Can A Beta Tell You What To Do And Appreciate What You Do For It?

[mr. beta]

I check on him this morning and hes acting all weird, like hes very afraid of me when I come near him. He swims around like hes drunk and trying to swim through the glass banging his head from one end to the next. I turned off the pump and dropped in a pallet but he wouldnt get off the floor for about 5 minutes he swam from one end to the next skidding on the floor. finally when I backed off he came up still acting drunk and then got his pallet, I put in the rest of the food and it took him a while to even notice it cos he went back to the floor. after he finished eating it he started circleing the pump pipe so i turned it on and he swam around crashing into the sides for 15 minutes before going back to the floor.

I never noticed thiss fish take so much surface air before to notice. Anyways according to some sites like the wiki it says aerating the tank makes the beta happier. As for the conditioner, I had the right amount in before but this morning I added more, theres twice of what it should be now. and the fish seems to swim straighter now instead of flipping around.. Seriously i think this batch of water that came through has more clorine in it since it's been hotter at this time than before. I don't know how much conditioner it takes before it becomes toxic or a problem, can't find that info anywhere.. I guess I'm going have to dump the water out later and buy it, this is getting nuts

 

[mr. beta]

I don't know what his deal was but considering the small breakfast when I came in just now he had a coniption and flared up with a death stare and viciously attacked the food I put in then sawm around normally just as before I cleaned it out. It might of had something to do with either the water or the fact it took me 2 minutes to get him out of the temporary bowl I had him in to put him back in his new tank he had the ability to evade the net every time so I had to reach in and grab him which was probably what made him act freaky for a day - was all forgotton come dinner time.. Though I did notice an immediate calming change after the double dose of conditioner but was still running away from me

 

[bubblesburst80]

i'm glad hes back more to his old self

it could have had something to do with you having to pick him up by hand as it can be harmful to fish

xXx

 

[branjie]

I wouldn't use bought water for your fish tank. My LFS told me that purified water doesn't have the minerals they need, tap water is actually better. I hope Mr Betta makes a full recovery soon. Keep us up to date.

 

[mr. beta]

I wouldn't use bought water for your fish tank. My LFS told me that purified water doesn't have the minerals they need, tap water is actually better. I hope Mr Betta makes a full recovery soon. Keep us up to date.

I'm starting to get little clues as to the real purpose to his unusual frequent surface for air. I had the pump off all day and when I came home there were tons of little bubble on the surface which was the first time I have ever seen this. I guess hes making bubbled nests for some reason, I really need to get him a cave tomorrow. anyways he wanted his food as usual and got it, then kept indicating he want the pump on.. Turned the pump on and he just layed down in one of the gravel rutts. Hes been in there all night, I just came up for a bit to check on him, I turned on the light and he wont come up. I turned off the pump to give him a snack and I waited a half hour and he wont get off the floor, went up to the surface only twice within that time to get air and ignore the pallet I dropped in. with the pump off he just drifted on the rocks and marble which makes me worry if hes going hurt his fins but they are very smooth rocks. after so much time went by he got agitated and started nudging the pump and looking at me and completely ignoring the pallet or grub flake i would drop in.. so whatever I turned on the pump and he lost his food and he dont care since hes on the stupid floor again.. he did this last night to, at night time he doesnt want to eat or be bothered i guess but its really weird I dont know if the pump is a good thing or not but he definitely needs a cave although hes not afraid of me anymore and doesnt seem to act like he needs to hide except that night I cleaned his tank..

I sure hope grabbing him didnt hurt him I didnt squeeze him at all he was very strong and i had to use two hand to trap him so he didnt fall out to the floor, next time I wont do that. Do bubble nests indicate hes trying to hide? I never had a hard time transferring him from the bowl to the tank before and I think that terrifying night of chasing him for 2 minutes made him feel unsafe now =[

 

[bubblesburst80]

a bubbles nest is a sign that your betta is happy,
the not eating could be a bit of a problem but unless it goes on for a long time a few days isnt really an issue

xXx

 

[branjie]

Like bubblesburst said, bubble nests are a really good sign that your Betta is happy. He ate his tea, and was ready for his sleep. Fish don't need snacks . Sometimes getting worked up about your fish means that you fiddle with them too much. He seems to have indicated how he likes his bedtime routine, so I guess do as you're told . I tried to hand feed my Betta tonight for the first time, and he rushed and me with a huge flaring gill face. I took that as a no thanks. They seem to know what they want, and yours is particularly choosy and clever.

PS, buy a cheap net with a handle from the fish shop, or catch your Mr Betta in a cup when you need to move him. I've read on this forum that handling fish can be bad for them. It interferes with their "slime coat" or something.

