If your betta fish is behaving oddly by hiding, laying at the bottom of the tank, or losing its color, something could be wrong. Bettas are sensitive fish that rely on specific water conditions and care to stay healthy.
If you’re short on time, here are some quick potential reasons your betta may be acting weird: incorrect water temperature, poor water quality, not eating enough, sickness, stress, or old age.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the 9 most common reasons betta fish start behaving strangely and what you can do to get them back to their usual vibrant selves.
Incorrect Water Temperature
Bettas Prefer 78-80°F Water
Betta fish thrive in water temperatures between 78-80°F. This tropical temperature range mimics their natural habitat in the rice paddies and slow-moving streams of Thailand. Water that is too cold can stress bettas and make them lethargic and prone to disease.
On the flip side, water that is too warm can also cause issues like rapid breathing and potential oxygen depletion.
Bettas are ectotherms, meaning their body temperature matches their surroundings. Their metabolism works optimally in their preferred 78-80°F zone. When water temperature drops below 75°F, bettas may become inactive and have trouble digesting food properly.
Their immune systems also weaken, leaving them vulnerable to illnesses like fin rot, velvet disease, and ich.
While bettas can survive in cooler temperatures down to 65°F, they certainly won’t thrive. Aim to keep their water between 78-80°F for a healthy, active fish.
Use a Thermometer to Monitor Temperature
The best way to maintain proper water temperature for bettas is to use an aquarium thermometer. This takes the guesswork out of judging whether the water is at an optimal level. Thermometers designed specifically for aquariums are inexpensive and easy to find at pet stores or online.
Place the thermometer on the inside of the tank, toward the top of the water. Be sure it is fully submerged but not touching the substrate or decorations. Digital thermometers give the most accurate readings. Check the temperature daily when first setting up a new betta tank.
Once the tank establishes a stable temperature, check it a couple times per week. Also verify the reading if you notice any lethargic betta behavior. Catching unsuitable temperatures early prevents health issues down the road.
Consider a Tank Heater if Needed
If the ambient temperature of the room drops below 78°F, an aquarium heater may be necessary to keep your betta comfortable. Heaters specially designed for smaller tanks are available at pet stores or online retailers.
Choose a heater that can raise the water to 78-80°F, with settings to adjust the temperature. Submersible heaters that suction cup to the tank interior often work best. Always use a thermometer along with the heater to verify the correct temp.
Avoid unreliable “tub” style heating pads attached to the tank exterior. The adhesive can fail over time. And these heaters may overheat the water, since there is no built-in thermostat control.
With a suitable heater adjusted to 78-80°F, your betta fish will stay energetic and healthy even when the air turns cool.
Poor Water Quality
Betta fish require clean, well-oxygenated water to thrive. Unfortunately, poor water quality is one of the most common issues that can lead to betta fish acting strangely or becoming ill. Here’s what you need to know about maintaining good water quality for your betta.
Bettas Need Clean, Oxygenated Water
In the wild, bettas live in rice paddies and slow-moving streams. While the water may not be crystal clear, it does have a gentle flow which introduces oxygen. Without oxygen, bettas can suffocate. A buildup of waste materials like ammonia and nitrites is also dangerous to your betta’s health.
These compounds burn their gills and scales.
At a minimum, you should perform partial water changes of 25-50% every 1-2 weeks. Use a gravel vacuum to remove debris from the substrate. More frequent changes may be needed based on tank size and water test results.
Test and Change Water Regularly
Testing your aquarium water weekly with a liquid test kit helps you stay on top of your water parameters. Ideally, ammonia and nitrites should be at 0 ppm (parts per million). Nitrates should be below 20 ppm. If levels creep up, increase water changes.
High nitrates can be fixed with partial water changes and live plants to help absorb these compounds.
In addition to liquid testing, other signs of poor water quality include:
- Cloudy water
- White film on the water’s surface
- Debris accumulation
- Lethargic fish
- Loss of appetite
- Inflamed gills
- Rapid gill movement
When changing the water, use a dechlorinator to remove chlorine and heavy metals. Match the temperature to the tank water so you don’t shock your betta with drastic temperature swings.
