whats wrong with my betta fish?

soccerGirl2010

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i have a female veiltail betta that i got about a month ago. my other fish died a month ago and i got this fish the day after. midnight, my fish, lives in a 1/2 gallon tank. Please don't say im not supposed to put a betta in a 1/2 gallon tank, because i know. its just my parents. anyway, midnight sleeps all day in side a fake plant at the top of the tank. sometimes i think shes dead. i have to shake her tank to wake her up and when i do she swims around for 30 seconds then goes back to the same spot. her fins look fine and i know she doesn't have fin rot. please help thanks!
 
I have the same kind of female betta. She is very active and rarely floats still for more than a few seconds except at night. I know you don't want to hear this, but the problem is 99% likely that her tank is too small. It is common for betta in small spaces to be lazy and sluggish, common but not healthy. Also, do you have a filter? If not, you should have one to keep the water clean and moving.
 
Sounds like natural Betta behaviour, they usually just sit there mid water or hide underneath decorations. For that reason I find them to be rather boring.

The problem may also be contributed to such small housing, in such a small home I recommend you do 75% water change daily. It will be better for the health of the fish if it is housed in a 5 gallon.

Hope this helps.
 
Betas are aggressive but not particularly active. They enjoy hiding (she's not asleep). Don't shake the tank, though. Ever seen Finding Nemo? that's extremely bad for fish and can give them concussions. I think she might like some more decorations to hide in.
 
She's not active because she's in a tank that's too small and not heated. And if aren't cleaning it out every other day, she's probably suffering from ammonia poisoning.
Tell your parents she needs at least a 5 gallon tank and a heater, and that anything less is probably causing her suffering.
 
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