HELP?!

[Kenna5]

I just bought a new elephant ear betta, Merlin, and when I put him into his new tank he got really freaked out. He isn't completely flaring, its more like heavy breathing and he wont stop. Its been two hours so far and he still hasn't calmed down, he occasionally darts around hitting things and i'm afraid hes going to hurt himself. Once he had calmed down a little I tried turning off his light and he flipped out and started hitting the walls and darting around so I turned it back on again. Should I leave it on through the night to let him get used to his surroundings? Also, what can I do to make his first couple of days easier for him? I already have another betta that i've had for around a year, and he hasn't had any problems

 

[Demeter32]

I'd leave the light off for the rest of the day and only turn it on when the room is already lit via a window or something. My fish will also freak out when the lights are suddenly turned on when it was completely dark before.

 

[NickAu]

Hi

• is the tank cycled - how did you cycle it?
• does the tank have a filter?
• does it have a heater - what temp is it set to?