# Glass surfing and not eating--how long till I should be worried?



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

Hi! I'm Silver, and it's been a long time since I had a fish. But, I really wanted one this year and have been doing a ton of research about Bettas, and honestly it all confuses me quite thoroughly with all the different opinions. @[email protected] My little buddy Poseidon does seem to be doing a lot of tank surfing, though..
He also won't eat, neither the dried shrimp or the betta flakes, he seemed to try and eat the dried shrimp much more than he did the flakes, but he kept spitting them back up.  
I've seen that glass surfing is a sign of an unhappy betta, a bored betta, or poor water levels. I only had time to condition the water for a day, and the temperature stays steadily at 72 degrees. I turned off his filtration system this morning to feed him, and he seems to have calmed just a tiny bit from that. But only a little...
I've moved around his two plants, I've moved around the stuff outside his tank...turned the light on and off to see if that was irritating him..
Am I being paranoid and it's just him getting used to his new 5.5 tank compared to his wee cup he came in?
(I just put him in the tank yesterday morning)


----------



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

He's probably a little cold. 72 is a little cold for a betta, they thrive at 76-82. Does his tank have a heater?


----------



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

Yes, his tank actually has to have a heater because where I live right now is very cold. His temperature seems to have gone up just a little since I last checked, but I may be wrong. Do you think I should buy another heater?


----------



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

Keep an eye on the temperature if you are not able to get the heat up to at least 76 I would go get a new heater, adjustable ones are preferred, but I previously had 7.5 watt Preset one (so it just raised the temp. about 6 degrees over room temp) in a 3 gallon with no problems of overheating, but that is a concern with the preset ones. I am much happier with my adjustable one.
For now you can try wrapping a blanket or scarves around the tank, to warm it up and see if it helps.
Does your tank have a cover?
Also make sure any temperature change is done slowly, you don't want to shock him by a big temperature fluctuation.
It is good that the temperature is steady, but IMO if you get the water warmer he will perk up quite a bit, also if you have only had him a couple days glass surfing and not eating are common as it may take a bit to settle into his new surroundings.


----------



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

I may need to go out and buy him a new one. :-/
I've heard that they are quite normal when they are getting used to their homes, but I'm a worry wort. XD Thank you for the advice, Wallawoo! 
He likes to hang out around the filter and the plants, but he still goes back to glass surfing. I guess you're right and it may take a week or so for him to calm down fully.


----------



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

I know my fish glass surfed like a madman for about 7 days when I first brought him home then stopped. Then I upgraded him into a bigger tank a couple weeks later and he went back to his crazy glass surfing for about 3 days. My fish is also named Poseidon. He occasionally glass surfs but not enough for me to worry about. 
Every fish is different some adjust right away and some just need more time. Try getting him warmer and let him adjust, it can be like moving to a whole new country for him and can be overwhelming. Getting him warmer is your first step. While you are getting a heater you will probably want a water testing kit that checks for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates to make sure there is nothing wrong with the water parameters that are stressing him out. The liquid tests are pricey but are most reliable.
Also do you add a water deconditioner? Besides letting the water sit out and age are you adding something to remove the heavy metals and chloramines? Prime is most recommended on this forum and it is really good but it you don't have anything pick up whatever conditioner you can that removes chlorine and chloramines and heavy metals. Try to get some Seachem Prime if you can it's the best.


----------



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

Hmmmmm...
Funny coincidence! XD 
I need to do that soon, but I won't be going into to town for a while. I had hoped that the water parameters would be okay since it was well water, but that was just my hoping.


----------



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

Well water can still have the heavy metals in it so that is why you should still use a water conditioner. I know my grocery store even has some dechlorinator in its pet section. If you can get your hands on some and raise the temp i think you will see improvement. Good luck!


----------



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

Update on my little buddy:
He built a really big bubble nest, so at least I know he's happy, but he's doing this really weird thing with his food. He will only eat _one fourth of his food, then tries to eat the rest but still ends up spitting it back out..._
Is this normal for a betta still getting used to his surroundings? O-o


----------



## autojoy (Jun 16, 2014)

Hey ^_^ I have a glass-surfer as well. He does it very aggressively if I adjust anything in his tank, and sometimes he does it even when he's relaxed back down again (he can see his reflection -- chasing the "other fish"). I thought he was doing it because he was bored, so I changed up the decor (I read that this can help to make things interesting for them again) and it made him super nuts -- but he did eventually calm down and explore the tank again. It took him 13 days to relax completely after a tank re-arrange. He is slow at adjusting to everything -- it took him 14 full days to eat pellets properly. So, I guess some betta just take a while to get used to things. 

Ensure he has enough places to hide and can feel safe and it will help encourage him to relax away from the glass. Keep a close eye on the water parameters and the temperature and his body language in general, and it could be he'll calm down when he feels he can. Just in case he doesn't ever stop doing this, though, it doesn't mean you've done something wrong. I think sometimes they just do it -- that's what people have told me


----------



## Silver Illusion (Nov 30, 2014)

Thank you, Autojoy! That gives me reassurance that it's not just me that has screwed something up because this is my first fish buddy in years. My little buddy doesn't do it quite so ferociously anymore, which I am glad about, he studies the bottom of the tank, and rests in the plants at times, and swims through his little bee hive hideaway cave. I guess it'll just take a good while longer for him to calm down completely.


----------



## Wallawoo (Oct 17, 2014)

Glad Poseidon is doing better! You can try lining the glass with more plants to break up his glass surfing, but I don't think it will be necessary. It really just sounds like he is adjusting, my fish also spit out some food when I first got him. Are you soaking his food in tank water to soften it? That could help if you take a little tank water out (i use the cap of a water bottle) and put the pellets in for 5 minutes before putting in the tank. But I think it all sounds normal for a new Betta. He should explore his tank more as time passes.


----------



## autojoy (Jun 16, 2014)

*@Silver Illusion* You're welcome  I was so worried when I saw our betta get so aggressive when he surfed -- it's not nice to watch and I was pretty distressed! It sounds like your little guy is adjusting, so hopefully that's good news for you! You may learn his "triggers" over time, and know that -- if he ever starts up again -- he's stopped surfing once, he can stop surfing again!


----------



## KMS (Oct 12, 2020)

I just got my new betta and was concerned because he is doing a lot of tank surfing as well. Everyone here helped reassure me he will calm down in a few days.

I think because he is so young, mine has also been struggling with spitting food back out as well. I think he is still getting used to the pellets and mine do seem to be slightly larger than some other brands I have seen. Because of this, I have taken to crushing the pellets with the lid before adding them to the tank. They still float and anything he doesn't eat will just help feed the ghost shrimp when it sinks.
My food is old and leftover from another betta fish and I wanted to get a new batch, I did a bunch of research on betta food and found a brand called "invert aquatics" that seems to have MUCH better ingredients than all of the others. Compared to the others that had wheat or soy in the first three ingredients "invert aquatics extreme color" blend doesn't list wheat or soy till the very end and is 40-45% protein about 10% higher than most brands. Just ordered some and will update on how Jeffrey likes it!

Also, I have had betta on and off for years but just recently learned about "Floating Betta Logs" which were very highly reviewed by betta owners who swear by them. So far Jeffery loves his, I like it because it serves multiple purposes; a place to hide, a place to sleep and there is a hole that floats on top that works like one of those floating feeder rings!


----------

