Hi, I bought a male Betta today. He sits on the bottom a lot, then rushes around in this sporadic, stop start manner. Then he's back down on the bottom again. Is that normal for a Betta?

not really do you have any other fish in with him?

He is in with all of the fish at the bottom of my post. I'm starting to think he has never been socialised before, as he was in a glass jar at the shop. Maybe he's hiding away because he's freaked out by the other fish. No one has picked on him though.

When my bettas do that I have found it is the water quality. Maybe if you put some nice clean water in a small bowl same temp. with conditioner in and float him in that for 10 minutes or so and then release him in there. If you observe him for a few hours you should be able to tell whether he is ill, or it is the tank water.
Not very clear but I hope you understand what I mean

Is there a strong water flow from your filter ? Bettas don't like too much water movement, he may be sitting out of the flow.

It could also be that he just doesn't like the other fish. Bettas are not social fish at the best of times. Gouramis are also anabantoids and some hostility is likely to develop between the two. He may also se the mollies and guppies as potential threats, they're brightly coloured and possible targets for aggression. Also watch the other fish in case they decide to have a nibble on his long flowing fins.

Best advice I could give would be to get a small (2+ gallon) tank just for the Betta and keep him in there by himself.

please don't take this as me being rude because it's really not intended that way, but I think he's freaking out at all the other fish in there.

bettas can be kept in a community aquarium but you have to be so careful what you put in with them, and most of your other tank mates aren't compatible. I would either take him back to the LFS or put him in a tank of his own.

He probably has been picked on, and it's just that you weren't there to witness it, believe me I think that's happened to everybody. Until you get the chance to take him back/get him a new tank you can float him in a breeder trap.

Hope this helps.

If he is in with all the other fish you will have some compatibuility issues. Gouramis and bettas are similar in living requirements and will compete for space. Guppies possibly be harrassed by the betta due to their bright colouring yet I know some people do keep them together. Basically I am not a fan of bettas in large communities and have read very few reports of them working well and lots of reports of things going badly. I have kept bettas with african dwarf frogs and whitecloud mountain minnows which worked well in my experience but that was only with my most laid back betta my other two boys are way too feisty for tank mates. It does depend on the individual character of your betta but imho i would not put a betta in that tank he would be much happier in a tank on his own or with a few suitable companions.

I'm keeping a close eye on him, and will take him back if there are any incompatabilities with other fish. I have a community of all really friendly fish, this fish is the first risk I've taken, so I'm hoping things will turn out o.k. I picked him at the shop because he seemed more layed back than some other Bettas, and I'm hoping he'll stay that way. I have a very powerful filter, with too many bubbles. People in another thread have told me that I can turn the bubbles off, but I'm still nervous. I might do that tomorrow. The Betta ate some blood worms for tea, so I'm taking his eating as a good sign. When you think about it, he's lived in a little glass jar at the shop. I can understand him not having much swimming energy to start with. I'll let him settle in and see how he goes.

It's not that you don't have friendly fish. It's that male bettas prefer to be alone. If the only housing you have is your community tank, and you're not into getting him his own bowl/tank, then the best thing you can do for the little guy is return him. He simply won't be happy. Not happy = not healthy.

please please please take your betta out that tank-it might not happen straight away but one day you'll find either a very sick betta or a dead one

Seriously! If that is your community tank stocking in your signature then you will be looking at aggression in your tank very soon, i'll get on to the betta in a sec, but to drill my point, have a look at this vid;
Link-->Black ghost knife feeding time or if the linking is playing up use this address; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnUhy2FiSC4
You see those big, fish sized chunks of meat he is eating? Thats why he's not community suitable!
How big is your tank, they look cute when you buy them, but get HUGE.

