Who Gives A Fish Forums

My betta's been acting sluggish lately, and I'm worried it's the water. I test weekly, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 5 nitrate, but he's still not his usual self. Tank's a 5-gallon with a sponge filter, heated to 78F. Any ideas what's up?

Could be the nitrate level. Even though 5 isn't crazy high, some bettas are super sensitive. I'd try upping water changes to twice a week for a bit, see if that perks him up. Also, what's your pH sitting at?

fishtail_9 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 2:23 pm Could be the nitrate level. Even though 5 isn't crazy high, some bettas are super sensitive. I'd try upping water changes to twice a week for a bit, see if that perks him up. Also, what's your pH sitting at?

Agreed on the nitrates. Also, check for any recent changes in decor or substrate. Sometimes new stuff leaches weird chemicals. What conditioner are you using?

Mine did the same thing last month, turned out the heater was sketchy and temps were swinging. Maybe double-check your heater's consistency? Also, how old is your guy? Older fish sometimes just chill more.

Y'all ever think it's just the fish being lazy? Mine acts like a couch potato some days, then goes nuts the next. But yeah, water changes never hurt.

Finleye wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 5:27 pm

fishtail_9 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 2:23 pm Could be the nitrate level. Even though 5 isn't crazy high, some bettas are super sensitive. I'd try upping water changes to twice a week for a bit, see if that perks him up. Also, what's your pH sitting at?

Agreed on the nitrates. Also, check for any recent changes in decor or substrate. Sometimes new stuff leaches weird chemicals. What conditioner are you using?

Using Seachem Prime, pH is steady at 7.2. No new decor, but I did switch to a different brand of pellets last week. Maybe that's it?

Oh, food changes can totally mess with them! Try soaking the pellets before feeding, sometimes the new stuff's harder to digest. Also, maybe toss in some frozen brine shrimp as a treat, see if he's more into that.

aurorin wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 9:26 pm

Finleye wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 5:27 pm

fishtail_9 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 05, 2025 2:23 pm Could be the nitrate level. Even though 5 isn't crazy high, some bettas are super sensitive. I'd try upping water changes to twice a week for a bit, see if that perks him up. Also, what's your pH sitting at?

Agreed on the nitrates. Also, check for any recent changes in decor or substrate. Sometimes new stuff leaches weird chemicals. What conditioner are you using?

Using Seachem Prime, pH is steady at 7.2. No new decor, but I did switch to a different brand of pellets last week. Maybe that's it?

Bingo. Some pellets expand way more than others in their stomachs. Stick to the old brand or pre-soak like fishtail_9 said. Also, keep an eye on his poop, weird colors mean trouble.

Mine's a picky eater too. One week he's all about bloodworms, next week he's like 'nope, give me flakes.' Bettas are just drama queens sometimes.

For real, they've got more mood swings than my ex. But yeah, if the water's good and he's eating, probably just a phase.