I am nuts. Bought a new betta today!

I stopped into the pet store to buy some water conditioner and naturally had to look at the bettas. And of course I saw another crowntail that I just couldn't do without. He is the coolest metallic light turquoise color with a little red in his fins. I put him temporarily in a 1 gallon bowl and will go tank shopping tomorrow. He appears healthy but I am concerned that he doesn't move around that much. He is very skittish if he sees something move outside the bowl but otherwise just kind of swims in place. He even ignores little bits of food that I put in there and has no reaction to a mirror. Do you think this is because of shock of being in a new environment or do you think I just have an unusually calm betta? I have a light shining into the tank for some heat until I can move him out. All I know is that my other betta "Flame" didn't act like this when I first got him.

Oh, one more question. I got this little guy at Petsmart. Anybody else out there from the US buy Petsmart bettas and get them in a little cup with blue colored water? I have never in my life seen bettas in blue water. Every single one of them was like that and they had about 30. It was hard to see the actual colors of the fish. Weird!!

The blue will be a light dose of methylene blue, a lot of people pack them in it before shipping, and I suppose the pet store will be keeping them in it for the same reason, to prevent disease-causing spores and bacteria building up quickly in such a small space.

It sounds like he might just be stressed, give him something to look at or play with in the bowl and maybe wrap a towel round the bottom half so he can hide from outside movements if he wants to.

I believe KJ to be correct on both accounts.

I purchased a CT awhile back, brought him home, and introduced him to
his new surroundings. He wouldn't eat for over a week and was very lethargic. I thought he was on his way out, but several people said he could be stressed from the move or just "sulking".

I moved him to a smaller tank by himself to isolate him and the next morning
he was acting like a Betta!

Try a different food offering such as bloodworms or brine shrimp as I had one that didn't show interest in pellets for a long time, but now takes them. I'm sure he'll snap out of within a few days!

Does he have plenty of wee hiding spaces in case he's feeling unsure of his surroundings? Silk plants to hide in? Just a suggestion! When I first get a betta I normally cover half the tank for a day or two...just to give them that safe place to go to.

The other thing is that if he's been packed in a tiny bag for shipping, then kept in a tiny cup at the store, there will have been high levels of ammonia and nitrates in his water. Now he's in fresh water he'll perk up, but it will take a while for him to recover from these excessive levels. A little aquarium salt will help.

my Petsmart purchase didn't last the night. D: poor Mister Auron passed away before i could even put him in his tank.

when i got my marble boy, Hyde, he was in blue water in his bag. the guy kindly offered to fill the cup with fresh water for me, though. :3

My new betta is still swimming in place and not eating. I went back to the pet store today and bought a container of the exact same pellets that they tell me they were feeding him. But I put pellets in the tank and the fish grabs one, spits it out. Grabs one, spits it out. I tried putting a couple flakes, dried bloodworms and shrimp pieces in there to see if he will take ANY of them, and he ignores them all. Now what! I have two silk plants in the tank with him so he can hide, and I just added a heater today. Wasn't able to find the tank I wanted today -- have to wait 'til a new shipment comes in in a couple of days. I will add some aquarium salt tonight, after I replace some of the water. Maybe that's true that he's always been in blue water in teeny containers and never experienced clear water and space.

By the way, when I went back to Petsmart today, they had moved all the bettas off the shelf and were changing their water one by one at the front of the store. They told me they change the water in the tiny cups three times a week. At least they take care of them. How long does it take for ammonia to build up in a small cup? Do you think that since the cups are small, even if they clean the water 3x a week, that ammonia can still build up to unsafe levels?

Yes, definitely, especially as fish release ammonia through their gills when stressed too, and I imagine being boggled at by the general public whilst being kept in a cup is pretty stressful, so you've got that on top of his waste.

I think some frozen bloodworm would be the best thing to tempt him with, as we don't even know if he's actually eaten at the store since coming from the breeder. I find sinking foods are easier to tempt a reluctant betta with than floating ones.

Other than that you can just persevere. I bought a boy recently who seemed active in the shop, but when I got him home refused to eat and just hung still in the tank, I thought he was going to die. I just added aquarium salt and put in a couple of bloodworms and pellets a day, and after about four days he perked up and started eating. It took me a further week or so to get him onto pellets though, I don't know whether he'd been raised on frozen food or another type of pellets but he just wouldn't take them for ages.

sometimes, bettas are picky. they're so used to one kind of food, that it takes them a while to eat anything else. my very first betta wouldn't eat for days if i couldn't get his Hikari pellets, and had to use the spare generic brand.

With mine, I was trying to get him onto Hikari - he would only take bloodworms! He's fine with them now. Picky fishes.

i feed mine two different kinds of pellets, Attisons and New Life Spectrum, and they all take to it fast, even though they're fed Hikari at the pet store.

Hmmm, He's starting to swim around more now but still spits out everything I try to feed him. I'm wondering, does the brand of food (pellets, flakes, worms, shrimp, etc.) matter that much, or are they all pretty much similar? I guess sooner or later he will get so hungry he'll HAVE to eat something, right? I mean, bettas aren't going to starve themselves, will they?

Sometimes the breeders feed them heavy before shipping to allow for the
days without food. So he shouldn't starve in a few days. Do you know if he
ate in store?

I don't really know if he ate at the store but I know he was fed. There was a half-dried pellet in his little cup, just at the water's edge. They assured me that the pellets I bought today are the same kind they feed all their bettas. It's Top Fin Betta Bits. The fish looks well fed.

There are so many different brands of pellets. How do you know if one is better than another?

I feel safe in saying that the Atison Pro seems to be the general acceptance here. Although I've yet to see it in any of the lfs here. When I do see it I'm giving it a try! Hakari is a good brand too supposedly.

He is probably sulking - many bettas will not eat for the first week or so of being home and it's pretty normal

As said, try some bloodworms - that is usually a big enough temptation to bring them out of sulkage

The new betta was half lying on his side about half of the day near the top of the water so I decided it was time to take him back to the pet store. Have no idea what's wrong with him but I've never seen a betta act so strange. I feel really bad. The water tested fine.

Meant to mention that the fish had no interest in frozen bloodworms either. He would swim in place and then drift on his side like he was dying.

Did the store take him back? Sorry to hear he wasn't improving

I'm so sorry to hear that for the both of you.

Yes, the store took him back. I've never returned a pet in my life so I sure felt awful. But if he was slowly dying it would just break my heart to watch him expire especially since I just got him. I am going to visit another independently owned pet store here in town tomorrow. Now that I have been buying stuff for a second tank I am determined to find another little guy who's hopefully as active & healthy as Flame.

Hope you find a new little guy soon