# Nocturnal fish?



## jaynethefish (Oct 8, 2010)

Hi everyone! I have a quick question about my new betta, Jayne. I've noticed that he tends to be a lot more active at night than he is during the day - I often see him napping in a shady corner of the tank during the day, but when I stay up late working, he's usually swimming all around the tank, playing in the outflow of his filter, working on a bubble nest, etc. He's not acting unusually otherwise, so is this normal betta behavior, or is it something I should be worried about?


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## BettaGirl290 (Jul 29, 2010)

Its normal, they tend to like the dark better sometimes!


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## jaynethefish (Oct 8, 2010)

Awesome, thank you! I just wanted to be sure there wasn't something wrong with him - I've had bad luck with pet store fish being sick when I got them in the past.


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Well, Bettas are dark-water fish....their natural environment is densely planted and rather dark, which is why usually some indirect sunlight during the day is all they need light-wise.
However, they aren't nocturnal by nature...
Whats your setup like? Is he in a really bright room during the day? Does he have plants/caves to hide in?


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## jaynethefish (Oct 8, 2010)

He's in a 2.5 gallon tank with a cave and 6 live plants, so while it's not super-dense, he's definitely got dark places to hide. Our whole room is actually a bit dark at the moment - my dorm won't have heat until the 15th despite our current cold snap, so we've been keeping the shades down to try to insulate the room and keep it warmer. His tank is heated to 80*, though, so the temp shouldn't be causing any problems. His hood has a light, but it's not too bright, and my desk lamp and the overhead light aren't especially bright either, and neither of those really shines on the tank.


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Hugh.....odd. I've never seen a betta that was more active at night then during the day in the perfect conditions...xD What a strange little man...Lol.
Another question...are you more active at night? That could be why...I know that my guys are definitly more active when I'm home and up and about in my room.


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## jaynethefish (Oct 8, 2010)

Hmmm, not usually. My roommate and I keep pretty standard hours (both in bed by midnight or so), and he seems to be most active right as I'm getting ready to go to sleep. I have noticed that his daytime activity levels are getting a bit higher over the past few days, so maybe he just picked up some weird sleep habits at the pet store? Oh well, as long as he's ok then I don't care when he sleeps!


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Lol, thats possible...xD I find my fish usually adapt to my sleeping schedule after a few days...up until about midnight, awake no earlier then eight 
Haha, if hes acting fine I'm sure theres nothing to be worried about at all xDD Bettas are funny little fish.


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