New behavior from my betta...is something wrong?

[Shanady]

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum, although I have been reading quite a lot over the past month or so. I bought a betta (my first fish) about 3 weeks ago. He has a 3.5 gal tank, with a heater, thermometer, low-flow filter and silk plants to hide in. When I first got him home he pretty much hid the first few days. The last couple of weeks, he seemed to become much more curious and interactive, I could come into the room and he would swim up to the front of his tank and seem to follow me around. When feeding, he would swim up to the top and wait for his pellets and a couple of times he even bumped my finger when I put just the tip of it in.

Yesterday he suddenly started hiding again, and did it all day yesterday and then again this evening when I got home. I say he is hiding, but if I am out of the room, he will come out, but when I walk into the room, he darts into his plants and just peeps out. If I drop a pellet in, he will either continue to hide or dart very quickly out for the pellet and then back into his plants. I am at a loss as to why he would change from a friendly little character to Mr. Paranoid. His water is at the same temperature it has always been at, and I check the water chemistry every day and it is in safe ranges....I can't think what is different. I was playing the stereo louder yesterday than normal but I turned it back off and he is still acting odd....any ideas?

[Hallyx]

I understand how frustrating it can be when their behavior changes, especially when it appears to regress. There are so many subtle influences that we, as new fish keepers, can't understand. Many of us can feel your disappointment. And I wish there were something I could do, some advice to share that would make a difference.

Perhaps one of our more experienced members can help you. All I can do is bump this thread.