Scared

[mm94305]

I have had my betta fish for a couple of weeks now but has suddenly become scared of me. I can't even be in the room anymore for him to eat. I have him in a 2 gallon tank that I originally thought was stressing him out but his personality has changed completely. He used to be very curious of his surroundings now he just stays near his betta log practically clinging to it so to say. He has been in the 2 gallon tank for about a week now. After I put in the stress coat he chilled for a day. I went to work about 3 days ago and he was fine perky as can be. Spinning around acting cute so I wouldn't leave. When I got home I usually go straight up to check on him but he starting to swim away from me really fast slamming right into the walls of the fish tank and I am afraid if this keeps up he is going to hurt himself. I can't even get near the tank to feed him without him freaking out on me. I think i know what scared him but there really isn't anything I can do about it since I have 3 cats and only 1 of them has taken interest into my fish. I am probably going to put Levi back in his 1 gallon tank and leave him at a friends house for a few days to see if that calms him down but is there anything else I can do for him?

[ashleyy]

Originally Posted by mm94305

I have had my betta fish for a couple of weeks now but has suddenly become scared of me. I can't even be in the room anymore for him to eat. I have him in a 2 gallon tank that I originally thought was stressing him out but his personality has changed completely. He used to be very curious of his surroundings now he just stays near his betta log practically clinging to it so to say. He has been in the 2 gallon tank for about a week now. After I put in the stress coat he chilled for a day. I went to work about 3 days ago and he was fine perky as can be. Spinning around acting cute so I wouldn't leave. When I got home I usually go straight up to check on him but he starting to swim away from me really fast slamming right into the walls of the fish tank and I am afraid if this keeps up he is going to hurt himself. I can't even get near the tank to feed him without him freaking out on me. I think i know what scared him but there really isn't anything I can do about it since I have 3 cats and only 1 of them has taken interest into my fish. I am probably going to put Levi back in his 1 gallon tank and leave him at a friends house for a few days to see if that calms him down but is there anything else I can do for him?

my betta did the same thing. he would crash into the walls and making a banging noise. but he got used to me after a few weeks. i keep him in my room which is very low traffic and quiet. so whenever i came him it would scare him lol. but for a while i would come in very quiet and immediately feed him. so he would associate food with me entering the room. so now i can enter whenever and he wont freak out

[mm94305]

But he was fine in his 1 gallon tank but with his betta log and his cave he barely had room to swim so when a friend brought me this tank they found at a garage sale it was a 2 gallon one. He stopped eating for a few days that is when I learned about the stresscoat. Day after i used that he started to eat again but the next day is when he started to freak out on me. he doesn't do it to anyone else he just does it to me? I don't harass him at all. The first few days when i had him in the 2 gallon tank he would even play with his light when i was laying down. He would swim into it and out of it over and over again until I asked him what was he doing then he would swim out of the light so i supposely wouldn't see him. He just woke up a minute ago ate some food but went right back into his log. Wonder why he is scared of me and no one else. Bet it was one of the cats since biskit has been coming into my room lately.

[mm94305]

Should I get him a tank buddy or something? sorry for the double post thought of it after I hit reply

[fishman12]

I wouldn't get him a tank buddy in a 2 gallon tank. Matbe you should use more stress coat. Maybe your room should be a no cat zone. What i do is either close the door or keep a spray bottle filled with water by the tank. If one of the cats jumps up on the table or something, squirt them with water. It works for me.

[mm94305]

Biskit only started coming back into my room just recently. I used to have a cat that stayed in my room like 24/7 but suddenly she moved downstairs. That is when I decided that I will get a betta fish since goldfish didn't work out so well with 3 cats that took interest in them instantly. The cats didn't seem to care for Levi at all. I am starting to think that it may be the tank though. It is a round goldfish tank and i think the sides are reflective which may be him also tuckering himself out in the process. I am probably going to go look for a new tank today something alittle bigger with a filter, light, and heater because it gets cold in my room. I don't like the cold but it occured to me that he may be cold after reading alot of threads on these forums. While in his log he just mainly stays near the hole in it but not moving. I worry about him because he is the first fish that my brother hasn't killed "trying to help" and stuff like that. I am also worried that the days that my brother stayed home he may have come and yelled at Levi. My brother has ADHD and NEVER treats animals right. The dog hates my brother and attacks him. The only reason why biskit likes him is because rarely david will give biskit food. I am usually the one who takes care of the animals. My room is generally a cat free zone as of a couple of months ago. I just don't know what to do. When I went to look at them couple of weeks ago I wanted an active one with pretty colors. He looked up at me, spun around, then looked up at me some more like Take me home pwease.... When I walked away so someone else could look he got sad and hid in the back when I came back over he started doing it again. He has had more personality than I ever thought a fish could actually have. But as of late I don't get to see it because he is always in his log. If it means anything I have to have his little led light on all the time if not he starts to ram the sides of the tank like he is scared of the dark as well. If this wall of chat kinda helps figure it out thanks for reading and helping me. If it makes any difference I am 20 and my brother is 23(we know he is a jerk).


As for the squirt bottle biskit runs from it instantly but I can't keep my door shut because of my dog. He usually won't leave my room until after I am gone. I keep Levi up near my clock where the cats can't even reach without getting up on the bed. Double sided tap on the top of the footboard works with detering mr. biskit from getting up there. it also lets me know if he had been there and he usually just sits on my bed looking up at Levi with that swishing kitty tail with the look of interest. I just really don't know.

[fishman12]

It's not good to have the light on all day, but maybe you could put a little night light by his tank or something a turn that on in the night. Maybe you should privite message OldFishLady, she isvery good at taking care of bettas.

[mm94305]

Maybe I am just at my wits end with fish. I have always loved them and wanted any kind of fish that my brother couldn't kill. Not that he can't kill this one but I guard Levi when I am home. Levi looks alot like the betta in your avi. He used to be quite happy but I am looking into getting a tank that has a filter and a heater because as I said it does get cold in my room. I will message the person that you have said to and give it a shot. I don't want him to pass away since he was such a happy fish.

[mm94305]

I moved Levi into a 10 gallon tank and he was fine all day until i went to cut off the lights. Now I think he is flaring at everything he is just getting used to his new home or is there something I have done wrong? His tank light is still on but even in his betta log he flares. He never flared at anything until today. Right after I cut off the light and knelt down to look at him he flared at me then went all over his reflection in the tank. Should I just cut off his tank light and maybe he will stop for the night until i can get more things in his new tank to decorate it? I don't want to stress him out more than he has been.