Betta Being Weird :|

[msasa19]

my betta goes up and down the beck of the tank all day long, it doesnt matter what i do, lights on or off, background on or off, he still does it! as you can see from the video ive posted below, he has a big tank to himself with a tunnel to play in (used it a lot when i first put it in) and a plant, he had made a bubble nest a few days ago but he has been doing this for 2 days now!
 
he is in a 28L tank, 26.C, cycled filter, test just now everything 0, nitrate about 20, last water change was last night.
 
i feed him hikari, 5 or 6 pellets a day, i soak them first in water, he spits it out sometimes but eats most of it. am i feeding him enough? ive had him 3 weeks nearly.
 
http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhd8ycryiC8&feature=youtu.be


edit: also im yet to see him poop :\ im sure he must be, but i dont ever see any evidence either

 

[betta fish]

Quite normal behaviour, animals in confined spaces will repeat actions over and over again due to boredom, I am not saying there is anything wrong with your tank it is fine for a male betta and your stats seem fine too what you could do is get some tall plants either real or silk and place them where he is circling and maybe move the heater, the side the spray bar could maybe face the other way to the front of the tank and slightly nearer the surface of the water to break up the flow a bit perhaps? you could try putting an almond leaf in there or half a poly cup to encourage him to bubble nest and maybe keep him busy just play around and see what works best for you both as for the pellets I would only feed around 3 a day and maybe alternate with other foods such as bloodworm/brineshrimp etc to give variety but not freeze dried either live or frozen is best.

 

[Wildbetta]

He looks really healthy and active so I don't think there is anything truely wrong with him.  As far as not seeing him poop--he doesn't appear to be bloated from what I can see so I don't think you have a problem there either.  He is "glass surfing".  Basically pacing--normally a response to boredom.  I second the idea of tall plants in the back where he is pacing as it might help him not to do so as much.  Placing interesting things outside the tank, playing with a mirror, ping pong balls, ect are all ways to curb boredom.

 

[KrystaK]

My Bettta does similar things. 
And as betta fish said, animals in confined spaces will repeat actions due to boredom. Larger mammals in zoos that have no enrichment will pace the fence because they have nothing better to do.
 
Add enrichment objects like plants, maybe a ping pong ball for him to push around. Just more stuff for him to explore. I have the most complicated, hole- filled piece of drift wood I could find in my Betta's tank and he loves exploring it. He also rests on the leaves of the plants I have.
 
May I also suggest external enrichment?
What I mean is, make things outside the tank more interesting for him to watch. I had a betta in my room for a while and he would just pace the tank, and then I moved him to the kitchen where he got to watch us prepare meals and he got to watch us all the time.
My mom loved him because he would follow her around the kitchen and get so excited whenever she was doing something on the counter in front of his tank. 
My current betta likes to watch TV And whenever I'm doing homework he likes to observe me and will come to the front of the tank. 

 

[Flute]

Agreed with the others They're very inquisitive and active little critters, so I would add more plants, some bogwood, caves and hidey holes for him to explore

 

[msasa19]

ok thanks for the suggestions, i am going to see what i can do tomorrow! have a move about, i have been putting things outside the tank, he looks for about 5 seconds and the carries on pacing i will pop to the pet shop at some point in the week and see if they have any plants

 

[RCA]

What we need to remember is often our beloved fighters have been on one heck of a journey, often kept in dark containers, mass produced with very little attention before making it into our homes.  Next thing they know is they are in this bright glass area with people looking at them.  I would feel a little stressed

and try to find a way to hide too.
 
One of my boys did this when I first got him, he seemed to hate anyone looking at him and would immediately go into this behaviour if you did.
 
I put a bubble wall along the back of the tank, on a very low setting (as they do not like a lot of movement) and although he sometimes is still caught at the back starring at himself he has totally settled in.  He now disappears all over his tank and greats me with a little wiggle every time he see's me.
 
So I agree with all the others, and the bubble wall is another potential option to assist in breaking the behaviour.
 
From time to time get him some live food, Mosquito Larvae is the best, sometimes also called Glass Worm.  This will help stimulate him, but be careful not to overfeed it.  Keep it in the fridge for freshness but get a little up to room temp., before feeding.  This stops them from dying as soon as they hit the warmer water.

 

[BubblesLotsOfBubbles]

There are some terms used in this thread I'm not familiar with but "glass surfing" sounds like it may be what I want to ask about.
 
It was a long time ago I had a Betta splendens and I can't remember him swimming up and down along the glass. But I have seen this behaviour now in virtually every Betta I've seen in the 'shops'. Even in quite large tanks, end even with a degree of interior interest (plants, wood cave) and with other tank occupants. And it does not seem to matter if the glass they are swimming up and down against is facing the shoppers, facing an opaque painted rear glass or a glass divider to the next tank. They are just swimming into the glass all the time

 
What is this? Is it boredom as above or is it part of the character of the fish that remains even if rehoused into an interesting larger tank? I am considering a Betta but I want to see him relaxed and in the body of the tank and not swimming against the glass like he wis sad and wants to escape.

PS I can't see the video as it is flagged as Private.