What To Do For A Cowardly Betta

[newfishy]

this girl is driving me nuts, she is in a constant state of panic. she lives in a divided tank, the other girls cant hurt her. its filtered she has her own little plant and a nice cave to hide in. the water states are excelent. and yet she has constant huge stress stripes, and only comes out of her cave to eat and then runs in and hides. I have watched the tank after she thinks I have left the room and she is slightly more happy. also anytime I have to move or change something in the tank she is so freaked out you would think I was beating the tank with a baseball bat.


I just dont understand it, she is a healthy lovely girl, the other girls in the same tank...a spawn sister and a half sister love me and try and jump into my hand while I feed them. I really want to breed her, she is a blue cambodian hm, but I feel bad doing anything that I know will stress her out.

 

[Cdarmychi]

If I were you, I would block her line of view from the glass....If you have a surplus of plant life, then make a wall around 3 sides of her space....Leave her like that till she can be calm, then open a side. leave her, then open a side, etc. Solid dividers work as well.

 

[newfishy]

that is a good idea, I have some extra silks hanging around, I also moved the other two girls a divider away from her, so no one is right next to her. 4 equal spaces to a 10 gallon.

I am getting a binch of live plants as my christmas present, might just have to have my present a little early so I can have a few extra for her.

 

[MaddieJ]

Oh bless her! We had two little girls like this about a year ago. Gorgeous little things but were completely petrified of everything and anything. The only time ours lost their stress stripes was when put into a divided section of the girls tank, just over a gallon each - but only just and more plants in there than water lol. I know a lot of people say under xx gallons of water for a betta is cruel but it did the trick and the girls found it easier to relax in a smaller area.

xx

 

[Honeythorn]

Definitely more plants, one is not nearly enough. Loads of Cabomba, Elodia, some java moss perhaps. Get a proper jungle going for her to hide in