# im worried...betta too hyper??



## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi im new here (1st post ever)

Is my fish freaked out?? I think he's too hyper, over reacting to the new setup?? Is this good?? bad?? normal?? Aren't bettas usually slow moving??

barely getting back into bettas. today marks the 1 week anniversary of me getting my 1st betta in over.......at least 12 yrs(i was a novice back then). here's the situation/details: 

new male veiltail betta (Nemo), 10 gallon tank, a bubble filter and light (customized to fit on top of tank, i think the tank is still poorly lit and needs upgrade) from a 2.5 gallon tank. water heater that averages 75 degrees. filled with filtered tap water (please dont complain) very light decor in tank. His general pace in the tank for the past week: slow.

just added last night: water change (with regular tap water, please dont complain) with 75% new water and 1st time using nitrate remover (only 5ml instead of the recommended 10ml,) rocks for decor and hiding spot(collected from outside and washed for about 15 minutes), left it run without fish (i think thats called cycling, trying to learn the lingo), and the addition of 3 oto catfish, he's adjusted to them quickly and doesnt harass them, 1 of them on ocassion follows Nemo around. General pace/swiming last night to new setup: very fast. You can refer to the fish tank pic in my album as reference, the picture was taken late, late last night.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

Betta are not slow moving fish. A healthy betta is active and curious. That being said, if he is brushing up against plants or the glass, he might have a parasite.

There is a list of questions that will help us figure out what's wrong with him, if anything. Don't Panic! Just stay calm, answer the questions the best you can, and if there is something wrong, we'll try to help 



> *Housing*
> What size is your tank?
> What temperature is your tank?
> Does your tank have a filter?
> ...


Based on what you said already:

the filtered water isn't a good idea, at least in my opinion. use normal tap water with a conditioner to remove and neutralize harmful chemicals and metals.

Anything you pick up from outside needs to be sterilized, not just washed off. There are all kinds of parasites in the world that can live in the tiny cracks in rocks. I would remove these.


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Betta fish are quite slow movers in general compared to other fish.
Don't you have water conditioner? Chlorine and other dissolved things in the tap can kill your fish, conditioner is very cheap, too. I think the water should be warmer, up to 78-80 degrees. Cycling will take up to a month or so, so letting the water sit won't really do anything. It's a process for building a colony of 2 special bacteria to eat ammonia and nitrite. Nitrate is the least toxic of the 2, so you don't need the extra chemicals.


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

thanks for the advice, im here to learn and take better care of my fish

my fish isnt running into things so i doubt parasites, he seems like any other kind of fast moving fish . maybe its because ive only had a very small tanks before so my past bettas moved slow. maybe the water this time around (after the change) was better then the past batch of water and he's loving it  ??

lol, "cycling" trying to use the lingo, didnt know the definition of the word. sorry for trying to be a poser  i'll own up to being a newb

my heater (it has an auto setting) says it can go up to 85 degrees but the sticker thermometer located closer to the bottom of the tank reads the temp at 75, heat tends to raise so maybe its closer to high 70s near the top of the tank...maybe??, i also have my heater located near the bottom)

PARASITES IN ROCKS!! i will be taking those rocks out tonight. i got cheap and didnt want to buy rock/substrate/gravel from the store.

i will do another water change tonight, probably full water change and tank scrub to get rid out any chemicals/ bad stuff i may have just introduced into the tank

the remover i got is actually removes all 3...i forget the names: nitrate, nitrate and ni-something or the other

after paying rent and filling up the car with gas i think i will be broke so im hesitant on running to the store and buying conditioner but that will be my 1st purchase on my next paycheck (next fri)


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

i guess i will go with a bare tank for a month or so but i do want to keep my wood tiki statue and am abit freak outed that i may have polluted the tank by introducing those rocks. what would be the ideal have of sanitizing my tiki statue/decor??


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## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

chlorine will eventually kill your fish, water conditioner is not optional.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

For the tiki statue, is it an actual aquarium ornament? Is it real wood? Wood like that used for building and a lot of house decor (nick-nacks) is made with chemically treated wood and should not be placed in an aquarium. If the decoration is made for an aquarium, you should scrub it with vinegar and water mix and boil it (I scrub all of my new decor with a mix of one gallon hot water and 1/2 cup distilled vinegar, then boil for at least 20 minutes, longer with larger objects, but people have different methods, so I would look around.)

Some tips for saving money:

If you can't get dechlorinator, leaving water to sit for 24 hours (Longer is better) is just fine. I would start off doing this: Clear out your tank. Scrub it, sides, bottom, everything. Those outdoor rocks can be dangerous. Remove the fish and put him in something small that can float in his big tank for a day or two. Add clean water, whatever chemicals you have, and then let the tank sit for 24 hours. Set the heater up and float your fishy in the water til it's ready, so he stays warm  After that you can let him go in the water and it'll be safe.

For decoration, you can use most silk plants. I pick up plants from the thrift store all the time. Make sure you wash them very well and then boil them. If you notice any colors bleeding at all, do not use the plant. Some silk plants have metal in the stems. This needs to be removed. Most simply strip away, some you will need to cut. No metal in the fishie water! 

