Is this normal?

[redbetta]

Ok I own 4 bettas all together so far. I just got 2 of them today, they are the cutest ever! I wish I could post pics of them all.
Anyways one of them is acting really weird, at the beginning he was swimming around fine but then he started spazzing and just running into the wall. I just left him alone and noticed that he just lay there on the bottom and come up to breathe, he did that for like an hour and now he's moving but he keeps going into the wall yet he has a 1 g tank... I'm assuming he's confused, but just making sure lol.

 

[redbetta]

Yeah now he's just laying there again, I don't think he's feeling very well.

 

[SRC]

Sometimes being bagged confuses them, especailly if they were in it for a while. The clear tank walls will allow them to "think" they can go further then they really can.

Try putting several plants in with him...and putting something on the back of the tank where he can't see out all sides will help alot.

I get pictures from Google and blow them up to fit my tank, then tape them to the back and sides. But you could use construction paper or a piece of black garbage bag cut to size as well.

I would like to note...from everytime I've done it..it seems they do NOT like solid white lol. Black, brown, and green seem to work good though.

 

[redbetta]

Hey,
thanks I just don't know he's lying around a lot. His little side fins are going non stop though but the water is fine and the temperature is fine too. He's like hiding around the plants(he has lots of them). Maybe he's just stressed but he was fine earlier. I will put the background on though. I have one.
Thank you

 

[redbetta]

Ok I just noticed him being white around his beard and stuff, are those stress stripes? I took him out of the tank and put him in something where he can get to the surface easier, it's not so high. What can I do to make him feel better?

 

[redbetta]

anyone? his fins look kind of clamped as well.. I feel so bad for him. The other one is doing great.

 

[Andie]

He could just be really stressed- some bettas adjust better/faster than others do. Give him plenty of plants to hide in, and maybe even put a towel over his tank to give him some privacy. By white around his beard, do you mean a white trim on his gill flap? One of my boys had a gorgeous red gill flap with a white rim; it was just his colouring. Stress stripes are the dark, horizontal lines that run the length of the fish (Sarima is currently flashing them at me; she's still very angry that I changed her tank water no less than nine hours ago )