# help! my new betta won't eat and is continually hiding



## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

well, for starters i have a 10 gallon tank, it's heated and has a filter that's baffled. its separated into 2 sections. one for my half moon, Frosty Love, and the other side for Curly, which i think he's a veil tail.

i've had frosty for almost a month now. which he had been in a half gallon, i know, way too small, but i fell in love with him because of his spunk and how gorgeous he was and i didn't want anyone else to have him! but i just bought Curly new year's eve day. well, once i put Curly into his section of the 10 gal he freaked out! zig zagging all over the place. he eventually calmed down. but, he hasn't eaten since new years eve morning (i work at petsmart so after changing his water i fed him and he ate while in his original cup). now he continually hides in this cup just laying on the bottom of it, he only comes out to swim around for a little and get a gulp of air and then back he goes to hiding. earlier today i attempted to get him to eat by putting him back into his original cup and feeding him. well, it worked until the piece of food he choose was too big and he spit it out. he tried several more times and still spit it out. so i mashed up a piece into smaller pieces and he ignored it.

any suggestions as to what i should do? 
do you think the hiding is just him getting used to his surroundings?
do you think all the space he has is freaking him out? if so, should i put him into something smaller?

second thing is, he isn't aggressive at all like my half moon. he sees his reflection and runs away, no flaring like most male bettas. and i made the mistake of accidentally setting his clear cup in front of Frosty's side, Frosty flared up and Curly almost jumped right out of the cup!

and lastly, i noticed his fins aren't as big as other male bettas. they're still long, but thinner. is this just the way he is? is it because he's young? or is there something wrong? clamped fins?

any opinions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## thekoimaiden (Oct 19, 2011)

My guess is that he is a little stressed from being in constant view of your other betta. In my 10 gal divided tanks I make sure to have lots of plants along the divider to provide a good buffer zone between the two bettas. You could also try getting your scaredy-cat a thickly planted corner of the tank. Both live and plastic (or a combination of the two) work very well.

EDIT: Also you have beautiful fish! I love the red and white combinations!!


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## chrissylee13 (Jan 1, 2012)

well the divider is craft canvas. so it's not really see through. i can look through it and see the other side but they don't pay much attention to it. but thats a good idea. i'll do that! and i also originally thought Frosty was white and red, but his body is this shimmering light blue color!


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