There are some decorations you can use. Marbles are a favorite. If you find clear glass decorations without paint on them you can clean them well (as above) and use them. I get a lot of my decorations from thrift stores and yard sales. it saves money, but you have to be ready to clean whatever you buy very well, and watch closely for sharp edges on decor and plants. Any you find should be cut off and smoothed over.

Your fish will be fine in a bare bottom tank, it won't do any harm, but a happy fish likes hiding places and areas to explore. When you can afford better accommodation, go for it! But don't stress about it yet.

For cycling, I would look up the process on these forums. It takes about a month to cycle a tank properly. When you're ready to do this, put him in his smaller tank for a few weeks while your big tank cycles. But for now, do water changes and keep the water clean on your own.

Good luck with your fishy friend. We love pictures, and you ask all the questions you want, we're here to help!


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

P.S. I use that same heater in a lot of my tanks. 75 is just fine, I have never had any problems, though most would suggest you go a few degrees higher. I wouldn't stress about a new heater.


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## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

MollyJean said:


> If you can't get dechlorinator, leaving water to sit for 24 hours (Longer is better) is just fine.



But there are other things in tap water besides chlorine that are harmful to fish, which is why you need a conditioner. Leaving water out overnight does not remove chloramine, which is also very harmful to fish. You can leave it out for 72 or more hours, and it will begin to break down, but not completely remove it. 
My tap water contains high levels of ammonia that I can only bring down with a good water conditioner.
So leaving it out overnight, may help in the short term, but it's not removing all the harmful things that a water conditioner does.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

I said "If you can't get dechlorinator" and it's a problem sometimes. People get fish, bring them home and realize they didn't get the chemicals. Noobie mistake, but everyone makes those, right?

Aged water is not good for prolonged use, but if there is no dechlorinator around and you're broke, it works. Tap right out of the sink can kill a fish pretty fast, but aged water will be fine until you can get chemicals.


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

so i drove straight home after work and went immediately to clean out the whole tank. when i got home the tank looked so dirty!! dirtier then before the water change i did the previous night!! threw away the rocks, threw aways the decor, keeping the tiki statue but not in the tank (it was a gift to me from my brother when we went to hawaii). did a full water change, full scrub down of the inside, and of the heater and the filter, put in a new filter just in case any bad stuff made its way into and past the filter, added 10ml of the my nitrate reducer. turned back on the filter and heater. after an hour i threw in the oto catfish but my betta is still in an isolation tank sitting on the top of the tank so he will be heated. during the change i put him in a small tank with the old water, it looked so gross. he didnt like the move/and or water and was moving franticly for awhile. after i cleaned the 10g tank i was able to put in some clean tap water for him.

i think i will wait just a full day til i add him to the tank, i just feel bad for him sitting in that small tank, he's barely moving. while he is more photogenic not moving around; now that i think about it i rather have him swimming around exploring the tank and its hiding spots, interacting with his neighbors. maybe i was too quick to judge and say he was being hyper, a better call would have been he was just curious of his new surroundings.

i just remembered that my coworker's husband is a fish owner too. i will ask them they have some water conditioner. i did do them the favor of looking after their cat, dog and fish while they were away for the holidays. and on friday i will get my own along with some appropriate/safe decor for my tank.

thank u all for the advice i appreciate it. i will continue to expand my knowledge and the quality of my tank and redeem myself as a responsible betta owner. expect to see me on the board more often


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## BettaPirate (Nov 20, 2012)

so all the above are good suggestions and comments but I just wanted to add in my two cents on personality...

one of my betta is very chill and only moves quickly when scared, my other betta always swims around like crazy after water changes or new decor or plants are added. both are healthy and happy as far as I can tell but they have their own personalities just like people.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

I have one boy who likes hanging out on his plants more then moving around unless you get him worked up. He's just lazy, I think. Another, Robin, never stops moving, and loves swimming backwards, of all things. So yeah, they're all different, but quick darting movements or frenzied dashing is normally bad, and laying on the ground for long periods or floating near the surface for long periods could be bad. There is a stereotype that betta are naturally very still fish. A lot of people keep them in imporper conditions and the fish do not thrive. Before I gave my daughter's teacher a proper heater, her boy Blue never moved, and now he's quite active. You gotta watch those little guys like hawks when you think something is wrong!

How bad is his water? I really hope he'll be alright til you have proper conditioner for him. Crossing my fingers for you!


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

he's laying down on the bottom of the clean tap water!!, i think its the small size of the isolation tank thats affecting him. the heater only reached 75 degrees awhile ago and now he's abit more active so temp probably had something to do with it too.


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## MollyJean (Dec 29, 2009)

The tap water is the problem, then. If it's not been treated and just came out of your sink.. well it might kill him. Just be ready for that.


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

ive reintroduced my betta to the tank and he seems to be doing fine, he's swiming around at a good pace but i think the lack of decor has him abit bored. i will be cleaning off my silk plants to be put back in tomorrow as well as getting some water conditioner from my coworker.


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