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I know this sounds kind of silly, but I swear that my betta is BORED. When no one is around, all he does is lay at the bottom of his colloseum and mope until he feels the vibrations of something coming, and he's up and at the front of the tank flaring.

I've tried having companions for him. He's killed everything. I think he was really happy with the ghost shrimp, but the last time I bought them for him he went a little goofy and ended up killing and eating 15 in three days. It was carnage on a massive level. He's even killed full-grown Mystery Snails! He'll sit there for hours just staring at the snail until it opens up, and then dives in and attacks!

He needs a hobby. Or some toys. Something to let him vent his frustration on!

Do they make toys for fish? Like little soccer balls or something that he can beat up to his hearts content? Is there anything I can put in his tank that's safe and might work in the same matter?

Thanks!

Put a few snails (ramshorns or pond snails would be good) in a small container next to the betta's tank. That way he could "attack" them without killing them, so they will still crawl around.

I have noticed that most bettas find snails to be extremely amusing.

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I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.

You could place a mirror beside the tank every once in a while so that he could flair at is reflection. You could also ad a (clean) floating ping-pong ball. Maybe this would catch his attention and he could push it around.

I have floating plants in the tank with my beta and he enjoys building bubble nests. I also use the mirror technique occassionally. Hope this helps.

my bettas just flair at their neighbors

a problem with a mirror is you can't leave it their all of them time for a few reasons, for example and this apleys with neighbor bettas, the bettas will often get use to eachother and stop flaring, also it can be a danger to your bettas fins, as while it isn't always common in veils, a betta taht will flare and flare can blow his fins causeing them to rip.

I usually only place the mirror next to the tank for a few minutes. 5 minutes tops. I belive I have only done it a handful of times, usually when I am trying to get a good pic of him.

Unfortunately I don't think the mirror will work. He's in an acrilic tank, and I usually work by just the aquarium light, so all he has to do is move to a corner and he sees his reflection. (He really does remind me of that ditzy fish from Finding Nemo sometimes.)

I did get a chance to do a "trial run" with another betta when I fish-sat for my friend for a week. Her betta enjoyed the company so much she went and bought a 10 gallon tank and a buddy for hers as soon as she saw the pictures. Mine didn't even seem to care that there was a flaring male next to him. (My cats are another story, though, and I think that he thinks he's a whole lot bigger then them most nights.)

I think I will try the ping-pong ball idea. I remember being in a fish-store once that had these blue textured balls floating on the surface of all the tanks, but I don't know what they were or what they did.

Horatio has companions but never really interacts, sometimes he chases but mostly he mopes.

he has eaten an apple snail and did attack the platy I had with him, but he leaves the Cherry Barbs alone.

it worries me that he "sulks" I might try the ping pong ball too.

GFG

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Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

the blue textured balls may be media for bacteria colonization, similar to the black foam stars...hopefully you can get ahold of some for your fishy!

I've got a fever... and the only prescription... is more cowbell!

I have the same problem. My betta Jack is in a planted 10g. He did have neons and ottos as tankmates, but I started having ammonia so I moved the neons and ottos out. Now he is bored and just sits at the bottom.

I bought 3 cherry barbs and put them in there the other day but he just chased them and had them cornered, so I took them out.

I am thinking about a few ADF's. I just hope that he won't try to get them because I wouldn't have anywhere to move them to.

I call my betta a grumpy old man...because he can't get along with anybody.

*Kristin*

Did you ever end up trying the ADF's? I have one but it is in a separate container. Can my betta get along with him?

No, I haven't tried it yet. Other people have had success with the two together.

*Kristin*

this is why betta's are one of the weirdest fishes i think. i had a few that did that. i did the mirror trick and that helped. and i also have one now that hated being alone. put him with a bunch of other small fish and he loves it.

as far as toys, one trick i've seen was get a laser pointer and run it around the bottom of the tank and let him chase it for a few minutes at a time.

Fish tanks are an expensive addiction

I have a pet lorikeet (small parrot) who likes nothing better to run around my fighting fishes tank, and the fighting fish loves nothing better than chasing around my pet bird.

Geting a bird is a bit extreme though

But bird woke us yesterday with chirps and whistles (he never makes noise in the morning until he knows we are up), and we came out to find bird by the fish tank and Malcolm (the fish) had died. We had had him nearly 3 years and bird was very confused.

Now that is what I would call a smart bird.

The ping-pong ball works with mine, so I'd give it a shot.