Is my betta fish sleeping too much?

[kindheart]

I've had my fin_tank since summer, and he's been living in a 10-gallon planted tank that I've put a lot of effort into maintaining. When I moved to college, I took the whole setup with me, and after some initial adjustments, he seemed happy and healthy. I did have some algae issues, but I got a nerite snail to help out, and that worked out well.

However, due to COVID-19 complications, I had to move back home, and I set up the tank again like it was before. The hair algae is still a bit of a problem, but I managed to get rid of a lot of it while setting everything up. It's been a week or two now, and everything seems fine, except for one new behavior that's been worrying me.

My betta has started spending a lot of time resting under the Zorchzon sword by the side of the tank. He's never done this before; usually, he rests in his little floating log or the one stuck in the sand. I've never seen him spend so much time by that particular plant before. When he's lying there by the roots, his little fins aren't even moving, just his gills and mouth. I'm not sure if I should be concerned by how much those are moving or not.

He'll start swimming if he notices me looking, or sometimes on his own, but he always goes up to the surface and takes a big gulp of air before anything else. Then, he'll usually go back down to his spot under the sword's leaves fairly quickly. I'm worried that this might be related to the move, but he didn't have any major behavior changes the first time we moved to college.

He doesn't look sick or discolored, and no part of him looks inflamed. The nerite snail seems fine too, moving around like normal most of the day. The heater works, and the water's temperature is fine. I added some more bacteria to ensure the cycle stayed intact, especially since I had to replace the cartridge in the filter. I tested the water yesterday, and the nitrates are around 5 to 10 ppm, with no ammonia or nitrites. However, I did test the water before the last water change and found a small amount of nitrites, which might have hurt him.

It's affecting his eating, and that's what's really worrying me. Usually, he's always excited when I show him the food can, but now he's not even swimming up to the hole in the tank cover. He starts to swim up, but then goes back down to his hiding spot instead. The gill and mouth movement and his big gulps at the water surface make me think the tank water might not have enough oxygen, so I've got the battery-powered air pump running right now. I'm planning to do a water change later today.

I'm still worried about my baby's behavior and how different it is from what he's usually like. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? Is there something wrong with my tank's parameters, or does he just have a newfound appreciation for laziness? Please respond if you have any idea; he's not even a year old, and I want him to live for much longer.

[fluxa]

I'm really worried about fin_tank and I was thinking maybe if we could see him in action, it might help figure out what's going on. Could you post some pictures of him, and maybe even a short video of him swimming around and resting under the Zorchzon sword? That way, we can get a better idea of his behavior and see if anything stands out.

Also, I was thinking it might be a good idea to do a pretty big water change, just in case there's something off with the tank's parameters. I already have the battery-powered air pump running to try and increase the oxygen levels, but some fresh water couldn't hurt, right? Maybe that'll help him perk up a bit and get back to his normal self.

[burglar_4]

I'm having a hard time pinpointing the issue here. You mentioned using a test kit to check the water parameters - is that the API test kit or a different one? The sudden spike in nitrites is quite peculiar. Can you tell me what the exact nitrite level was? What type of food are you feeding your betta? And just to confirm, the tank is still 10 gallons, right?

I completely agree with fluxa, pictures and a video would be incredibly helpful in this situation. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can figure out what's going on and help your little guy feel better soon. It's always so tough when you're not sure what's wrong or how to make things right.

[kindheart]

I'm really worried about fin_tank and I was thinking maybe if we could see him in action, it might help figure out what's going on. Could you post some pictures of him, and maybe even a short video of him swimming around and resting under the Zorchzon sword? That way, we can get a better idea of his behavior and see if anything stands out.

Also, I was thinking it might be a good idea to do a pretty big water change, just in case there's something off with the tank's parameters. I already have the battery-powered air pump running to try and increase the oxygen levels, but some fresh water couldn't hurt, right? Maybe that'll help him perk up a bit and get back to his normal self.

I did the water change yesterday, but he's still spending most of his time in that same spot under the Zorchzon sword. I managed to get a couple of videos and pictures of him, though.

You can see in the first video that he wouldn't respond to me at first, but eventually, when I showed him food, he swam up long enough to eat some. It doesn't look like any part of him seems different enough to indicate illness, which is good, I guess.

I've been thinking that maybe he's just bored since I haven't had time to pay attention to him lately, but now I'm a bit more worried. When I fed him dinner tonight, it took him a few tries to grab the pellets. It looked like he was having trouble aiming his mouth, which isn't like him at all.

[burglar_4]

I watched the video and I have to say, it does seem like something's off with your betta; his behavior just doesn't seem normal. The way he's breathing is a bit concerning too. I'm having trouble pinpointing what could be causing it, though. What kind of substrate are you using in the tank - it looks like a pretty bright setup, but I doubt that's the issue. Have you added or changed anything recently? Sometimes even a small addition can introduce toxins or stress your fish out.

