My betta fish is always hiding
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Anonymous
| Is this normal? I have had a betta for a bit over a week and he stays hidden in the faux coral of his aquarium, to the point where I sometimes can't see him unless I shine a flashlight inside. I've tried turning his filter off to see if it was the currents bothering him but he still stays inside. Is this the sign of a stressed or a happy fish? |
Anonymous
| Yes they hide a lot. DD has one in her room. I will say that ours doesnt have a heater or filter so water temp changes with the seasons in our house, but he is definitely more active in the summer and swims about a lot. This time of year he hangs out in his little house more. |
Anonymous
| What was your betta’s personality like in the pet store? Was it darting around in its bowl or was it sedate? When we were picking a betta, the pet store employee showed us one she’d just gotten in (so not too old) that was darting all around her bowl. We picked her. She was very lively and energetic and swam around a lot. Whenever we’d walk over to the tank, she would swim over to whatever side we were on to check us out. She was super aggressive at feeding time and always snatched her pieces of food out of the water really fast, as though she was afraid another fish would take it, even though she was alone in the tank. If your fish wasn’t moving around a lot at the store, then he may just be really chill. |
Anonymous
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He’s hiding because you keep shining a flashlight in his eyes!
Seriously, completely normal. Fish naturally hide so that they evade predators. |
Anonymous
Maybe it’s hiding b/c you periodically shine a flashlight in the bowl. |
Anonymous
| Thanks. Yes when I picked him out he was pretty quiet, not darting around all over, so I guess this is his personality. I'm glad this isn't a sign that he is sick or hates his new home. |
Anonymous
| I don’t think it normal at all. he sounds stressed. Is he the only fish? All of mine have been out and social but would hide when when stressed or overcrowded. Is it sick? Do you have sufficient cover using plants and structures? How big is your tank? A 5gal with a small heater, filter, and oxygen is an ethical minimum. |
Anonymous
| Ours was like that and lived for two years. |
Anonymous
| lifespan is 4 years |
Anonymous
Lol |
Anonymous
Just an update. I've had the betta for two weeks and he is just finally starting to swim around and show himself. He still hides but at least now I see him often enough to know he is alive. I think he was stressed from his new environment and has now adjusted (at least, I hope so). No more flashlights. 
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Anonymous
| Yay for the good update! |
Anonymous
| Get him a plant (real not plastic). They love having a plant. |
Anonymous
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I agree on the plants! But don't buy them from Petco/PetSmart or you may get bonus snails that you weren't planning on. I now have to cull snails in our betta tank because they breed like rabbits. The PetSmart plants also did not do well and we eventually pitched them.
We now have nano marimo moss balls and narrow leaf java fern, and our betta loves to rest on the moss balls and hide in/swim through the ferns. This is where I bought our plants: https://aquaticarts.com/collections/freshwater-plants The ferns came weighted down, which is good because we have a gravel bottom and I don't think the original plants did well with the gravel. |