Betta Personalities

What are your Betta's personalities like? I have fallen in love with betta fish all over again, each of my 6 have such different personalities. It's amazing.


;D I haven't had a betta respond to me like this ever. Aries has an amazing personality and I just wanted to share. Aries formally Sky, is so hyper, he is just a baby, 1.5" with tiny tiny. He jumps out of the tank at me anytime I put my face over it or my hand. He has bitten me a few times while adjusting the heater. He swims right into my arm/hand..not one bit nervous. Sebastian is on the other side of his tank. They can see each other. Aries gets so excited, but Sebastian doesn't hardly notice him.
If I am looking at one of the other boys too long he gets mad. He is so cute and tiny. I am attached to him already and it's only been a few days. Jasper, Aries, and Holly are my bossy betta. Mr. Peach (a tad feisty & a jumper), Sebastian and newbie are so laid back, slow swimmers and attentive. All 3 just swim and swim. I think that Sebastian may fair well in a community tank, but I am going to wait and get to know him better. Holly lets me touch her and is very sweet to me, but another Betta near...not so sweet. She was in a sorority betta tank, basically stressed out all the other girls to death or beat them up until they were sick.
My boyfriend thinks I am silly. I sit in front of my betta tanks on a stool and talk tot hem, and laugh at their antics. I could sit their for hours at a time if I didn't have other fish to look at and cats to play with, house work to do.

 

All normal betta owner behaviour. Mine all have their own little quirks. Drew is a sleepy head, he will sleep 23 out of 24 hours of the day. At first I thought he was sick and treated him for every fish illness imaginable to find out that he's just lazy. Joey is a little on the Slow side. He's so excited when i'm sitting in front of his tank and is so interested in me that when I feed him I almost need to tap him on the head and say " hey dodo I just fed you, you can eat now". W is my main man. He loves his mommy and can't get enough attention from her. He loves the camera (as does joey) and he loves attention. I swear if he didn't need to live in water, he would be content in my pocket so he could be with me twenty four hours a day. Brain is still too new to know. He is a very shy, calm, little guy who takes life one day at a time. They also have different tastes when it comes to food. Drew will eat anything, W will only eat flakes if I grind them up really tiny, but loves blood worms and brine shrimp and no pellets. (i've tried every kind on the planet and even tried soaking in garlic guard). Joey won't eat pelets either and he is the messiest eater i've ever seen. Brain will only eat flakes. Nothing else, but I think its beacause he is still a baby. I feel like a i'm running a betta restaurant, making different meals for everyone.

 

I really find that the Betta's personalities are just like my 4 cats. I also find Betta are like cats. Seriously, they can be bums, fussy, jealous, mean and sweet just like my cats and cats in general. Like I said it really amazes me how each Betta has its own attitude. I love it.
Question, how many betta can a person have...before people think they are obsessed or nuts?

 

Oh I think it must be a couple hundred at least. I'm just afraid to get so many that I can't give them proper attention.

 

Oh I think it must be a couple hundred at least. I'm just afraid to get so many that I can't give them proper attention.

I know I wish I could too, but I know I can only take care who I have now. 6 to 8 is the most I'll have at once. I am saying this b/c I've wanted veil tail females, haven't seen them here until, I found them at Walmart on Saturday..only 2.77 each. So why not rescue a couple.

 

My little girl is a voracious little piggie surfer, and she's anything BUT a picky eater. After mealtime, she gives me this look like "I'm starving here! Gimme more!" and I think she was actually trying to eat my finger when she jumped out of the water and chomped it when I tried interacting with her right after feeding her! Sometimes, when I look at her in her tank, she's looking right at me. I think she's begging and trying to guilt me into feeding her more. Either that, or it's the Evil Eye for not feeding her until she explodes...I wouldn't put it past her. >

I certainly don't think she'd do well with tank mates - she'd try to eat them!

Other than her very betta appetite, she likes to surf the current from her bio-wheel...and sometimes it looks like she's trying to eat either an air bubble the filter has created, or some very small debris, because I see her lunge at it like she does her food. Feisty little piggie-fish.

I haven't had her long enough to notice any other particular personality quirks.

 

We had to stop at 6, more would mean they wouldn't get the attention they love.

 

My betta SamuraI is definitely a attention seeker. Always at the front of the tank doing his little butt wiggle. Definitely a very active guy. He loves my kitten too. They get on so well.

 

George is definitely better. He's been swimming around actively and eating.

And now that his personality is showing, I'm amazed. I was wondering how common this is.