The betta splendens, you may be aware of the common name; siamese fighting fish...
This says it all, they are not community fish, while lovely and fairly suitable with smaller unrelated fish it comes from the group known as 'anabantoids' the same as gourami, they will more than likely fight eventually, and more than likely; to the death.
Betta should not be kept with other anabantoids.
They also shouldn't be kept with nippy fish, when fish see something floating past them they often assume it is food and bite at it, if your betta sufferes more stress in this manner then in my opinion he won't last long, ill or not.
In addition, if it is an illness rather than a settling in issue there is also the possibility he may contaminate your other fish.

You need to take this on board, nobodys lecturing you, they are only trying to help you out and prevent you suffering any losses or difficulties.

This post has been edited by -germ-: Jul 19 2007, 11:15 AM

I always notice when a fish of mine is stressed he acts just like that either because of bright light or something different around their bowl or tank.I also check the quality of water. If there is nothing new that could be stressing him I put a teaspoon of aquarium salt in the water just incase it is a health issue that hasn't made itself known. Sometimes the color will lighten but not all the time.

PLEASE, don't take this the wrong way, but listen, male bettas are not at best of time community fish! They prefer to be alone, they don't even like other females of their own species at the best of times. Please move him or take him back!

when i brought pearl home, she was like that. she would be motionless and not eat.
but that changed by day 3.
now she is so lively, happy, and loves to eat.

but i don't have a community tank.

A lot of your tankmates can't be kept with bettas.
Please listen to the others.
They might be okay now but I'm pretty sure that one day, the betta, and maybe even some of the other fish, will be dead or hurt.

O.K so he'd rather be alone. If I want to get him his own little tank or bowl, do I need a filter and heater for him? He was in a glass jar at the shop. My husband is a bit fed up with my aquarium spending, and I'm kind of on a ban from aquarium shop at the moment. What's the cheapest way I can keep him happy? I don't want him sick or miserable. I don't want him in a tiny glass box with nothing but water in it either. That's not living, that's existing.

As for the Black Ghost, I'm only keeping him until he gets a bit bigger, and then I'm going to trade him in at the aquarium shop. They said they'd be happy to have him as a trade in. He's only around as big as my Sword Tail now, so he's not causing trouble, and seems very happy. It's going to be hard to part with him when he's older, but I know I have to do it..... Just watched that video. Amazing fish, but I don't wand THAT in my tank LOL. He'll be heading to the fish shop when he needs to go.

This post has been edited by branjie: Jul 20 2007, 05:20 AM

I understand your new to this hobby but in the future please dont buy a fish because you like it and then just plan on taking it back. Not only do you risk stunting and stressing it with the moves, but I dont think its very fair to the fish to buy it for as long as you want then just take it back. I can tell you we hate that at my lfs. We all have to learn somewhere but a little research goes a long way. I would seriously consider revising your stocking after doing research on all of your fish as you will see there are a lot of compatibility issues going on. Good luck with your fish.

Drew

Edit-Yes, seperating him is essential. Anything 1 gallon or over (the bigger the better). You can find small heaters and filters for next to nothing. And yes it needs to be heated. Some people choose not to filter their small betta tanks but unless your really into constant water changes better invest in a sponge filter.

I know people are going to have a go at me for saying this, but if you saw my tank, you would see that there are no agressive fish. I made a mistake with my initial tank set up, and did have problems with a few eg. Angels, so I have always asked about the character of fish before buying since then. I know that some breeds have tendencies towards certain behaviours, but they are all individuals. Some people have said that my dwarf gourami will cause problems, but he's the most layed back fish in my tank. I chose my particular betta because he didn't seem edgy like some others there. He has not once had a go at anyone. Still, I agree that I made a mistake with the black ghost, and would never intentionally buy a fish with a view to taking it back later. He is happy and well looked after at the moment, so I'm not going to disturb him. I can see my betta is a recluse, and will endevour to find him a tank for himself, or will take him back. Having said that, he seems much happier today, and has not spent any time on the bottom of the tank. He does have this perculiar habit of using his fins to hang onto a plant and have a rest for a while. I wonder if that's a betta thing.