My betta is scared of the dark!

HI all

My betta, Athena, lives in a 5 gallon/20 litre tank at the moment. It's got two caves, which she loves, multiple plants and some shrimp. She is healthy and happy, loves her food and is relishing the space since I took the guppies out. (Long story, I promise it was an emergency!) Anyway, when the guppies where in there, I'd turn the light on in the morning and she'd be quite pale and stressed. I assumed it was the guppies swimming near her in the night and freaking her out, but they have been out of her tank for a week and she is still doing it. Everytime I turn the light on in the morning, she is pale and stripy. Less than a minute after the light goes on, she is back to being a deep blue-black. Is she actually scared of the dark? Has anyone else had something like this? What's going on in my silly fish's head?

x
Bomba

 

This happens a lot with bettas, a lot do not like the dark, don't worry about it, you could look into getting moon lights for your tank.

 

Omg I had never heard of that!! Is that new?? Maybe she'll get used to it again, you could little by little start taking the light away from her by leaving a lamp on at night and putting it a bit further away from the tank each night.. Just thinking of ideas that might help a bit

 

if the tank is in your room you can leave the tv on (with no volume if preferred). that's what I do

 

Lol, I don't have a tv in my room.
The light is actually attached to the tank so I can't move it further away or get a moonlight one (I would love a moon-light, that would be so pretty ;D). I am getting a new 15 gallon tomorrow but I don't know if I can get lights like that here. Any suggestions as to where I could find one?
Thanks for all the suggestions. It's quite comical, but I do hate seeing my poor girl so stressed.

 

I think it is just the start of the lights being turned on so fast. Basically it is the fish adjusting to the light just like our eyes adjust to the sun when we walk outside.

 

I'd turn the light on in the morning and she'd be quite pale and stressed. Everytime I turn the light on in the morning, she is pale and stripy. Less than a minute after the light goes on, she is back to being a deep blue-black.

Most fish gray out during the night. My rummies have no red on their noses at all until a few minutes after the light's have come back on. It's not stress. It's normal for fish to do this.

 

I think it is just the start of the lights being turned on so fast. Basically it is the fish adjusting to the light just like our eyes adjust to the sun when we walk outside.

She's actually grey before I turn the lights on. I open the blackout-blind first, then the blinds, then turn the fishlight on, by which time the room is pretty light.

Is it really just loss of colour? My other bettas never did this. Does it just not happen to some fish, or does it depend on the colour? Yay if it's not stress, though!

 

Lol, I don't have a tv in my room.
The light is actually attached to the tank so I can't move it further away or get a moonlight one (I would love a moon-light, that would be so pretty ;D). I am getting a new 15 gallon tomorrow but I don't know if I can get lights like that here. Any suggestions as to where I could find one?
Thanks for all the suggestions. It's quite comical, but I do hate seeing my poor girl so stressed.

Could you put a small lamp next to the tank so you can give it a try??

 

Don't give human attributes to your fish. She's not afraid of the dark. She's not afraid of the light. She has a rhythm like us where she requires both. The more you fret, the more stressed she'll be. There's really no need to take special steps, etc. Just let her be a fish.

 

Could you put a small lamp next to the tank so you can give it a try??

I wish - I've used up all my spare powerpoints with the light, filter, heaters (two tanks) and an airstone!

"Don't give human attributes to your fish. She's not afraid of the dark. She's not afraid of the light. She has a rhythm like us where she requires both. The more you fret, the more stressed she'll be. There's really no need to take special steps, etc. Just let her be a fish."

I'm not doing anything to change what I have atm, don't worry. I'd just like to find a way to stop her being so stressed in the mornings, if I can.

 

I agree with the tv, I do it too, cus I give human attributes to all my pets, but I do not care doing it, and it doesn't bother anyone. or yeah just get a small light that people usually put in a power outlet for kids, it is like a light.. it will help, I know we will do everything to make our little ones happy good for you..

 

I give them human attributes too and I'm happy that way, I love spoiling my pets and I'm positive it doesn't hurt them, if anything it makes them happier I like to see them as more than just "animals", after all they're my pets and are part of my family.

I agree with the plug-in lights, besides they won't bother you at all

 

I had a betta who everynight the lights went completly out (he lived in my bedroom) after a while of being dark he would freak out in his tank, I could hear him splashing and hitting the gravel/glass. I realised it only happened when it was completly dark. I ended up having to either leave the TV on or landing light and it stopped him doing it.
Fish have a natural light/dark cycle but unless it was completly cloudy they would still have moonlight??? that's what I think anyway. I now leave the curtains open near my tanks when I can just so they get a glimmer of moonlight.

 

lol yes they do not like darkness (or whatever reason it is) I leave my tv on with the volume down... and it works pretty good

 

Sadface I can't use any of these options. I literally do not have a plug spare for another electrical appliance. I don't have any more points I can plug things into (I'm already using extra power boards) - two are used for fish tank heaters, one is used for a filter, one is used for the tank light, one is for my own light and one is for my CD player.
I kept my light on til midnight last night. She got less rest (so did I!), but she wasn't at all stressed in the morning. Grr, silly fish.
It's good to hear that my betta isn't the only silly scaredy-fish out there, though.