[florape]

I'm wondering if the move itself might be the culprit here. How far away is your college from where you're living now? Could the tap water be different enough to cause some stress for your betta? What's your pH looking like? And has the water hardness changed at all?

I'm also curious about your dechlorinator - are you using Seachem or something else? I've heard some mixed reviews about the API one, specifically that it might be harsh on a betta's labyrinth organ, but I'm not sure if that's still a concern.

Another thing to consider is what your water company uses - is it just chlorine or do they also use chloramine? If it's just chlorine, you might be able to get away with aerating the water for a day or two before adding it to the tank for a water change. I'm just trying to think of anything that might be associated with the move that's making it tough for your betta to adjust.

[kindheart]

I'm having a hard time pinpointing the issue here. You mentioned using a test kit to check the water parameters - is that the API test kit or a different one? The sudden spike in nitrites is quite peculiar. Can you tell me what the exact nitrite level was? What type of food are you feeding your betta? And just to confirm, the tank is still 10 gallons, right?

I completely agree with fluxa, pictures and a video would be incredibly helpful in this situation. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we can figure out what's going on and help your little guy feel better soon. It's always so tough when you're not sure what's wrong or how to make things right.

I'm pretty sure the sand is CaribSea's Super Natuflakes Aquarium Sand - same kind as before. I only added new sand recently, along with the new filter cartridge, which I had been trying to get some bacteria on before switching it out. I didn't add anything else new, but I did get rid of some old sand that had hair algae on it when we moved back home - figured it was a good opportunity for a refresh. I did add some new sand without rinsing it first, though - I know I'm supposed to do that, but I just forgot in the chaos of moving. Could that be the problem?

[kindheart]

I'm wondering if the move itself might be the culprit here. How far away is your college from where you're living now? Could the tap water be different enough to cause some stress for your betta? What's your pH looking like? And has the water hardness changed at all?

I'm also curious about your dechlorinator - are you using Seachem or something else? I've heard some mixed reviews about the API one, specifically that it might be harsh on a betta's labyrinth organ, but I'm not sure if that's still a concern.

Another thing to consider is what your water company uses - is it just chlorine or do they also use chloramine? If it's just chlorine, you might be able to get away with aerating the water for a day or two before adding it to the tank for a water change. I'm just trying to think of anything that might be associated with the move that's making it tough for your betta to adjust.

The college is pretty close, only 45 minutes away, but I don't think that's the issue since we moved him here first and then to the college without any problems. I haven't checked the pH in a while, so I'll do that now, just in case. I use Seachem Prime to dechlorinate the water, and I've always added it just before pouring in the new water. I did try to find out if my tap water has chlorine or chloramine, but I couldn't find any reliable info. I'm still thinking it's something to do with the move, but I'm not sure what. The first move didn't cause any issues, and we didn't do anything differently this time. My snail seems fine, but they're probably more hardy. I don't have a way to test the water hardness - can I find something like that at a pet store? And is there a way to test the oxygen level? My filter has a soft flow, and it doesn't aerate the water much, but my betta's always been okay with it before. Still, with how hard he's breathing, I'd like to check on that too.

[florape]

I'm not convinced oxygenation is the main issue here, although I do think there are test kits available - they're just not that reliable due to oxygen dissolving into water relatively quickly.

To test for hardness, you'll want to pick up an API GH/KH test kit.

I'm curious, how much of the sand did you end up replacing? Also, since you replaced the filter cartridge around the same time, it's possible that your tank may have cycled again. Have you been testing for ammonia regularly since the move? I know you mentioned seeing a nitrite spike, but did you notice any ammonia spikes as well?

As for the sand, yeah, it would've been a good idea to rinse it beforehand, but doing regular water changes should help alleviate any issues.

Given that the water parameters don't seem to be drastically different, I'd recommend doing twice-daily 20-30% water changes if possible. If that's not feasible, then daily 50% changes might be the way to go.

I'll tag @coltin in on this - maybe he can offer some insight, especially since you've posted pictures and videos.

[kindheart]

I just tested the pH and it's way too high - around 8.0. I'm not sure how it got that high, but I'm going to address it first. I looked up the symptoms of high pH in bettas, but they're supposed to be more erratic and try to scratch themselves, not become lethargic.

I did find a similar problem in another forum, though - someone with high pH and nitrates, and their betta was also breathing hard and laying on the bottom of the tank. They tried pH Down, but it didn't help. Apparently, you're not supposed to use pH Down because it affects pH stability. I don't want to lower the pH too much and hurt my snail, but I'd like to get it back down to around 7.

Is there a better way to gradually lower the pH? Should I just do a lot of small water changes until it gets back down? I also came across something called methylene blue - I've heard of it as a fish medicine before. Could it help my betta, or would it hurt the bacteria or my nerite snail? I do have Stress Coat, so I added some of that for now. I'll do a water change in the morning and test the water again. Any advice would be great.