Is there something wrong with my betta? or is he just messing with my head

[HatsuneMiku]

I rescued a iridescent hm betta from petspart like 2 weeks ago i named him yuki. He was in a tiny cup with half of the water basically evaporated. As soon as I got him home i scooped out water from my other betta's tank into a holding container and put yuki in there while i prepared his 5 gal tank.

After his tank was ready and temperatures were ideal i put the holding container for like an hour so he could acclimate to the temperature in the new tank. He would swim around, explore, do wigglie dance, and swim towards me when i got close to his tank. Everything was great till last night.

He started hiding behind the filter and playing dead. Like it really looks like he's playing dead. At first i thought he was dead and i panicked and was sad cus i couldn't believe he would just suddenly die. But then i leaned in closer to the tank and he would swim out to look at me and do his wiggle dance. He's been doing it all day yesterday and today... it's driving me nuts.

He'd go behind the filter and look like he's dead. Like vertical-ish wedged behind the filter and the wall of the tank. Sometimes he would float up on top sideways like he's belly up, again behind the filter. I tried to take a picture but every time i get close to him to try to take a picture he swims out all happy. He's also made a bubbles but not in a nest form, just bubbles all over the place.

anyone know if he is sick? or just messing with me T_T

[PewPewPew]

He sounds fine. They sleep in weird ways, and unfortunately it sounds like your bettas something of a jerk, one who likes to freak you out! lolol

One of mine sleeps literally on his side in the gravel or wedged nose down. Theyre so...strange.

btw- next time you acclimate the fish (for all water changes, etc..) dont just bob them, though that's very good-- put new water into their container every 4 minutes for at least 10-15.

Shock through temp change is dangerous, but so is parameter change D:

[LittleBettas]

lol, hes probably just messing wth you and sleeping funny, lik PewPewPew said.. they sleep funny, my boy Hercules lays on his side drapped over a leaf if one of his plants while Wildfire sleeps on her side at the bottom of her tank (had a heart attack when i first saw it) and Pickle sleeps nose down at the bottom, my other two, Tihs and King float at the top...

[HatsuneMiku]

whew .. thanks guys .. it makes me worried less now knowing yuki's not the only one behaving like this. still it freaks me out when he's doing it @_@ .. he really looks like he's dead

[PewPewPew]

As long as he comes to you happy and cute, hes fine :D If he was sluggish and sad looking, then I would call issue.

[Arashi Takamine]

Oh betta's how you love to test your owners limits. My Kai decided once even though the water was low to swim into his dragon's mouth and hang out the other side. He was sleeping but it looked like he was going to fall if I didn't add more water since it was getting low.

[mookeeful]

My lil guy likes to sleep in a variety of positions -- all of which scare the crap out of me. My hubby has probably had about a handful of heart attacks from my reactions to them. He sometimes lays on his side in the gravel at the bottom, sometimes he goes into his cave and practically buries his nose in the gravel, sometimes he looks upside down against one of the bigger plants in his tank. I feel so bad for waking him so abruptly, but then again he should feel bad for scaring the crap out of me! Hehehe.

[HatsuneMiku]

T_T i think there is something wrong with yuki .. he's still hiding behind the filter and looking dead .. but now when he's swimming to me he'll swim downwards and then float back up to the surface and sometimes swimming sideways at the surface .. and he used to love swimming against the filter current but now when he gets near there he gets pushed down by it T_T

advice please T_T i don't want him to die

[mookeeful]

Originally Posted by Mistress

T_T i think there is something wrong with yuki .. he's still hiding behind the filter and looking dead .. but now when he's swimming to me he'll swim downwards and then float back up to the surface and sometimes swimming sideways at the surface .. and he used to love swimming against the filter current but now when he gets near there he gets pushed down by it T_T

advice please T_T i don't want him to die

That's what my Swifty started to do when he started his swim bladder disorder... but there may be some more familiar & experienced fish parents here who could give you advice on the matter as I am a new mommy myself.

[fishcurl]

I'm sorry to hear Yuki isn't doing so well :(

To get a more complete (and quicker) response, post Yuki's symptoms in the Betta Diseases and Emergencies forum here:

http://www.bettafish.com/forumdisplay.php?f=99

Be sure to read the third sticky and post your answers to those questions in your thread.

Best of luck and I hope that yuki feels better soon.