Scared Betta

[Karplunk]

Hello people,

My betta is scared of me and he rarely eat. What should I do?

PS. I didnt do anything to make him scared of me.

Here is the long story of how this happened: Last week, I got into an argument with a guy in my dorm and he came in my room (my roommate let him in while im out) and he took my fish tank (I have two betta fish - one in a tank and another one a plastic cup which finding a tank for it). He put my male betta fish and my female betta fish in the same tank and went out (When I asked him if he know that he's not suppose to put two betta fish together, he lied "I didnt know that".) When the guy got back, my female betta is half-dead. He separated them and put my female betta in a betta small plastic cup. with icy cold water from water fountain for my fish. So my female fish died and my other fish is scared of me.

 

[tibby25731]

he has had a bad experience and will need time to recover. Try keeping the room dark or dim, and feed him some juicy bloodworms. Keep his water nice and clean. how big is his tank?

 

[Honeythorn]

I hope you've reported him to some sort of on campus authority. That's basic animal cruelty and destruction of property. Personally I'd brain him and make sure no one let him in ever again( do you not have a separate room you sleep in where you can keep your fish locked away from such people? )

Do you have plenty of soft plants for your fish to hide in? Perhaps a coconut cave or plant pot for him to go into if he wants to hide away?

 

[Karplunk]

he has had a bad experience and will need time to recover. Try keeping the room dark or dim, and feed him some juicy bloodworms. Keep his water nice and clean. how big is his tank?

his tank is one gallon.

 

[Karplunk]

I hope you've reported him to some sort of on campus authority. That's basic animal cruelty and destruction of property. Personally I'd brain him and make sure no one let him in ever again( do you not have a separate room you sleep in where you can keep your fish locked away from such people? )

Do you have plenty of soft plants for your fish to hide in? Perhaps a coconut cave or plant pot for him to go into if he wants to hide away?

I dont have a place to hide my fish (maybe on top of the dresser but that's kinna hard to feed them). He never scared of me before so I didnt get him a cave or plant for him to hide (and because I'm scared that he's gonna drown if he get stuck in a cave).

 

[Honeythorn]

A bigger tank planted up with some soft silk false plants would be a good idea ( real would be even better for using up nitrates and producing oxygen ) . A bare tank as a permanent home is really not good in the slightest. Bettas are weak swimmers and also take air from the surface. Some tall plants and resting spots are really needed to help them with this. Plus , fish are not mindless. A bare or mostly bare tank is a boring tank. There's nothing to look at or interact with. Plants give colour and interest to both you and the fish.

A betta should not get stuck in a small-ish terracotta flowerpot laid on it's side so one of those can be used for a cave ( buy one brand new so you can be sure no dirt or pesticides have been near it ) so that he can have somewhere to hide away if he feels nervous or scared.

I know that in the US many universities/colleges ect have ( really ridiculous IMO ) restrictons on the size of tank you are allowed, but if you can get a bigger tank for him and plant it up , preferably with some easy to care for live plants ( Mossballs , Java moss and Elodia are very easy low/stock light plants to grow ) for him to hide away in, and a gentle sponge filter and heater, then you will most likely find he will be a lot happier.

Try if you can, to place the tank in an area of the room where there isn't too much activity if that's at all possible. If people keep walking up and down in front of the tank and banging/shutting doors and drawers next to him, he is bound to become even more shy and nervous. Also, keep your movements slow when doing anything in or to the tank. A giant fast moving hand looming in at him is not good.

 

[azulfire24]

Hello people,

My betta is scared of me and he rarely eat. What should I do?

PS. I didnt do anything to make him scared of me.

Here is the long story of how this happened: Last week, I got into an argument with a guy in my dorm and he came in my room (my roommate let him in while im out) and he took my fish tank (I have two betta fish - one in a tank and another one a plastic cup which finding a tank for it). He put my male betta fish and my female betta fish in the same tank and went out (When I asked him if he know that he's not suppose to put two betta fish together, he lied "I didnt know that".) When the guy got back, my female betta is half-dead. He separated them and put my female betta in a betta small plastic cup. with icy cold water from water fountain for my fish. So my female fish died and my other fish is scared of me.

he is probalyy not <scared of you> he is probal;ly just in magior shock and i hate to say it but dont be surprised if he dosent make it ither,,, the shock of an un wanted fish, which he got in to a big fight with then being all moved aroung and stuff was probally very stressful,, give him a while and let him settle down ,, a larger heated tank with some live plants for him to hide in would probally help him de stress,

just when you move him, gentaly scoop him out in a big cup, then let the cup float in the new tank water for bout 20 minits to equalizr the temp...

and i dont know where you live but a little anti bacterial fish meds might not huirt ither,, he probally got some bite on him too.. here in usa i use melifix,,, kinda like a herbal treatment for scrapes or little fish ingerys...
good luck and go beat the dumb a$$ ,, he shouldnt have been in ur room to start with......


oh and if you get a terrcatta pot make sure you get one with no hole in the bottom,, bettas try to squeze threw hole that they realy cant fit in and they can get stuck and die...or if it has a hole,, i've put a dollop of aqaurium sillicon over it to seal it up..

 

[liz2]

he is probably stressed out. tlc should be enough, and as someone said make sure he isnt getting shocks from drawers banging etc. keep us posted.