The things our betta's do to scare us.

[Arashi Takamine]

Let's admit it. Our betta's love to scare the crud out of us when we least expect it. From abandoning ship to hiding for a long time to playing dead...Our betta's are the Kings and Queens of pranks.

For example ten minutes ago: I went to check on Akira and all I could see of him was his tail. I didn't realize he was sleeping curled up under a bamboo leaf sticking close to the plant. For a second I thought: "Oh god...He-He better not be dead!" Fearful I carefully moved the plant and low and beholl I hear a splash and there's Aki. He however wasn't moving his right pectoral fin so I did EVERYTHING I could to get him to move it so I could see if it was still working. He wasn't happy with me. He didn't flare or anything but backed away and ate a few pellets. (It was so quiet I could hear him chewing.) I left him alone for a second and when I looked back he was wiggling his fins at me as if to say: "HEY! You got what you deserved for waking me up!"

Yesterday...He got my mom. She checks on him every morning after starting her coffee and she could not find him anywhere. She was worried he had abandoned ship and began checking the floor. She did not want to find his body. She checked the tank again and there he was hiding behind the bamboo.

The little disappearing act isn't a new thing either. He just scares the utter crud out of us when he does it and pops out of nearly every little crevice he can find. Whenever I can't find him I wonder if he managed to jump out of the tank but then I see him coming up for air or coming to beg for food.

So...What were some of the worst scares your betta's have given YOU?

[BettasForever]

Ahhhh! They're not MY bettas but at Petco when I pick up the ones who have SBD they float on their sides they then, you feel the cup shake and their hitting against the sides trying to eatchu. :3 I keep thinking their dead. :3

[Dixie]

They aren't my fish, but when my friend used to have a betta it would always jump out of the tank. A few times we went downstairs to get something to eat and came back upstairs to find the tank empty. We almost had a heart attack every time, but when we placed the betta back into the tank he'd always perk up.

[LolaQuigs]

This morning I couldn't find Calliope, and started to get that panicky feeling. Then I saw her between the heater and the tank, not moving, floating on her side. I was sure she was dead, but then she swam off. She is in qt for SBD, so she's been rolling over onto her side a lot, but seeing her back there behind the heater, and just floating there like that without moving terrified me!

[Cassandra90]

I have a few scares with my boy Ares. He usually goes and hides at night. Well in the morning I'll turn the light on and wait for him to come out and snoop around. A few mornings ago he didn't budge so I freaked, there he was nestled up in a plant. He wasn't moving so I decided to open the lid and bam he was at the surface ready for pellets.

My angel fish and Kissing Fish scare me too. My 55 gallon is so densly planted fake/live plants I have a hard time finding them. The angels are thin enough to hide pretty much any where.

[dramaqueen]

I had one that wedged himself under the rocks upside down. I thought he was dead! lol He was just sleeping.

[Luimeril]

Lulu likes to shove herself between a plant, and the tank wall, and not move for hours. more than once, i had to get up and walk over, just to make sure she's alive! lucky me, once i stand up and head to my dresser, she's right there, wiggling happily at me!

[Silverfang]

My Skuzi likes to jam his head into the glass marbles, I know he's searching for fallen food, but he does it so often!
Just like when he gets himself wedged into his new floating plant, and I can't tell if he's stuck or not.

[Kaylin]

I've had mine for less than 24 hours, and I've noticed he likes to curl himself around the heater. It scared the living snot out of me, because I thought one of his fins might have been stuck on it. Turns out not, but I still nearly had a heart attack.

~Kaylin

[CyerRyn]

Had a scare today.. Sazzer was sitting at the bottom of his tank with his mouth wide open.. breathing heavy. I thought he was choking on something so I stuck my hand in the water to try and pull him up and he swims into his cave and peeks his head through the hole. :< what a brat