Is my Betta a soldier?!?!

I have a red betta fish, when I purchased it and added it to my tank everything was fine for about 2 days until it now just goes left right left right at the back in a space of about 4-5 inches against the glass, I have a 96 ltr tank. I'm not sure what's going on! pls help I feel really sad for my lovely Betta, all my other fishes are fine and healthy

 

Is the betta in a community tank?(with the fish you have listed bellow) Is the betta a male?
If it is a male and in a community tank, this may be the reason he is acting so funny.
Most male betta like to be alone, I've heard of some with some cories.
The males generally are not community fish.

 

males usually only get along with small catfish. Maybe yours is stressed if the other fish are going after his fins.

 

Yup, my betta is a male and living with those community fishes that I have listed, what is my alternative now, I can't watch it like this.....my poor betta :'(

 

Hopefully chickadee will come in soon she is the resident betta expert.
I ment oto not cory (catfish)--sorry
You generally want to have a betta in at least a 5 gal. tank.
With a heater, filter and light--stealth heater works great, by marineland expensive but never a problem with temp fluctuation -- make sure filter is not too strong or disterbs water, if too strong will suck on bettas fins and make it hard for him to swim, and bettas like calm waters.
Also light should not be too strong.
I have gravel and one plant in mine. (real plant) **don't put plastic plants in with betta, can be sharp and cut bettas fins causing possible problems. Also if you choose a real plant make sure folige is not too rigid, same problem, especially since bettas like to swim in and out of them and sleep on them.
The tank should be cycled. But your betta does not have that kind of time. (cycle can take four to six weeks). You would like him out of there before then
But I know that there are people who put their bettas in a tank with out cycling.
So if you want to take the chance and put him in an uncycled tank it is completely up to you.
Just make sure you dechlorinize the water--Splendid betta complete water conditioner
You can use a product called stress coat -- with water changes and too help your fish with any stress
also I have been using a product called aquarisol -- 1 drop p. gal. -- as a preventative for ich and velvet.(Follow directions exactly)
I have also added 1 tablespoon aquarium salt per 5 gal of water, help keep things clean and bacteria away.
Just make sure that you have disolved the salt before putting into water.
Hope that this has been some help and not too overwelming.
I got a lot of good info from chickadees posts on this forum, and from betta talk as well.
You will want to watch him though, because of being stressed he may develop something, even if you opt to put him in a new tank.
Dont listen to anyone that tells you they will be ok in a 1 gal tank, because this will stress him out just as much as the tank you've got him in now. So if you can go with the 5gal.
He will be much happier, swim all over, and give you a beautiful bubble nest.
Sorrry about the end, I tend to ramble. But again, I hope this helps.

 

HI Jai,

I'm also a beginner and I have a red betta (Mr. Velvetine) who likes to pace back and forth along the front of the glass. I thought it was the water so I did lots of water changes and thought he calmed down...but then he returned to his old habits. I put a white cloth over the front of the glass and he seemed to calm down while it was up. I also caught him resting in the plants a few times, but as soon as he saw me he was back to pacing. I've decided that he seems to act normal when he doesn't think I'm around, so maybe he just doesn't like me. Maybe he just needs to settle in? I know it's stressful seeing him look stressed. I'll let you know if I discover any tricks.

 

Based on the fish you have listed, the betta should be OK. Sometimes their personalities will differ and they just like to be alone. More often than not, since most LFS's keep them confined to little jars, they are used to being alone.

The jars are the worst things for this poor fish and no doubt plays a role in their psyche........

He just may not like the company he's in.....

 

thanks all for your help, lets see how it goes

 

I just bought a betta...and he does that too....but he's alone...they are funny.
maybe you should put him in a nice cozy 1-2 gallon fishbowl...I get mine at hobby lobby, in the vase section.

 

PLEASE DON'T PUT YOUR BETTA IN A BOWL!
Problems:
*Can't be heated--Bettas like a temp of 78-82 degrees
*No space to swim--yes they DO need to move around, would you like to be confined in your bathroom?
*Small volume of water--almost impossible to maintain the water quality they like; too much of a shock if new water after water change is different temp, etc; not enough room for hiding places/plants
*Can't be filtered--they need excellent water quality
*Can't easily be lighted--fish need 12 hours of light to make enough vitamin D or they will get sick and eventually die
I could go on and on...but basically a bowl, a BOWL for pete's sake, is not suitable for keeping any type of fish. A betta should be kept in at least a 5 gallon tank.