Use a Filter and Cycle Your Tank Properly
Filters help oxygenate the water and trap debris. They also house beneficial bacteria that convert toxic ammonia into nitrite then the less harmful nitrate. Cycling a tank allows this bacterial colony to fully establish.
Avoid cramming too many fish into a new system so the bacteria can keep up with waste production.
If you notice ammonia or nitrites in an established tank, turn up the temperature a bit and dose with a bacterial supplement to strengthen the nitrogen cycle. Reduce feeding and continue testing daily until levels stabilize.
With close monitoring and an understanding of betta requirements, you can maintain the clean water these fish need to act normally and stay healthy!
Not Eating Enough
Bettas Need a Varied, Nutritious Diet
Betta fish are carnivores that thrive on a protein-rich diet. Pellets specifically formulated for bettas provide balanced nutrition with about 35-50% protein content. However, bettas can get bored of eating the same pellets day after day.
Offering a varied diet helps stimulate their appetite and provides nutritional variety.
In addition to pellets, bettas enjoy eating frozen or live foods like brine shrimp, bloodworms, and daphnia. These meaty treats are like candy to bettas! Feed them 2-3 times per week as part of a rotating diet.
You can also supplement with freeze-dried treats like shrimp, krill, or plankton on occasion.
Try Different Foods to Entice Your Betta
If your betta has become a picky eater or is not interested in their regular food, try offering something new to pique their appetite. Here are some tricks:
- Soak pellets in garlic juice to amplify the smell and taste
- Offer a different pellet brand, texture, or size
- Feed frozen or live foods like brine shrimp, bloodworms, or daphnia
- Try freeze-dried treats for variety
It may take a few tries to find something your betta likes. Monitor their feeding to make sure they are eating enough at each meal, about as much as the size of their eyeball.
Rule Out Other Health Issues Impacting Appetite
In some cases, bettas stop eating due to an underlying health problem. Issues like swim bladder disease, parasites, infections, or old age can cause loss of appetite. Inspect your betta closely for signs of illness like spots, growths, ragged fins, sluggishness, or trouble swimming.
Test your tank water to ensure parameters like ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are at safe levels. Poor water quality stresses fish and kills their appetite. Perform partial water changes if needed to improve water conditions.
If your betta seems healthy but still won’t eat, try fasting them for a couple days then reintroduce food. This reset sometimes stimulates their natural instinct to hunt and eat again. But if fasting doesn’t work or your betta seems unwell, consult an aquatic vet for advice.
Sickness and Disease
Look for Common Symptoms of Betta Illness
Betta fish can suffer from a variety of illnesses, so it’s important to regularly monitor your fish for any signs of disease. Here are some of the most common symptoms to look out for:
- Loss of appetite – Bettas normally have a healthy appetite, so if yours stops eating, it could signal a problem.
- Lethargy – Lack of energy and listlessness are often early signs of disease.
- Clamped fins – If your betta’s fins are tightly folded against its body, it likely feels unwell.
- Color loss – Fading colors can point to deteriorating health.
- White spots – These could be a sign of ich, a parasitic disease.
- Bulging eyes – This symptom is seen with diseases like pop eye.
- Labored breathing – Difficulty breathing could stem from gill infections.
- Bloating – An swollen abdomen may indicate a bacterial infection.
At the first signs of any abnormal symptoms in your betta, start inspecting water parameters, performing partial water changes, and considering treatments. Catching and addressing diseases early maximizes the chances for a full recovery.
Treat Bacterial Infections With Medications
Bacterial diseases are common in betta fish. Infections like fin rot, popeye, dropsy, and fish tuberculosis are all caused by bacteria such as Aeromonas and Pseudomonas. Antibacterial medications can be used to treat many betta bacterial diseases:
- Kanamycin, nitrofurazone, and tetracycline treat a wide range of gram-negative bacterial diseases.
- Erythromycin is effective against gram-positive bacteria.
- Combination medicines with both gram-positive and gram-negative antibiotics provide very broad coverage.
When choosing a medication, carefully follow the label directions including dosage, duration of treatment, water changes, and precautions. Remove carbon from filters during treatment, as it will remove the medicine.
It’s critical to complete the full treatment regimen, even if symptoms resolve earlier.