 

[invader]

How strong is the pump? Maybe instead of liking the pump and "going to sleep on the rocks," he actually is trying to get away from the current. Generally, bettas do not like current and seeing that yours made a bubble nest while the pump was off, maybe you should keep it off more often.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Quite right Branjie, you shouldn't really handle your fish, especially if it stresses them. And turn off the filter. Seriously. Some of my boys hate them, some don't. My guess is he doesn't. It also sounds like the pump being switched on and off is stressing him out. Leave it off permanently. He won't object to it. And maybe give him some space. Sounds odd maybe, but some really don't like being peered at all the time. Try some frozen or live food occassionally too. Give him some variance in his diet.
P.

 

[mr. beta]

as soon as morning came he got off the floor and started swiming. turned the pump off for the day and he hasnt asked for it again yet. ate breakfast. came in at noon to a bubble nest, walked over to him to check it out and he glided to the glass then i said said 'hello mr. betta, how are you?' and he responded with one of the biggest flares yet that exposed a cool red ring. i dropped in a little bit of dried grub snack and he attacked it.. hes just fine then, but worry he can be bored which is why i give him a little less breakfast, one less pallet, and give a little snack for lunch just so he has somthing to look forward to and he must really appreciate it with that flare he gave me.. i used to think flare ment feed me or ill eat you but now i think its some sign of entreaty for food and when i do the limit breakfast then snack he really wants my attention. is it known if the can flare mean more than one thing other than aggression?

 

[mr. beta]

How strong is the pump? Maybe instead of liking the pump and "going to sleep on the rocks," he actually is trying to get away from the current. Generally, bettas do not like current and seeing that yours made a bubble nest while the pump was off, maybe you should keep it off more often.

the pump is strong. i have considered that as a possibility, but not so after fidilling with the stream adjustment. when I put the stream on low mr. beta disaproves, will not lay on the rocks and nudges the pump giving me an 'i dont know what to do just fix it look' and i spent several days trying different settings inbetween and the only one that satisfies him is all the way high and ive spent a long time to realise that nudging means more stream and he never complains when its all the way on. its a 30 gallon pump in a 10 gallon tank. if it were too much for him he would tell me to turn it off but he only tells me to turn it off when in the morning by swimming stationary and giving me a stare down until i turn it off. a stare down is when im in the room and he will face the direction im at and if i move around he will change his direction towards me (which makes me feel like a heat seaking missile is locked on me because he looks like a missile in that perspective) and the vibe feels like hes not happy which is a noticable change to happy when i turn it off and he swims about admirring every volume of his tank as he prepares to make bubble nests

 

[mr. beta]

i didnt expect to post again so soon, this fish is freaking me out. i came up to the familly room to watch tv which is where mr. beta is and he was just floating there doing absolutly nothing and noticed me so i went over and he came to me but didnt flare then i said 'hello' and he went into this weird mode doing half flares on and off so i gave him a tiney crumb of a grub and then i went to site on the soffa to watch the tube. he then freaked out and went back and forth very fast banging his head on the side glass and did this for 10 minutes until finally he started getting on my nerves and i went over to him and he stopped to just stare so i put in more food saying 'there half your dinner' then i sat back down and he then proceeded not to eat his food but to make a bubble nest again and its been 15 mins and hes just cruzing around popping up bubbles its pretty cool how he does all those bubbles but what is the deal with that behavior is it because he cant be happy without knowing he has food if he wants it even if hes not hungry?

 

[Booboo puppy]

Maybe he asks for food, whether he wants it or not, to prove to himself that he has you trained Each of the bettas I've owned have had their own unique personalities--that's what makes them such fun fish.

 

[mr. beta]

ok all the bubbles hes still popping up has all that food i dropped in, in some sort of quagmire. he must be thinking he can keep the food there and it wont get swept away by the pump tonight but thats just crazy cos a) hes going eat it before then and B) the current will immedately sweep that bubblenest buffett right underwater and sucked into the pump within 10 seconds. but theres a reason for everything i guess. does anyone elses betta beg to have extra food so they can bubblenest it?

 

[mr. beta]

yes a fish that goes out of his way to get my attention by violently bashing his head on the glass to make me give him food for the satisfaction of knowing he can make me give him food is another dimention of smarts which i really doubt a beta has. but he did go into happy mode afterwards... bah i hate getting attached to animals i really do. i mean a cat that rubs on me and purrs when i pet it i can never get attached to, i swear this fish is smarter than my girls cat. like what the heck this fish has done 100x more sophisticated things than any cat ive seen i think im imaginating this all