Betta Not Eating Acting Lethargic

[WrasseMan]

Hi,

Just in the last few days my male betta's appetite has decreased to the point that he won't eat now. He's also spending all of his time either resting or occasionally thrashing around wildly. He appears physically healthy although starting today I thought he looked bloated. I can assure you I'm caring for him in a way that's standard for a betta in a one-gallon bowl. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Pamela]

Due to the recent cold weather the temperature inside my house has cooled down in the last few days & I had to crank up all my thermostats. Is it possible that your house might have cooled down a couple of degrees as well? That could explain why your Betta is lethargic.

[Diztrbd1]

Agree with Pamela. I'm guessing since you have it in a 1 gal bowl you have no heater on it? A smaller body of water will fluctuate with the ambient room temp faster than larger sizes. 76-86 F (24-30 C) is best, gets below 75 they start acting that way IME

[roadrunner]

may be worth investing in a mini heater http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-HEATER-A.../dp/B0006JLPFE

[WrasseMan]

Thank you guys! I'll try moving him to my bedroom where it stays a little warmer. I didn't think of temperature because the Amano shrimp that lives with him is as active as ever (but because they're less temperature-sensitive than bettas I see now that that's flawed logic).

[roadrunner]

Bettas can be ok with lower temperature as long as it is stable. I used to have my bettas in the living room with stable temperature 22C and they were doing fine. Also clean water is very important to keep your betta healthy, so frequent water changes are necessary (especially in the smaller tanks). 1G tank is probably too small to cycle so you should do 100% wc at least once a week. Make sure new water added is the same temperature as the water betta is currently in to avoid more stress. I hope he'll be better soon. Btw, what do you feed him?