Betta acting strange.

My Betta normally just wonders around the tank doing nothing in particular and flaring at pieces of plants. Today he's been almost exclusively swimming against the back of the tank, back and forth over and over. Did my tests and nothing seems out of ordinary. Although there's a weird white part on his head.

I don't know if this is ick or what but the betta's behavior is definitely strange. It hasn't gone anywhere but this section of the tank, all the way at the back.

He's just doin circles back there, rubbing against the plants and swimming against the wall. He did accept food as soon as I summoned him for his snack he instantly snapped over to get some food, hovering around the feeding area for a little bit til he realized food time was over then he went back at it again.

 

Strange. Did anything different happen today? Any lights shine on the tank that aren't normally there and cast shadows on the back wall that he's now trying to find?

 

Strange. Did anything different happen today? Any lights shine on the tank that aren't normally there and cast shadows on the back wall that he's now trying to find?

Nothing out of the normal no.
I have no idea why he'd be so diligent to swim around over there. Maybe he's just bored? The only encouraging thing is that he's not so obsessed that he ignores me completely. I use a small piece of air tubing to poke into the water sometimes and "play" with him. He'll follow it around and investigate it. And he did that when I put it in there. Plus I was able to feed him fine today. He didn't reject his food or anything.

 

Any windows in the room he's in? I'm just wondering if a car headlight shone into his tank just so and he was awake to catch sight of the shadows cast and he's still looking for them. If he doesn't see them again for a while I'm sure he'll stop what he's doing.

 

There is a window and it is possible it reflected off something. I'm in second story though. He's been doing it for hours now. Stops now and then to take a breath at surface but otherwise swimming in circles. I'll take a video.

Aquaphobia

 

Does he stop if you turn his tank lights off? I can sometimes see his shadow on the back wall!

 

Does he stop if you turn his tank lights off? I can sometimes see his shadow on the back wall!

I turned the lights off and he's still doing it but I'll give it a moment and see what happens. That would be strange though as I've had him more than 2 weeks and the lights have always been in the same place.

 

Yeah, it would be strange! Maybe in all the excitement of exploring his new home he just didn't notice his shadow before now

 

You should name him Peter Pan (looking for his shadow)...

 

Yeah, it would be strange! Maybe in all the excitement of exploring his new home he just didn't notice his shadow before now

Well he's still doing it as of now. Suppose that could be it. Does take him a while usually before he realizes things, like decor and stuff. I'll keep my eye on him and see if he continues.

You should name him Peter Pan (looking for his shadow)...

That's a hilarious idea and I probably would if I hadn't already named him Hugo (after Hugo Strange)

 

That's a hilarious idea and I probably would if I hadn't already named him Hugo (after Hugo Strange)

Add a snail and name it Ms. Peabody.

 

Well he's still at it. I caught him sleeping at night so...that's good. But I have no idea why he's so obsessed with the back wall.

 

I had a giant betta with the same thing on his head that recently passed away. In hind sight I'm pretty sure it was a fungal or bacterial infection. I'd recommend treating your fish for one of the above if you can accurately tell if it is indeed a fungal or bacterial problem.

 

I had a giant betta with the same thing on his head that recently passed away. In hind sight I'm pretty sure it was a fungal or bacterial infection. I'd recommend treating your fish for one of the above if you can accurately tell if it is indeed a fungal or bacterial problem.

Thanks!!! I'll look into that. Did he have any odd habits when he got the spot?

 

Any ideas why my betta is acting so weird? Tank has been up since may but had him since March. He’s a male crow tail if that makes any difference. Roughly a week ago he ripped off two of his dorsal fins. I got him some shrimp and did the mirror thing maybe a minute a day and he stopped. Last night after he ate I noticed he was laying on the bottom of the tank a lot and seemed to be breathing kind of heavy I checked him this morning and thought he was dead but he was just laying there. He will have short (a few seconds) periods where he will swim around quickly then right back to the bottom of the His color is normal there is no fin rot or anything weird, ph 7.6 ammonia 0 nitrites 0 nitrates 10. Have not fed him today but he’s been eating normally. No new foods or plants in his tank. He has doubled in size since I got him so I’m assuming he isn’t that old. I know he could be resting on the bottom, but this is just very strange for him and I have a bad feeling. Am I missing anything?
Just an edit the tank has two filters a sponge filter and an internal filter that is built into it but hardly any flow and is heated to 82F has a light which I have dimmed currently.

