My betta won't stop pacing

[Ms.Bubbles]

Don't get me wrong, I love my betta. But from the day I bought him he paced his bowl. So I upgraded to a 1.8 gallon. He paced his tank. So I upgraded to a 3 gallon. He' still pacing.

He goes the length of the front of the tank, turns around & goes to the other side, turns around & goes back to the others side, turns around...(you get my drift). He does this all the time. I've bought 3 tanks in less than 3 months! I'm afraid that if I bought him a larger tank, he'd just pace that one too, because it seems like the bigger his tank is, the more he paces.

I bought a fish for the "relaxing" qualities they're supposed to bring, but to be honest this behaviour is making me rather tense. I even feel a bit guilty for imprisoning him. For all I know he's happy-- he eats well, he's obviously not sluggish, no white spots on his body. He has no other tankmates & flares at his reflection when he sees a mirror. I keep my eye on water quality. I heard that bettas weren't really swimmers. Any suggestions?

 

[Spykce]

The betta I had for all of about 3 hours swam like crazy, however I put it in my Bichirs tank and Phantok(my biggest one) thought my betta would be a good snack(I thought he was big enough to not be eaten). My girlfriends swims like crazy though too. I think if they have room to swim, they do. Just my guess though. I have no idea.

 

[Holly9937]

Although its too bad hes not relaxing for you , I am sure hes just enjoying his space, which is a good thing. You could certainly get him a bigger tank and he would love it, but I think a well maintained 3 gallon tank is great for one of them. Bettas aren't known to be swimmers b/c they are all too often not given the chance to be. I have mine alone in a 10g and he swims all over. Maybe some more plants in the tank for him to maneuver around would help? Go for silk, safest for his fins if you don't use real plants

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

I thought about blocking off his path with some plants (I have lots of live plants in the back of the tank), but I wasn't sure if this pacing is good for him (it's sure not good for me).

 

[Holly9937]

I wouldn't block off his path completely if thats what you mean, just give him some obstacles to maneuver around

 

[Ms.Bubbles]

I guess what confuses me is why he chooses to swim only in the front portion of the tank, when he could be using the entire tank for swimming. I've left a large open area at the top, but no, he goes right down to the level of the gravel at the very front of the tank and back & forth, back & forth...

 

[Emg]

Heck ! He just wants to be outside with YOU !!

Well, maybe he needs a tankmate ?? The tank you have him in is big enough to try and add something else in there for him....a few shrimp (even though he may end up eating them, they're cheap and could provide a bit of distraction for him).....or........a couple of African DWARF frog (NOT clawed!!)....it will be difficult to feed the frogs without the betta gobbling up all the food, but it's not impossible to figure something out that would work....and those frogs are pretty active and intersting.......or......a large snail...or...... a few otos.......some very small endler type fish.....

Anyway, maybe try a tankmate in there with him...see what happens...

 

[Roan Art]

Actully, Emg is correct.

Bettas LOVE to swim. They just don't get a chance to.

As for his pacing -- bettas love interaction and he wants you to interact with him. Watch him when he can't see you. Does he still pace? One of mine only paces when he sees me. He's trying to get my attention and I usually go over and talk to him.

Bettas are a smart fish and they do get bored. I'm really glad you decided to get him a 3 gallon tank. Add some real or silk plants, driftwood (make sure there are no sharp bits for him to catch his fins on) and some rocks you can make a lean-to out of for him to swim through. Every time you do a water change, switch the stuff around so that it's new to him.

You can also get some tank mates for him to bug. Seriously, I think nothing makes a betta happier than being a bully

If you're careful with your choices, he won't hurt them. He might chase them a little, or just watch them, or bully them a little.

Whatever you do, *don't* let your betta make you feel guilty! They can do this quite easily and it usually results in over feeding

Roan

 

[haydenm315]

I've only had mine for a little over 2 weeks, and I already get the sense he wants out. He's in one of those small hexagon tanks. I think it's a 1.66 gallon. Walmart has 5 gallons with a biowheel for only $30 around here. I'm thinking about getting him that. As for the feeding, mine does make me feel like he's starving. I've probably been overfeeding him. I give him breakfast lunch and dinner of 4 hikari beta bio-gold. The package says you can feed 2-3 times daily, but I think it's a marketing ploy to increase product sales.

What's up with my betta flaring his gills and bum rushing the tank everytime I try to stare at him? Am I pissing him off?

 

[Boohoo]

One of my bettas does the same thing as yours, haydenm, every time I feed him frozen bloodworms. I feed them to him with one of the pipettes from the test kits. He will usually eat about 6 or so and then the strange behavior kicks in. He is perfectly healthy and acts normal the rest of the time. Maybe he is just showing off because of the one on one attention.