I have an internal filter with a spray bar on it. I turned the flow down as far as it will go, pointed the spray bar into a corner, and keep the water level above the spray bar, to help reduce the flow/turbulence, as I have always heard bettas don't care for that. So the only place there's any real turbulence is right in that corner. George, however, makes a game out of going over and laying on top of the filter, then diving off it into the corner, right into the water outflow. It's not strong enough to knock him about too much, but it definitely gives him a little spin - and he swims out, goes back, and does it again. Over and over. The first couple times I thought it was an accident, and I thought I'd better replace that filter with something less forceful. But after watching him do this off and on all day long, I'm pretty sure he's doing it on purpose.

He's doing all kinds of funny things. I have a typical glass thermometer suctioned-cupped to the side of the tank, and he's ignored it all week. Today I moved it to a different wall, and he became obsessed with it. Even though it's only about 1/4" from the tank wall, he squeezed his body around it and kept swimming in spirals around the thermometer for, like, 15 minutes.

Otherwise he acts 'normal' ... swims around exploring all over, then when he wants to rest he lays on top of the internal filter or in his plant (I replaced the plastic with silk). He doesn't act agitated or anything, just as if he's having a lot of fun. At least, that's how it looks to me.

I just always thought bettas were really sedate, and especially didn't like water flow like from a filter. So I just wondered if this was more common than I thought, or if George has just decided he wants to start training for the Olympics or something.

Thanks for any comments ...

Rayne

 

So glad George is doing better I have found Bettas to have fun personalities & be very curious. Some have enjoyed swimming in the bubbles from stones, taking a ride on current from the filter and my latest addition stalks then attacks his food...so cute.

 

Betas have individual personalities. I have 2 females that almost demand I hand feed them. The Alpha female in the tank swims to my hand and I cup her in my hand and she stays there for about 10 seconds and then swims off and comes right back. Most of my sorority follows my fingers all around the tank. I also have a lone male in my 40b that keeps the platy population under control. He was a 98 cent baby Betta from petco.
PS: funny you mention "attacking" food. That is why I have to hand feed the 2 females. if I put food on the water surface, the 15 neons go wild and the food is gone in 30 seconds while the females are still sizing it up, and then comes the attack - no food left by then.

 

Sounds pretty cute, I'm glad he's doing better!
Most bettas do avoid the current - but definitely not all! They each have their funny quirks. As long as he is healthy and happy, that's all that matters.

 

Sounds like he's enjoying interacting with his environment. Some members have posted about their bettas being obsessed with a cup, others with specific plants. He might be a great guy to keep entertained by offering him new and interesting things to investigate.

Something like a clean, well rinsed glass may offer him tons of entertainment, or different aquarium decorations. Trying to remove one and offer new ones every month or so may keep him very happy.

Sounds like he has an awesome personality!

 

I just always thought bettas were really sedate

This is a common misconception because they are kept in small, unheated, undecorated containers.

Lots of people are amazed at how active Bettas are once you get them in warm water, and with some decorations.

Just out of curiosity, is that internal filter the TOM internal filter?

 

Sounds like he's a playful little guy! Inventing his own game and everything. I've also heard of bettas really enjoying floating surface toys, like a simple ping pong ball.

My bettas have all had different things they were obsessed with, especially after moving things about. Pinky will squeeze in and around the same plant over and over, swim into his little jar hides and proceed to try to swim through the glass, peck at things etc. Duke will do the same with the thermometer if I move it, and swims in circles up and down and around the filter outflow all the time. If the snail is anywhere within sight he'll poke at it and stare and swim circles around it for hours.

Both of them love to squeeze in any tight spaces they can. Which is why there's a general rule around here it seems, that if an opening is smaller than your thumb, don't put it in the tank with your betta, or they will get stuck haha.

Whenever I change something in a betta tank they tend to obsess over it for a good while, I suppose until they get bored, and then on to the next thing XD

So I'd say depending on the betta, it's pretty normal Especially in healthy environments their personality can really shine!

 

This is so awesome. I don't know why I didn't expect fish to have such individual personalities, like any other creature. My past fish experience was quite awhile ago and limited, so I never experienced this. Since I just set this tank up I've been tinkering with it quite a bit, and I was worried I should quit, I might be stressing him - but it seems instead he does enjoy exploring the different things. I'm looking forward to trying the cup idea, and something floating on the surface - sounds like stuff he'd like.

Asherjellyfish, I hear that - he also loves to squeeze himself into any tiny crevice he can find, like between the filter and the wall. I'm trying to make sure there's nothing he can actually get stuck in.

Thanks for all the comments - this is so cool.

 

Just out of curiosity, is that internal filter the TOM internal filter?

