Frustrated...

[RavenofLight]

Yesterday I fed my boy frozen bloodworms for the first time, which he viciously devoured. He has been happy with no problems up until now(other than a tiny bit of fin rot). But i woke up this morning to find that he had 1. built a bubble nest for the first time and 2. started tail biting now Im all confused and frustrated, because i know his tank isnt very interesting but i have been planning on getting his tank planted NPT style but have been waiting for sweetaquatics.com to get their new shipment in so i can order what i want...ive been checking everyday for about 2 weeks with no luck.

i thought that tail biting was supposed to be stress bordom related, and bubble nest making means that hes content...and he did both at the same time so now im confused Help...please?

[Myates]

He could still be bored/stressed. You said he has fin rot? Are you sure it is fin rot, with the black edges and fraying/shredding? If so.. are you treating him for it?

[Kytkattin]

A bubble nest doesn't always mean happiness. My boy bubble nests and tail bites. But I figure he tail bites because his fins are atrociously long and heavy, but he could just be bubble nesting because he is bored.

Whereas my other fish in the tank (divided) never builds bubble nests, but not a nip of the fin have I ever seen! Sometimes it is just personality. They both have plenty of worms/copepods/etc to hunt, but it doesn't stop my old man from tail biting.

[Myates]

Yeah, bubble nests can be a sign of happiness, or nature, or boredom. Mine used to do them when they were in 1gals, now in larger tanks, they stopped. And I know they are happy. So can't really rely on bubble nests to tell whether they are happy or not. Some never even do bubble nests and yet can be the happiest fish in the world.

[ollief9]

The same thing has happened to me. When Percy was in a 2.5g he blew loads of bubble nests, now he is in a densely planted 6 gallon he never does them. But you can still tell that he's thriving.

[Campbell]

I believe tail biting is only sometimes caused by outright boredom. Not all bettas who bite are bored, and not all bored bettas bite. There have been a few say it could have something to do with genetics. I have noticed that the fin types with heavier tails are more prone to biting (obviously), but that could mean its a weigh issue. Basically, what I'm trying to say is it wasn't you're fault. Keep his water very clean to help prevent infection, and he will most likely be fine. Good luck!

[RavenofLight]

Originally Posted by Myates

He could still be bored/stressed. You said he has fin rot? Are you sure it is fin rot, with the black edges and fraying/shredding? If so.. are you treating him for it?

yes, im sure its fin rot, its gone now (i treated him for it) and now his fin just growing back.

It could very well be that his tail is big and heavy cus it is quite large, but i cant help but feel somewhat responsible or guilty about it considering the present boring state of his house :/