If disease persists despite antibiotic treatment, consider switching to a different medication class or combination formula. With aggressive action, many betta bacterial infections can be cured.
Improve Tank Conditions to Prevent Future Disease
While medications can treat active betta diseases, the best cure is prevention. Maintaining excellent water quality and limiting stressors are the best disease prevention:
- Perform partial water changes of 25-50% weekly.
- Test and maintain optimal levels of ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, and temperature.
- Use a high-quality betta food and feed proper portions.
- Avoid overcrowding and provide hiding spots.
- Use a heater and thermometer to keep water at 78-80°F.
- Add Aquarium salt and Indian Almond leaves which have antiseptic effects.
With clean, warm, stress-free water, bettas will be at their healthiest and avoid most disease issues. Check out sites like Betta Care Fish Guide for more tips on creating the ideal betta habitat.
Stress
Betta fish lead low-stress lives in the wild, residing in shallow, slow-moving fresh waters across Southeast Asia. However, their environment can change dramatically when kept as pets. As labyrinth fish, bettas can breathe air directly from the surface, but this makes them more sensitive to water conditions and environmental fluctuations that induce stress.
Bettas Are Easily Stressed by Changes
Bettas prefer consistency and can become stressed by sudden changes to their habitat. This includes fluctuations in water parameters like pH, hardness, temperature, as well as tank cleaning and water changes.
Research shows that stress causes betta fish to produce more mucus on their scales and skin, which leaves them prone to bacterial and fungal infections.
To avoid stressing your betta, perform partial water changes of no more than 30% weekly, using water that is the same pH and temperature as their tank water. Investing in a liquid test kit allows close monitoring for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates to catch rising levels before they become dangerous.
Avoid Startling Loud Noises or Aggressive Tank Mates
Bettas can also become stressed by sudden loud noises near their tanks, like loud music, TVs, children, or pets. Studies demonstrate increased fearful behaviors when bettas are exposed to abrupt sounds, so placing their tank in a quiet spot is best.
While male bettas should never be housed together, female bettas can live in a sorority given enough space. However, mixing bettas with aggressive fish like tiger barbs or cichlids will stress them to the point of illness. Ensure any tank mates do not pester or nip fins.
If signs of stress appear, separate the betta into their own tank.
Give Them Plenty of Plants and Hiding Spots
In the wild, bettas have abundant vegetation and retreats between rice paddy roots and dense plant cover. Thus, a heavily planted tank makes them feel secure. The best aquarium plants for bettas are broad-leafed stems like Anacharis, floating types like Hornwort, and surface foliage such as Water Lettuce or Duckweed to allow resting near the air.
Further destressing areas include caves made from terra cotta pots or driftwood, leaning slab rock formations, or dense forests of plants like thick Java Moss. Nervous bettas will appreciate having multiple hiding spots and barriers from sightlines across the tank.
Old Age
Bettas Typically Live 3-5 Years With Proper Care
With high-quality care, most betta fish live an average of 3-5 years. Their lifespan can be impacted by factors like diet, tank conditions, genetics, and more. By feeding them a varied diet rich in nutrients and keeping their water clean, you can help your betta live a long and healthy life.
Older Bettas Lose Color and Energy
As bettas grow old, it’s common for their colors to fade and their energy levels to decline. An elder betta may spend more time resting near the bottom or surface of the tank. Its fins may appear paler or take on a more dull, washed out shade. These are natural signs of aging.
Make Them Comfortable in Their Final Months
To make aging bettas as comfortable as possible:
- Maintain excellent water quality to reduce stress on their health
- Feed a high quality diet enriched with vitamins
- Reduce tank flow/filtration if they struggle to swim
- Provide plenty of broad-leaf plants for resting near the surface
While their lifespan is limited, attentive care from pet owners can still significantly improve a betta’s quality of life in their elder years.
Conclusion
Now you know the most common explanations for why your colorful, active betta fish may suddenly turn lethargic or odd. By testing your water, feeding them nutritious meals, and minimizing stressors, you can likely get them thriving again.
Pay close attention to changes in your betta’s environment, behavior, and appearance. Catching issues early makes treatment easier. With attentive, fish-keeper care, your betta can stay vibrant and healthy for years.
