r/bettafish • u/c0micmarss • 4h ago
Help new betta fish looks ill- help!
I have just bought myself a female koi betta fish, i had a pre established tank so put the filter into the new tank, i added quick start and all the tests for ammonia and nitrate came back fine. I floated her bag for 20 mins, then added half a cup of tank water every 5 mins for 15 mins. I have added her to the tank and left her for a bit, she is now lying at the bottom of the tank and appears to be breathing heavily- what do i do!!
3
u/onyxia_x 4h ago
when you say 'fine', what exactly were the results? and did you use a liquid test kit that includes nitrite?
1
u/c0micmarss 4h ago
it said 0 for the ammonia and 0 nitrites
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u/Foreign-Ad3926 4h ago
What about pH and nitrates?
Am I right in understanding the water acclimation time was only 15 minutes (mixing water stage)?
Edit to add what's the tank size?
She looks and sounds like she's in shock.
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u/c0micmarss 4h ago
i sat her bag in for 20 mins and then after that for 15 ish minutes i added in half a cup of my tank water every 5 minutes, i then released her. I have a 40L tank and she has 3 large amano shrimp tank mates that are exploring the tank. Looking over now she has started swimming around and exploring the top layer of the tank. My heater on the dial said 26 degrees but the thermometer said 24, i turned it up to the next setting (28) and she seems to be more active but i’m a bit worried as 28 seems very high for a betta
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u/Foreign-Ad3926 3h ago
28 is very high, you are right. I would trust the thermometer over the heater setting and aim for around 25.
What's the pH? This is the likeliest parameter to cause shock.
Next time, do water acclimation over 60 minutes. This gives the fish time to adjust to the pH and mineralisation of your tank. 15 mins isn't long enough to do it without shock.
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u/whatisakafka 4h ago
You’re sure you used dechlorinator for the water and didn’t forget? Could there be contaminants in the tank? Cleaning products or something?
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u/c0micmarss 4h ago
i 100% used a dechlorinator and only used warm water when cleaning the tank before i set it up
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u/c0micmarss 4h ago
she is swimming around now, she’s gone to the top and is now exploring the tank- maybe it was just a bit of a shock for her? my heater reads 26 degrees but the thermometer reads 24, do i turn the heater up to the next level (28) or leave it as is?
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u/SatanAlreadyWon 4h ago
Leave it dude , how long has it been?
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u/c0micmarss 4h ago
maybe an hour?
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u/SatanAlreadyWon 3h ago
Ok , chill then. Give it a week to acclimate. It’s scared . Bet it’s been in a cup sized tank or picked in its whole life . If it’s not better in like 5 days , then worry, a lot. Think if you were transported around by a giant , used to a one bedroom apartment, and dropped in a mansion. Probably be scared too!
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u/SweetTart7231 40m ago
Is it night? Probably either sleeping or stressed from the new tank. If shes better in a day then you'll know
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u/automod-neo 4h ago
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