My very social guy is now hiding and skittish

[Ry21]

Update
After several weeks of always hiding, Walter is behaving more like himself again! He’s swimming around and coming up to the glass when I approach the tank. Idk what was going on with him, but he’s seems ok.
Thank you to all who replied.

My betta, Walter has always been very social even getting in the way when I clean the tank and do water changes. However recently, the past three weeks, he has been always hiding and very skittish only coming out to eat.

He’s in a 10 gallon tank with driftwood and plants heavy tannins, nitrites 0, ammonia 0, nitrates 0 to 5 , temperature is kept around 78° to 80°

When he comes out to eat, he looks fine fins look good body looks good. He’s still eating well, but hides so much. Any help is very appreciated. Thank you!

 

[GaryE7 5]

Are water changes weekly? Tannin build ups often connect to organic matter build ups. If water quality drops, radical behaviour changes can happen. I love tannins and use various methods to get them in tanks, but not all methods are equal, and some botanicals decompose.

Have you changed activity or lighting in the room where the tank is? The environment outside the tank can cause skittishness. They don't have great vision, but their sense of vibrations and light works well.

Is he building bubble nests?

Are a lot of places he can hide? If they lack hiding places, they hide in what they have. If they always have safety to run to, they tend to relax and stay in view more.

Please don't make the mistake of getting Walter "friends". Betta splendens have no friends, just competitors and annoyances. They simply aren't social with other fish, though they get used to their human food source creatures. You don't get into the tank and crowd Walter's space, which tankmates would.

 

[Ry21]

Are water changes weekly? Tannin build ups often connect to organic matter build ups. If water quality drops, radical behaviour changes can happen. I love tannins and use various methods to get them in tanks, but not all methods are equal, and some botanicals decompose.

Have you changed activity or lighting in the room where the tank is? The environment outside the tank can cause skittishness. They don't have great vision, but their sense of vibrations and light works well.

Is he building bubble nests?

Are a lot of places he can hide? If they lack hiding places, they hide in what they have. If they always have safety to run to, they tend to relax and stay in view more.

Please don't make the mistake of getting Walter "friends". Betta splendens have no friends, just competitors and annoyances. They simply aren't social with other fish, though they get used to their human food source creatures. You don't get into the tank and crowd Walter's space, which tankmates would.

Thank you for your response. The tannins are from the driftwood. I do regular water changes, every week or so. Water, environment inside and out has been stable.

He has base bubble nests before. He has several hiding places with all the plants and wood etc.

Up until three weeks ago, he would mostly swim in the front as soon as he saw someone. And would swim around anything I put in the tank ie when cleaning etc.

 

[GaryE7 5]

So the first line checklist is covered... that's always a starting point when fish get nervous. After that, let's see what others can bring as ideas. Age is a possibility, in the sense of him maturing. It could also be illness, which doesn't have to be caused by anything we do. They're like us - things go wrong.

But it's easy to guess at that.

 

[Innesfan44 6]

You could try rearranging the scape and/or providing something new to add to it that might intrigue him.