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[RandomWiktor]

Ok. So, I have an Eclipse Corner 5 tank housing one female betta. I just recently did a water change, and noticed she has been very fixated by the current where the filter empties water back into the tank. I thought nothing of it, because it seemed harmless enough... until just now. She just leapt up, crammed half of her body into the little hole, flailed, and got shot out and slammed into the side of the tank before I could even get the damn thing unplugged. She seems fine but for a few minor scrapes on her back and belly - thank god it missed her oviduct!

Does anyone know what on earth would cause this behavior? She could have been seriously hurt, and I don't want to get rid of filtration in the tank. Do you think I should lower the water level? Cover the holes that the water comes out of with pantyhose? (But that might slow the spped the water comes out and cause a back-up?) For now, I'm removing the filter entirely. The current is probably the only reason she got back out; if it is off and she jumps in there, she'll just try out and die. But any tips on why she's doing this and how to make the tank safer would be much appreciated!

 

[The ultimate_fish MaC dAddY]

maybe just curiosity?

 

[JoLtNbolt]

I seem to recall someone suggesting in another thread that you can put a small sponge filter around the intake tube and that will slow down the flow of the water which is probably better for bettas since they like calm water. the only problem is that the debris will now collect on the sponge rather than the filter.

 

[Ben]

Put her on Suicide Watch!


Seriously though, glad she's okay, in the wild, Betta's jump all the time when it floods or theres some current so maybe that triggerd it?

DD

 

[RandomWiktor]

Oh, it wasn't the intake; there is allready pantyhose around that. It was the other end of the filter, where the water dumps back into the tank. She always seems to get a kick out of swimming against the current, but this was just not funny; I can't believe she jumped up into the filter. She's lucky the biowheel was going slow, or she could have been hurt pretty badly. And the way she got shot across the tank right into the glass - eek. Made my stomach churn, and its not even me getting hurt!

Well at any rate, I got some bettafix just to stave off the chance of infection in those wounds. I'd do salt, but her tank allready has some in there because she was looking clamped earlier in the week. Who knows, maybe the dork looked clamped because she was trying to jam herself into the filter!

Does anyone have any ideas for what I could cover those holes with without causing the water to back up into the filter? It has to be small holed and sturdy enough to keep her from hopping up there, but it has to still let a decent amount of water through.

You know what this whole event reminded me of? Remember that scene in finding Nemo, where Nemo jumps up into the filter, and has to put the pebble in the motor blades to stop the current so they could buy some time to get back to the ocean? Yeah. She totally did that, minus the adorable pebble thing, 'cept if anyone else here as an eclipse tank w/ in-hood filter, you realize how small those holes are. Maybe she saw me watch that movie and got some ideas. Maybe next week I'll get a movie on Sushi and hopes she gets the message about what's going to happen if she pulls that stunt again.

 

[Booboo puppy]

I have a platy that likes the water current where it comes back into the tank from the filter--it reminds me of a water slide or something. He swims up and down in the stream (I can see it from the bubbles). And the younger platys seem to like the current when I dump fresh water into their tank--they swim in the current as I'm pouring water. But a betta

Can you rig a piece of plastic canvas over the part of the filter where she jumped in? I have an eclipse 5 but don't use the filter. It looks like you could lay a piece of plastic canvas across the top so that the fish can't get in, but the water can get out. I don't know if yours is built the same way since it's a corner unit.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Yeah, Valkyrie LOVES current; maybe she doesn't know she's a betta.

When you say plastic canvas, do you mean that needlepoint plastic? If so - good idea! I can't believe I didn't think of it, seeing as all of summer hoods are made out of it. I must be more tired/sick than I realized.
I will try that and see how it works, because I will definately flip out nicely if anything happens to her. She's my only little girl, and was given to me as a gift after my first female, Sealink, died of a nasty parasitic condition.
Thanks so much!

 

[Booboo puppy]

Yep, that would be the stuff.

 

[Naughtygirlrlw]

If the canvas doesn't work, maybe try some fine screened mesh, like for a screen door. The only thing I'm not sure of is if it would rust???

 

[jungle king]

you could get a bit of plastic coated chicken wire and cover it in that but that may not be small enough haven't seen a pic of your betta to see if she would try and put her head through the holes