No, though it's similar. Mine is a Top Fin 10 from Petsmart. I like it a lot, except it's taking up more space than I like in an only 2.5 gallon tank. But then, everything takes up too much space in that tank.

 

Each betta has their own personality. I have more than 20 adult bettas, not counting young juvies, I lose count. If you disguised them so they all looked the same, given some time to sit and watch them, I could probably identify most of them by personality alone. A few of them have such distinctive traits that I could identify them immediately.

It is fun to watch the ones that enjoy water flow and such things, makes you really wonder what they are thinking. Sounds like you have a cool friend

 

No, though it's similar. Mine is a Top Fin 10 from Petsmart. I like it a lot, except it's taking up more space than I like in an only 2.5 gallon tank. But then, everything takes up too much space in that tank.

OK, thanks.

 

I got my first betta over a month ago and after a bit of trial and error, I've figured out what he likes and he's happy. I was always told that Bettas have their own little personalities, and I didn't realize how right they were! So I wanted to learn what other peoples' fishie friends personalities or quirks are.
1.Phantom seems to know that when his tank light is on, I'm home. He seems to also have figured out that there is a cutout in the hood of his tank for easy feeding. So when he's hungry he'll kind of hover underneath the cutout and look at the side of the tank that faces my bed. (He only does it like two or three times a day). My roommate has tested my theory and pokes her head in my room to see if he's hovering when his light is off and she's never seen him do it.
2.Phantom will also chase my finger near the glass like some fish do at the pet store, which is super cute.
What are some things your Betta does?

 

My betta always does his little ‘begging dance’ when I go past his tank, he is very greedy! He also jumps for his food. My previous betta learnt to swim through tunnels and hoops on command! He was very clever

 

My first betta bit me and always jump out of the tank whenever he knows it's his feeding time.

My second betta is so sweet that she will move her fin like a curtain when I'm near her

 

My betta is a little monster! He's so aggressive that every time I put my hand I'm the tank he'll come bite me or jump of my hand. I think it's cute because it doesn't hurt at all. He will also follow my finger in the water and jumps on command. Everytime I sit in front of his tank, he gets absolutely crazy and start swimming extremely fast near the glass. I love him

 

I had to put Gorebyss into a temporary hostpital tank for a little while, and he usually looks calm and happy. But during that time I removed the big filter his tank came with. He sat where the old inttake used to be for a little while, before just glaring at me and trying to attack his old filter, as it has a light current. I turned it down for him but I'm gonna be replacing it anyway, it's just until I get him a new rain filter.
Was taking pics of his new setup and found him just glaring at me. His mouth is usually partially open but he looks like the fish version of grumpy cat here.

 

Whenever I enter my room my betta swims right up to the front and does a little wiggle to greet me. He hates the camera more then anything else, will flare and hide from it lol. Although he is really friendly and loves to interact with everyone

 

All my bettas have had a strong personality and I’ve gone into them all before, but I’ve got a video of one of my bettas I had last year and she was probably the most aggressive fish I’ve had. By far more aggressive than any male betta I’ve ever had... once she even bit my finger and didn’t let go for a second, holding on. She only let go because it startled me and I pulled back.

This is when she was trying to rip into the cucumber, probably thinking it was flesh-

 

When my sisters betta Cameron lived in my 10 gallon, I had some new ghost shrimp in the tank, and one died in his favorite pot to chill in, and he grabbed the shrimp in its mouth and started showing it off like a trophey. I didn’t realize how aggressive he is until I watched a time lapse of the shrimp eating an algae wafer. He kept driving them away from it. He is a funny fish, (and probably was the sickest betta at the store. Fungus, and finrot.)

 

I've had a fair amount of bettas, so here are their quirks:
Ares: He was super attached to one certain decoration, and got depressed when it was taken out. He also got super stressed in tanks bigger than 2.5 gallons, so while I would have wished to have given him a 10, he wouldn't appreciate it.
Hermes: Super shy, was always afraid of everyone but me, and that took a couple of months.
Dionysus: Dumb. That's it. He seems to be getting tiny fishy cataracts, so he gets a pass. He also has only ever displayed to a male zebra danio in a tank next to him. Very much a drama king.
Hyperion: Flares when I open my mouth. Not a trained response, just wierd. Refuses to eat unless he's fed before DI (their tanks are right next to each other).
Apollo: Loves to sit on my hand whenever I'm doing work. I'll occasionally put my hand in the tank for him, and he swims right up and sits on it.
Patriot: Super social, I've never seen him flare except for displaying at girls. Only female he ever breeds to is Aphrodite.
Aphrodite: Super picky about bubblenests. It can't be anywhere but under a pothos leaf, but Pat obliges.
Demeter: Acts super shy around new people, but is more aggressive than any of my other fish.
Athena: She was super scared of pretty much everything. It took her two weeks to not be afraid of bbs.
Selene: Just stares at Apollo when he's in his usual tank. I don't know if she has a little school-betta crush, but she loves to stare at him.
Hestia: Super sassy. You can almost see her judging you. For this reason (and the fact that her fins are red and her body is white), she has earned the nickname 'Moq'. She basically looks like a twelve-point goldfish in betta form.
Like I said, my bettas are wierd.

