Nov 2, 2011)

Bombalurina said:


> 10 gallons! That's betta paradise right there.  I hope they let you have it!


I know right?! If I can't get the permit, I'll maybe put some of my books, lamps, etc in front of the tank... maybe they wont notice how big it is.. or Maybeeee just throw a jacket over it or two when they do room checks. Tell my R.A. NOOO that's not a fish! That's a pile of dirty clothes!!!

Once I get a bigger tank, I'm realy wanting to get Rudolphus a friend. Was thinking of a snail!! Not only would it help keep the tank clean (cause they're like algae eaters, right?) but it would give Rudolphus someone to keep him company when I'm not home. I think researching friends will be fun. I haven't had this guy even a week and I'm already with spoiling him. This is why I should never have kids, they'd be spoiled rotten!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

Snails vary in their algae eating ability. Nerite snails are generally good. However, although they keep the tank clean visually by cleaning up visible algae, they contribute to the bioload because they are very heavy poopers, so they do create a dispropportionately large amount of invisible waste. They are pretty cool critters, though.  I wish we could get nerites here.


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