 

Longfin betta varieties have trouble swimming even without torn fins and take naps on the substrate from time to time. Swimming with long, trailing fins is tiring, especially for crowntails. I think what you’re describing is to be expected from the species.

Betta splendens lives for a couple to a few years.

82°F (nearly 28°C) is too warm for bettas, so try cranking the temp down to 76°F. Fin rot causing bacteria gain resistance in higher temperatures.

 

My buddy had a betta that did the same thing, but he was confined to a 1.5 gallon tank, which was pretty bad. I think the betta was depressed honestly. He had it for 3 years though.
As Ouse said, bettas do rest on the substrate. Perhaps he is focusing on healing.
I would watch for fin tumors, as well.

 

I'm not an expert on bettas but isn't 7.6 pH too high for bettas? I remember reading somewhere that they will not do well in the long run in high pH as they are a soft water fish.

 

Sounds like he's a tired boy, they like to rest on substrate sometimes. You can get him a betta log/leaf too Do you have a picture of him?

82°F (nearly 28°C) is too warm for bettas, so try cranking the temp down to 76°F. Fin rot causing bacteria gain resistance in higher temperatures.

78-80 is the best temperature for a betta, slightly higher/lower is fine too. As long as it's stable, 82 is fine. They are tropical fish after all.

I'm not an expert on bettas but isn't 7.6 pH too high for bettas? I remember reading somewhere that they will not do well in the long run in high pH as they are a soft water fish.

That's fine, as long as it's stable! A stable pH is better than the right one (in most cases)

 

I'm not an expert on bettas but isn't 7.6 pH too high for bettas? I remember reading somewhere that they will not do well in the long run in high pH as they are a soft water fish.

Might not apply to betta splendens. Around 7.5 is the higher bound. It definitely applies to natural species, but betta splendens is manmade.

 

That's fine, as long as it's stable! A stable pH is better than the right one (in most cases)

True. I wouldn't advocate changing the pH either.

Might not apply to betta splendens. Around 7.5 is the higher bound. It definitely applies to natural species, but betta splendens is manmade.

Possible it could have adapted to thrive in various tap water parameters like the zebra danios.

 

Might not apply to betta splendens. Around 7.5 is the higher bound. It definitely applies to natural species, but betta splendens is manmade.

I think we may be getting mixed up between wild caught and captive-bred here. Wild caught would probably prefer softer water closer to their natural environment but captive-bred are fairly adaptable to a wider range of parameters.

 

I think we may be getting mixed up between wild caught and captive-bred here. Wild caught would probably prefer softer water closer to their natural environment but captive-bred are fairly adaptable to a wider range of parameters.

Yes, I mean captive bred, as crowntail bettas don’t exist in the wild. Wild caught bettas exist in soft, acidic water and are much different to betta splendens anyways. A wild caught betta would’ve died in this setup long ago.

A pH of 7.6 will do.

 

Turned the heater down a little. It’s stable at 7.6-I’m mostly concerned that he hasn’t come up for food this morning now. He has a log and a leaf and a 15g tank. Maybe he’s just tired and I’m overreacting. Thanks everyone.

 

You’re welcome. That is a nice setup for a betta. It’s much more advanced than what most bettas are subject to.

Likely tired. Swimming for betta splendens is the equivalent of trying to run in a wedding dress.

I’m supporting the choice of turning the temperature down if anything. Stress, damaged fins, naturally weak fish, high pH and high temp all combined, and you’re pretty much asking for fin rot causing bacteria to take hold. pH of 7.6 isn’t much to worry about though.