Sleeping? and Food questions

[liosaidh]

First (and most urgent question, for me)...my betta just came home two days ago. He seems very alert and active, and swims around a fair bit, searching the tank for intruders and flaring up every now and then at the last place he saw the "intruder" (mirror). Whenever I leave the room for a long period of time (two hours, say), and come back, he'll be nestled under a leaf that is right by the surface, so that he doesn't float all the way up (I imagine?) but can still breathe. He doesn't move at all, I slammed the door when I entered the room and he didn't move. However, if I tap the tank roughly or touch his back he wakes up and is active again. I've always heard fish don't sleep, is what he's doing healthy? The tank temperature is always about 70-76, and he's been eating fine, no visible problems, PH fine, etc etc. At the very bottom is a photo of what I'm talking about.

Also, second question...I've heard lots of different things about how to feed him. I've got Betta bio gold (or whatever it's called)..how many pellets and how frequently? I feed him one pellet three times a day, does this sound fine?

Thanks in advance for your help!

img141.exs.cx/img141/1148/dsc014435tq.jpg

And this shot is one from an overhead view, you can see how his back is just below the surface but he's tucked himself in the leaf:
img55.exs.cx/img55/5938/dsc014446bu.jpg

[abm]

Hi, and welcome to HB

I can't say I'm the authority on all things betta, but I have 8 males and they all sleep or at least, they behave very similarly to your new friend. In addition, a couple of my guys have periodically scared the *!$@&# outta me, b/c they get very pale when they're sleeping and since they don't react/wake up quickly I've feared for the worst....
About the food: Many suggest a varied diet for bettas, but for starters the biogold pellets seem well-liked and easy to feed. When I feed them I usually feed 2 in the morning and 3 at night...depends a bit on the size of your fish and his age and activity level; like any pet, you'll scale the recommendations to your guy's particular needs, which will be easier to figure out after a few weeks.
Your tank looks very nice - how large is it and what water conditioners/dechlorinators are you using? You might want to up the temp to around 78 and keep it stable; varying between 70-76 is a huge swing for a betta and will eventually weaken him, even if he "seems" fine.
(So much to learn, so little time! )
Have fun!
~abm
You will find your new pet has lots of personality and I hope you'll find lots of good advice and support here at Healthy Betta.

[liosaidh]

Whew! Thanks so much for reply! He's at it again, I was told he's pretty young so it figures he'd be lazing about like a teenager. Anyway, thanks for your advice, I think I'm going to steal your feeding schedule! He's in a 2.5 gallon tank but no heating - I hadn't realised that heating was so serious (I wasn't too worried about it since I've got the room he's in set at a high heat - I'm a bit cold blooded myself as well) but if you're saying it is important I reckon I can invest in a small heater for his tank. As for the chlorinators I'm not using any regularly - I was told spring water (bottled) would be OK, although I did put a "Bowl Buddies" fizz tab in the bowl of water I was using to wash the plastic decor to get the chlorine out. How am I doing here?

[freshyyf]

Also, sometimes they like to just 'hang' on something, save them from swimming, lazy fish. But they are totally normal. My betta even 'lie' flatly on the floor when he is really bored or sleeping. Another minute, he is flaring and begging for food, what a personality.

[Hannah]

As for the chlorinators I'm not using any regularly - I was told spring water (bottled) would be OK, although I did put a "Bowl Buddies" fizz tab in the bowl of water I was using to wash the plastic decor to get the chlorine out. How am I doing here?

You're doing good there. Spring water is perfectly fine for them and doesn't need the dechlorinatiors and using the "bowl buddies" fizz tabs for the water used for cleaning sounds good too. Don't worry too much about your guy resting under the leaf. Just like us, he can't be active all day and needs some rest and lounging around periods . I would also highly suggest getting a heater for the tank to keep it warm and stable. Enjoy your new fish ;D.

[amanichen]

Just be sure that when you buy bottled water that it has a pH, GH (hardness) and KH (buffering) that is appropriate for your fish. Also be aware that some bottled waters can lack certain minerals and electrolytes.