 

Wow guys! These are awesome
lilabug4545 I want my betta to sit in my hand.... that sounds adorable!

 

All my bettas have had a strong personality and I’ve gone into them all before, but I’ve got a video of one of my bettas I had last year and she was probably the most aggressive fish I’ve had. By far more aggressive than any male betta I’ve ever had... once she even bit my finger and didn’t let go for a second, holding on. She only let go because it startled me and I pulled back.

This is when she was trying to rip into the cucumber, probably thinking it was flesh-

Oh mylanta, my most aggressive mbunas would have been placid cherubs next to her! glad my girls aren't that nuts... Well, Gold Leader seems a little bi-polar, sometimes she like the sorority, other times she's not having it; she hates Red Leader, and kinda hates Blue Leader. (I named them all after Rebel squadrons, except Spot, she's named after Data's cat, and like to hide in holes my loches dig.)

Dragon used to watch me watch him. He would sit on the bottom front and center, and just stare back at me. He was also my longest lived betta, despite some sort of white growth covering the a whole side of his face. I never did figure out what it was, but he didn't flick against the rocks, or seem to behave too differently than males I've had. He got along with the other fish in the tank. I waited until he died before starting to raise cichlids for the first time...

Gold Leader greets me and is very curious about my phone. As mentioned, she's kinda a brat sometimes. She hangs out in the front, resting on the bottom most of the time.

Gold Two follows Gold Leader around. She's pretty docile, and let's the other ladies hang out in the tree with her, as long as they're not too close.

Spot is still pretty dull, and has a stripe, so she's probably the youngest of the bunch. She kinda does her own thing, or hangs out with Gold Squadron. Sometimes she stares at me, which is funny, because she her mouth has pin-up girl lipstick markings, but her betta frowny face makes her look she's gonna find a fist and punch you with it.

Red Leader gets picked on, probably because she had solid enough color that she looks like a short-fin male. This being the case, it's hard to say what her personality is. She's just kinda there. She may get her own home some day, but I don't have the space for another tank, and I don't want to spend the money on spinning one up.

Blue Leader seems to get along with Gold Squadron in short spurts, but it isn't long until everyone is flaring at everything and the formation breaks. Otherwise she hangs out on the opposite side of the tank from where I sit, or in her spot in the tree. (She was the first to claim tree space.)

Rouge One (the koi) wanders the tank, I'm not sure if she's struck a claim anywhere yet. She was added a week or two after the other girls were, and she's a little smaller than the rest, so she seems a little aloof. She seems to enjoy darting into the current from the filter... Or she's too dumb to remember where not to swing.

One more will round it all off for me. I've heard odd numbers are best for sororities. Also, I want more, but baby steps

 

Update: Despite the strong flow, he's made a nest. Only the 4th time I've ever seen him make one.

 

my betta is weird, he likes his flow to be slightly strong and just hates it when the flow is weak.
lilabug4545 that's really cute! I wish my betta would sit in my hand but instead he likes to get in the way when I'm trying to clean the gravel lol

 

Here are my Bettas' personalities!! They're all super unique and fun
Nigel: He is super sassy and loves to flare at anything and everything. He is really fun and interactive and he loves to build huge bubble nests in the corner of his tank.
Warner: He actually goes by quite a few names (Virgil, Irwell, and "Little Prince") and is my little buddy. He hasn't built a bubble nest yet, but I'm still holding out hope that he will eventually...
Penelope: A little sweetheart. When I purchased her, she was completely white, but she has started to develop some dark scales. I like to joke that she's Nigel's girlfriend since they used to both live in my room.
Elanor: She's pretty feisty and loves to nibble on my hands whenever I put them into the tank. She is almost always hanging out with Penelope. I don't know if it's just a Crowntail thing or what, but it sure is cute.
Shere Kahn: She's one of the more shy girls in the sorority, but she always seems to be the first one to the top of the tank whenever I feed them.
Tabaqui: She's the "big boss" of the sorority but at the same time the most aloof, though she is almost always seen next to Colonel.
Colonel: She started out as being just pink-ish, but over time she has developed a lot iridescent blue throughout her body.
Alien: She is one of the newest additions to the sorority and one of the prettiest, at least in my opinion... I would say that she's somewhat above Elanor and below Colonel in terms of the hierarchy. She has settled in really well.
Winter: The best for last, I suppose. Winter is my resue Betta and quickly became my favorite Betta. She has a beautiful Koi coloring to match her sweet yet fiery personality. I absolutely love her and everything about her.