I ment oto not cory (catfish)--sorry

I think Cories would be ok too.

 

Sounds like he is protecting his territory. Again I say that you must remember how the betta was kept before you bought him. He was not in a community tank and he was kept that way since shortly after he was hatched (by himself in a small container). Even if he was considered for breeding they are kept BY THEMSELVES. They do not know what other fish are, how to react to them, why they are in THEIR container (the aquarium), and what they are doing when they are swimming around and doing what they do. In their minds at least these are invaders at least for a while. Like I said in the "Betta Friends" post, PATIENCE is the word in dealing with a betta unless you want to keep your betta in an aquarium by himself. When he is ready he will learn to play nice and go about his business. You don't have anything to really worry about as long as the following are happening:

1) he is eating
2) he is not flaring constantly and locked in one spot glaring at his own reflection or another betta for more than 10 minutes at a time.
3) he is not swimming wildly like is a NASCAR driver doing laps around the outside of the tank
4) he is not nipping at the other fish or being nipped at by the other fish
5) he is not hanging around the heater all the time

As long as he is okay on all those things you are just dealing with a confused and territorial betta who is not sure how to handle life right now. Be patient and he will sort things out. Try giving him a little added attention. If you are feeding him HikarI Pellets (Betta Bio-gold) try feeding him one at a time by hand to give him a little special attention and make him feel special. It may settle him down to feel spoiled. Of course that may have to be a forever habit as they get used to things and never want to stop.

Rose

 

I just bought a betta...and he does that too....but he's alone...they are funny.
maybe you should put him in a nice cozy 1-2 gallon fishbowl...I get mine at hobby lobby, in the vase section.

I suggest you get your betta a tank of at least 3 gallons if you cannot afford a 5, with filter heater etc. He will be so much happier, longer-lived, and more colorful.

 

oh my gosh, I must be slipping. Emma and Omorrokh are RIGHT - DO NOT PUT ANY BETTA IN A BOWL!!!!!!!!!!! if you have any hope of keeping a healthy betta they cannot survive in a BOWL, UNHEATED VASE, or ANY OTHER SUCH CONTAINER!!!!!!!!!!!! the diseases that are associated with cool water are ich, velvet and fin rot and NONE of these can be cured in any unheated situation as part if not all of the cure DEMANDS the raising of the temperature of the water to 85 degrees and leaving it there for 14 days at least to kill of the parasites that have attacked your poor fish due to the cool water conditions.

Now I ammend the advice I gave you above and say if you don't have the fish in at least a 10 gallon tank with the fish you have listed with proper heat and filtration and the Nitrogen cycle has not concluded, then probably your fish is in distress due to poor water quality. How long has your tank been set up? What are your water parameters (tests for nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia?) The 96 liter tank sounds big enough for the fish, but are you testing your water and has your tank cycled?

I apologize if none of the above applies to you, but as I have said many times in this forum, I want the BEST for these fish no just what they may be able to handle for a very short and miserable life. We must always remember the people at the fish store's are there to sell fish and not ALWAYS to do what is best for either you or the fish. If they can sell you and betta and a bowl they will if they cannot sell you the whole aquarium. They have told many a person that a small child can own a betta in a small bowl and then when the fish dies no one understands why. It is a cruel thing not to take the FISH'S requirements into consideration. He may be able to SURVIVE for a SMALL TIME in a bowl or vase unless you are lucky enough to find one large enough to hold a filter and heater, but he WILL die a horrible death of either one of the above diseases or just plain Ammonia poisoning or a lack of care due to ignorance of his needs. Please do not suggest a bowl or vase for a betta as that is the worst thing you could do for one of these lovely fish.

