phenris
- #1
Listen. I knew bettas were aggressive fish. I knew they don't typically fit well with other fish. But what I DIDN'T anticipate was my dude attacking literally everything from the tank decorations to the filter to the heater to the thermometer.
I've had him for over 8 or so months now. At the beginning, I tried to add a heater but he kept nipping at it. I decided to just leave it be for the moment, then the next morning I woke up to a bubble nest.
He had tried to mate with himself.
So I removed the heater. A couple weeks ago I tried the same thing, this time with a heater that has a black cover over the reflective glass. Silly me for thinking I had one upped him, because once again, he just kept nipping and nipping and I really don't want his tomb stone to read "death by face smash", so I removed it and I've given up on heaters. My tank maintains a steady temp of 77-78 F anyway, so it's not a concern, but god help us all if anything pops up that needs a higher temp to heal.
Anyway. Today we did our routine water change. I try to ignore him the best I can while he, predictably, nips at the gravel syphon. I added some indian almond leaves for the first time in his tank (because my female has absolutely thrived in them) and, as I suspected he would: He keeps nipping at them and flaring at them.
My questions are: 1. What crawled up my betta's butt? (I'm kidding, but seriously), 2. Are these leaves going to harm him if he eats a bit of them? 3. Is it okay to leave them in there anyway, or is it just going to stress him out?
(Also, he is 100% ALONE in this tank. I wouldn't trust him to leave a freaking pebble alone. Because he doesn't lol)
(Also, I realize this might sound alarming to some people so I want to also clarify that he is perfectly healthy and his aggressive nature hasn't caused any stress-related symptoms or illnesses. His tank is completely cycled and has been since long before I got him. Just a disclaimer!)
I've had him for over 8 or so months now. At the beginning, I tried to add a heater but he kept nipping at it. I decided to just leave it be for the moment, then the next morning I woke up to a bubble nest.
He had tried to mate with himself.
So I removed the heater. A couple weeks ago I tried the same thing, this time with a heater that has a black cover over the reflective glass. Silly me for thinking I had one upped him, because once again, he just kept nipping and nipping and I really don't want his tomb stone to read "death by face smash", so I removed it and I've given up on heaters. My tank maintains a steady temp of 77-78 F anyway, so it's not a concern, but god help us all if anything pops up that needs a higher temp to heal.
Anyway. Today we did our routine water change. I try to ignore him the best I can while he, predictably, nips at the gravel syphon. I added some indian almond leaves for the first time in his tank (because my female has absolutely thrived in them) and, as I suspected he would: He keeps nipping at them and flaring at them.
My questions are: 1. What crawled up my betta's butt? (I'm kidding, but seriously), 2. Are these leaves going to harm him if he eats a bit of them? 3. Is it okay to leave them in there anyway, or is it just going to stress him out?
(Also, he is 100% ALONE in this tank. I wouldn't trust him to leave a freaking pebble alone. Because he doesn't lol)
(Also, I realize this might sound alarming to some people so I want to also clarify that he is perfectly healthy and his aggressive nature hasn't caused any stress-related symptoms or illnesses. His tank is completely cycled and has been since long before I got him. Just a disclaimer!)