I've had my Betta for 4 or 5 days now, and he refuses to come out during the day. He is in a 3 gallon tank, with heater set at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. According to my thermometer, it's holding steady at 80. During the day, he constantly stays behind the heater or filter, or underneath a bridge I have in the tank. But come 11 PM, he is out and about, happily swimming and exploring. Is this normal? Is it just his way of settling in? Are Bettas nocturnal and I just never knew? Will he ever be a daytime fish? Thanks in advance guys!
He could still be settling in. Give him some time. Also what are the water paremeters? Does the tank have a filter?
Yes, the tank has a filter, and I cycled the tank prior to putting the fish in. Water parameters are fine, I use Seachem titration test kits, and do three 50% plus water changes a week. I also use Seachem's Prime to dechlorinate the water, and to help buffer any surprise ammonia that may pop up between tests (I haven't seen any but you never know when a tank is going to get crazy).
I don't think you need to do 3 water changes a week in a filtered tank. But it sounds as if he is just a little shy while adjusting. Do you turn off the room light at that time when he comes out? If so, he could just be shy/nervous seeing so much movement during the day, and feels a little more secure in the evening when it is calmer. I say just give him some time and he'll soon want to visit during the day. =)
Also you could try, keep his tank light off during the day and see if he will come out then. Do it until he gets more relaxed around you.
I don't think you need to do 3 water changes a week in a filtered tank. But it sounds as if he is just a little shy while adjusting. Do you turn off the room light at that time when he comes out? If so, he could just be shy/nervous seeing so much movement during the day, and feels a little more secure in the evening when it is calmer. I say just give him some time and he'll soon want to visit during the day. =)
Also you could try, keep his tank light off during the day and see if he will come out then. Do it until he gets more relaxed around you.
Thank you for the advice! You're right, I probably don't need to do as many, but I try to play it safe with my fishies. :) I might cut back to 2 a week and see how it goes.
I certainly don't have any evidence to support it, but I've found in my experience that bettas have a something similar to our sleep-cycle. I've had a lot of new fish that were nocturnal for a week or so before they adjusted to what time the lights were on and off. I'm thinking it may have something to do with the lighting in the store they were kept. Anyways, just a crazy theory I have.
Either way, it's not too much of a problem as long as you're seeing him out and about at some point. Give him some time to adapt and become comfortable in his surroundings, and maybe cut down on the water changes. He may be getting slightly stressed from the water changes. Might be a good idea to cut back to avoid stress and re-cycling the tank. Just my opinion though. However, I greatly admire your vigilance and wish I had the energy to keep up with that many water changes!
when I put my Betta into his tank for the first time he spent a lot of time hiding out and just resting, He seemed rather nervous. After 4 days of this he perked up and now acts completely normal. I think he was just scared. He probably had never been in a tank this big his whole life. (its only 3.5 gallons but he most likely spent most his life in that cup and very small spaces.)
Thank you for the advice! You're right, I probably don't need to do as many, but I try to play it safe with my fishies. :) I might cut back to 2 a week and see how it goes.
Here is a quote that I personally go by. Now everyone is different and prefer their own system. Not saying what you are doing is bad in any way, it's just my opinion. =)
"You can have a too clean environment-you have both good and bad pathogens in the tank-by exposing the fish to all the different pathogens enable to fish to develop antibodies- that in turns helps build a strong immune response and limits stress due to too many water changes...its a balance of sorts.....healthy fish need be exposed to pathogens but at the same time maintaining water quality.....make sense......too clean and sterile like environment is not healthy......." OFL
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
Similar Threads