Rose

 

**two other questions:
--Is the blue betta you have listed a male?
--Is he in the same tank as the new red one that you just added?
Because as far as I know two male bettas are not supposed to be in the same tank together, from what I have heard, read, etc. is that the two males will fight and could be pretty nasty from what I hear, read, etc.
What you do is your own business, but I know what I recomended in the beginning should work.
This has worked for me, my betta is big, blue, and very happy. In his very own home.
He loves to swim, blow bubbles (makiing bubble nests), and eating very well.
Always loves attention and will show me his "clown colar" at times, almost lets me feed him by hand, he's great.

 

Um yes, a male Betta can NOT be kept with ANY other Betta, male or female, unless you want a dead fish. I'm not saying anyone did this, just putting out the info.

 

Well if you look at Jai's first post he lists the fish that are already in his community tank.
The list is just bellow the post.
He has 1x Blue betta, as one of the fish that are listed.
The question I asked him first was if the fish he had listed were the fish that were living all together in his community tank and his answer was yes.
So I would assume that this may be one reason that the new red betta may be so nervous.
Not only that the new red betta is going into a community tank, but into a community tank with another male betta as well.

 

I did notice that, but I figured maybe he(or she, sorry I don't know/don't remember your gender :-[) made a mistake or forgot to update his signature or something.
Jai, are the 2 bettas together? If they are, you gotta separate them IMMEDIATELY or you will wake up one morning and find one torn to pieces.

 

Sorry all, I beg your pardon!, I got a bit confused i've only got one betta and it's red and soldier marching, and it's near the filter box at the back, seems to love that little area?!?!?!

 

Very glad to hear about only one Betta in the tank.
What ever you decide to do, I hope it works for you.

 

Does the wall of the aquarium reflect his ? Look in the aquarium and see if it looks like he can see himself in the wall like a mirror. If that is the case, he is stressing and you will need to find a way to stop that. Get a background or something to keep the refleciton down. That is the only other suggestion I have, otherwise he is just probably protecting what he has staked out as "his territory".

Is he doing all the normal things like eating and going to the top and hitting the surface with his head so he breathes with his labyrinth organ (located at the top of his head)? Those are ESSENTIAL. If you can plant a tall plant in "his" area so he can rest on it. They also sleep on them so they can be close to the surface to breathe at night without all the swimming.

Let us know how it goes.

Rose

 

Thanka rose for your time , yes he does come up to the urface and does what you have mentioned, but every time I feed my fishes I notice my betta not eating or maybe he eats after awhile?, and yes there is a plant near him and he does sleep in between it.........lets see how it goes, thanks you all.... ;D

 

No he should eat right away or he is probably not eating. What are you feeding him? If it is flake food a bettas mouth is not made to handle flakes well and a lot of the pellets available on the market today are simply too big for a betta to get into his mouth. Be sure you see him eat or he will starve. Even try to get some frozen peas and try the pea feed to see if he may be constipated. Put 1 frozen pea on a saucer in the microwave for 30 seconds just to defrost it , not to cook it. peel the skin off of it and cut a tiny piece off about half the size of his eye and hand feed it to him on the end of a plastic spoon. I use my finger but a lot of people don't like to touch the water or their fish.

Rose

 

Sorry all, I beg your pardon!, I got a bit confused i've only got one betta and it's red and soldier marching, and it's near the filter box at the back, seems to love that little area?!?!?!

ok I'm glad to hear that, I see you've changed your signature too. I was just making sure.

I use my finger but a lot of people don't like to touch the water or their fish.

Ummm...sorry to get technical, but don't you HAVE to touch your water, like when you do a water change?...you kinda have to put your hand in the tank...(sorry : )

 

Had a lot of problems at first with my betta eating.
Tried HBH betta pellets, they sank, or if he could get them in his mouth he'd spit them out.
Then tried Blood worms, no luck there either. Then tried betta flakes, same problem, no bites.
Got Wardley, total betta gourmet floating pellets.**Bingo--Always eats them, gets excited when I feed him. And I can feed him piece by piece.
So if your betta is not eating any better, maybe theese will work for you.

 

LOL

Yes they have to touch the water of course, but not to feed them. There is sometimes something a little different about being "kissed" by your little fish that bothers some people. I personally like it.

Rose

 

my swordtails will and my danios would (RIP...) eat food right from my fingers. Even if I put the tip of my finger in there they will "kiss" it