 

Howdy, I am called Baron von Mustard the Third.

pwetty in pink

• Sharkaroid
• Mar 29, 2018

It has been two months since I was named, and o how happy I am! Never have I been so cared for (maybe even spoiled) in my whole life...

As I first got to my new home, I was placed in front of a screen which constantly displayed a cursor-like bug, which I swear is still playing tricks on me. One day I will catch him, should this invisible barrier let me through!

Later on, she put stones on the bottom of my place, in such a fashion that I could swim in circles and through the gaps between them all day long, even if they are smaller than me (sadly, I tore my own tail a few times doing that, but nothing so bad). A few weeks later, the plants came too, and that is when I discovered I could get even more fun, because I love to squeeze myself through the stems and leaves. In fact, I am so comfortable with my place as it is that I build bubble nests almost every night (come on ladies, it's breeding season ;3 )

I just get angry when my owner places those pesky pens beneath the barrier. The outside is my territory too! I have to flare them away from there everytime.

One of our best interactions, though, are the staredowns between me and her, and I must say I always win. It is also of our habit to greet every time she wakes up, with me frantically wiggling every time she waves from her bed.

Well, I am now a bit tired, so I will rest my fins on the plants... See you later, comrades.


OWNER'S NOTE: well, i'd actually enjoy it very much if I could breed him, because Mustard is very special and unique to me but, sadly, I haven't got enough money to buy proper tanks for the female(s) and their offspring, so it is a bad idea to do it on my own

 

The best betta I ever had was a female named nebula. She had a creamy white body with creamy orange fins, I believe she was a veil tail. She was a very social/smart fish. She would swim to the the side of the tank when you walked past and follow you. If you stuck your fingertip in the water she would come up and nibble on it. I tried to use her in argument with my wife about why we did/didnt need a cat. She said she needed an animal that she could pet, so I taught nebula to rub against my finger like I was petting a dog.(think scratching a dog in its sweet spot) Then she said she needed an animal that she could play with, so I taught nebula to swim between my fingers like an obstacle course. This went on and on until my wife ended the argument by saying she needed a cuddle buddy..... Checkmate! I miss that fish, smarter than the two cats we ended up with for sure

 

The best betta I ever had was a female named nebula. She had a creamy white body with creamy orange fins, I believe she was a veil tail. She was a very social/smart fish. She would swim to the the side of the tank when you walked past and follow you. If you stuck your fingertip in the water she would come up and nibble on it. I tried to use her in argument with my wife about why we did/didnt need a cat. She said she needed an animal that she could pet, so I taught nebula to rub against my finger like I was petting a dog.(think scratching a dog in its sweet spot) Then she said she needed an animal that she could play with, so I taught nebula to swim between my fingers like an obstacle course. This went on and on until my wife ended the argument by saying she needed a cuddle buddy..... Checkmate! I miss that fish, smarter than the two cats we ended up with for sure

Hey, but why didn't your wife consider a cuddlebuddy that woudn't try and harm Nebula, so you wouldn't have to give her away? I mean, I do not want to reignite an argument between you both, but getting her a pet such as a bunny would allow you to keep them both together

 

Hey, but why didn't your wife consider a cuddlebuddy that woudn't try and harm Nebula, so you wouldn't have to give her away? I mean, I do not want to reignite an argument between you both, but getting her a pet such as a bunny would allow you to keep them both together

Oh I didn't get rid of my fish, ended up making a deal with her for the cats.

 

Oh I didn't get rid of my fish, ended up making a deal with her for the cats.

Ah I believe I had misunderstood you then... So, what happened to her?

 

Honestly I'm not too sure, she just disappeared. I suspected my pleco got a hold of her but I was never able to find a body or anything. I completely tore apart my filters, looked all around the tank, I even did a deep clean on my tank hoping I could find some evidence but alas I found nothing.

 

Honestly I'm not too sure, she just disappeared. I suspected my pleco got a hold of her but I was never able to find a body or anything. I completely tore apart my filters, looked all around the tank, I even did a deep clean on my tank hoping I could find some evidence but alas I found nothing.