# Betta Depression?



## 34339 (Jan 26, 2012)

My betta P.K. isn't eating at night anymore. Today he didn't want to eat at all and his fast isn't until Saturday (I fast him every once and a while to make sure there's no "backup"). I know bettas can get depressed. he's giving me the symptoms of his "I want to be cleaned" sorta thing but I cleaned his tank/bowl recently. I'm saving up for a bigger tank for him, right now he only has a 2 or 3 L bowl. Could he be bored? One thing I was wondering is if I changed the scenery around his bowl, could that interest him a bit more? I know I should invest more into betta care, but I try my best. One thing I do is I keep the room warmer and do what I can to keep the water warm during the day and let it cool a bit at night. One of the first things on my betta to-do list is to get a proper heating system going for him. One other thing, I found my betta moving his rocks around to make almost a wall where the most open space of his scenery is. Is that normal? I know this is excessively long-winded. My biggest concern is that he'll let himself starve to death. Thanks for all and any help guys, I really appreciate it.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

DalekDYE said:


> My betta P.K. isn't eating at night anymore. Today he didn't want to eat at all and his fast isn't until Saturday (I fast him every once and a while to make sure there's no "backup"). I know bettas can get depressed. he's giving me the symptoms of his "I want to be cleaned" sorta thing but I cleaned his tank/bowl recently. I'm saving up for a bigger tank for him, right now he only has a 2 or 3 L bowl. Could he be bored? One thing I was wondering is if I changed the scenery around his bowl, could that interest him a bit more? I know I should invest more into betta care, but I try my best. One thing I do is I keep the room warmer and do what I can to keep the water warm during the day and let it cool a bit at night. One of the first things on my betta to-do list is to get a proper heating system going for him. One other thing, I found my betta moving his rocks around to make almost a wall where the most open space of his scenery is. Is that normal? I know this is excessively long-winded. My biggest concern is that he'll let himself starve to death. Thanks for all and any help guys, I really appreciate it.


2-3L isnt enough, and he might be apathetic about food because he isnt burning any calories because he doesn't have enough room to swim! If you are willing to do several water changes a week, I suggest at least a gallon bowl. You can get them for about $10


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Or better yet, something like this for a bit more, which is easier to heat properly

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11164158


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

Or, the OP can just get a Kritter Keeper. They're cheap and sturdy!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Kritter Keepers are cheap and make excellent betta tanks, buy one and i am sure you will have a healthier and happier betta! 2-3 L is NOT SUITABLE. It is like a human being confined to a bedroom(no offense), we need room to move, just like they do, it would be helpful if you got a krater keeper. Bettas need heaters as they are tropical fish and need their water at a constant temperature from 78-80 degrees farenheit 


good luck and keep us updated


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## Stonehenge (Apr 24, 2012)

Petco is having a gnarly sale right now. I just got a 5 gallon Marineland tank for $50 bucks. It's really nice came with an LED light and a tetra filter that has an adjustable flow control. My beta, Popsicle is about an inch long and loves it. It's like a friggin mansion for him.

You could try cutting a ping pong ball in half and put it in there, it'll give him something to push around if he is really bored. Not that you have a lot of room anyway


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## jeffegg2 (Apr 5, 2012)

What are you feeding him? Nothing more boring than flakes and pellets, except dried foods... Kinda like a life of eating dry corn flakes your entire life.....

Nothing like frozen or live food to perk up a Betta!!!

Jeff.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Oh yeah forgot about kritter keepers....But it's not that much cheaper for a similar size....you choice


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## Purple (Jun 25, 2012)

Last I checked, WalMart had a 10 gallon for 12 dollars. I spent 20 dollars on a 3 gallon bowl. :l I'm a bit mad. xD


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## 34339 (Jan 26, 2012)

Stonehenge said:


> Petco is having a gnarly sale right now. I just got a 5 gallon Marineland tank for $50 bucks. It's really nice came with an LED light and a tetra filter that has an adjustable flow control. My beta, Popsicle is about an inch long and loves it. It's like a friggin mansion for him.
> 
> You could try cutting a ping pong ball in half and put it in there, it'll give him something to push around if he is really bored.  Not that you have a lot of room anyway


I'm Canadian. I live in Quebec to be more specific. Even if the other provinces have Petco, we don't because of the d*** language police. Anyways, thanks for the info though.


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## 34339 (Jan 26, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Or better yet, something like this for a bit more, which is easier to heat properly
> 
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11164158


That seems like a good idea. I'm pretty sure we have a couple PetSmart's around here. If not, we have the french version, but still... Anyways, looks like a good product. It'll give him more room to move around for sure, even though he's as active as possible in his current tank/bowl. Plus he'll be able to see the world without it being warped. I'm wondering what kind of environment bettas like their tanks in. Do they really care?


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

Mine always love swimming through their silk plants. Tons and tons of silk plants.  I think they like their plants more than the open water...


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## RackinRocky (Feb 11, 2012)

My betta is also depressed. He's in a 20H tank with 3 Kuhli Loaches, 2 Otos and a Mystery snail. He has 6 live plants, a big log, a smaller betta log (both sinking ones) and a wide PVC pipe that floats. Also a coconut shell with holes in it that both he and the bottom dwellers can go into, and he's depressed! My 55 gal. tank is only about 8" away from him with 5 female bettas, put there on purpose for his entertainment, but I guess he doesn't see them. I don't know how good their sight is. He has lost interest in eating, just like the OP's betta. He will eat maybe one or two bites every other day,and I do feel a variety of pelleted and frozen foods, but even then he is not the eager eater he used to be. I'm out of ideas, so I know how you feel.


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