# New betta hiding - what to do?



## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

I have 2 new bettas. One is out and about (she's alone in a 50-litre tank in a room that I don't go in that much, but she doesn't freak out at all when I go to feed her or say "hello") and the other hides in his little fake log all the time. He's in a 20-litre in the kitchen. When I look in his tank before the light goes on, he doesn't hide. I've got some floating water sprite in there, so I'm not sure that it's the light because it seems that he comes out when I'm not there and rushes to hide if I come to see him. They arrived on 11 Feb (I think, thereabouts anyway) so I'm thinking that he should be getting used to things by now. 

What can I do to help him settle? (Or does he just hate me?:-D)


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Sometimes it just takes awhile for them to get used to their new homes. Try tempting him with some tasty treats like bloodworms or brine shrimp. Maybe when he figures out that you're the one with the food he'll be less shy.


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## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks. Yesterday he was hiding in behind the powerhead so I dropped some pellets in and he saw me doing it, so hopefully that helped, but when he's in his log he doesn't notice me putting his pellets in, so that won't be helping him to associate me with food.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Is he doing any better?


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## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

I'm afraid not. He died:-( I woke up to find him dead. There were no obvious symptoms of illness. When he'd died, his gills were sticking out. Do you know if that indicates anything? I tested the water and there were no ammonia or nitrites which would indicate poisoning by them.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

tanker said:


> I have 2 new bettas. One is out and about (she's alone in a 50-litre tank in a room that I don't go in that much, but she doesn't freak out at all when I go to feed her or say "hello") and the other hides in his little fake log all the time. He's in a 20-litre in the kitchen. When I look in his tank before the light goes on, he doesn't hide. I've got some floating water sprite in there, so I'm not sure that it's the light because it seems that he comes out when I'm not there and rushes to hide if I come to see him. They arrived on 11 Feb (I think, thereabouts anyway) so I'm thinking that he should be getting used to things by now.
> 
> What can I do to help him settle? (Or does he just hate me?:-D)



Errruhm... have you exposed him to the horrors that are food preparation? They're not dumb animals, just stupid children. A lobster won't figure it out but you betcha a betta will think he's on the menu.
Because of the labyrinth gland they can somewhat smell what we're doing. Goat gets freaky when I make steaks in the next room, starts begging for food.


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## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

I don't think so. Cooking's not really my thing.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

odd.

I usually only see such distension in cases of asphyxiation. He might have been too afraid to come to the surface and died of sleep loss and exhaustion, Betta can be neurotic. 

I really advise against having any aquariums in the kitchen due to dishwashers, bug spray, cleaners, sink fumes and the occasional little hand-soap spatter. Without carbon filtration of the air Betta breathe as well as the water, these can become lethal.

How old is your water treatment additive, are you using 20% over the correct amount?
Do you wash your hands before handling pellets?
Was there carbon filtration in the tank?


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## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

Well, it could well have been contributed to by stress of some kind. The hiding indicates that he wasn't comfortable with things. He did come to the surface though, he was sitting up behind the powerhead and I managed to feed him there. Of course, that doesn't mean he wasn't scared at other times. 

I don't use bug spray, the only cleaner I use is Gumption, not sure what you mean by sink fumes, and there's no way the soap could splatter on them, they are metres away. The dishwasher isn't run every day, they are metres away and there are 12 foot ceilings. Although they may be exposed to some exhaust (which I'd never considered before) I can't see that it could be a high concentration of whatever-it-is.

Newish bottle of conditioner, why would I use more than the correct amount? Should I? Yes, I wash my hands (although if it was anything I transferred to the food, the others would presumably have been affected). I think there is carbon in there at the moment - I think it's still got its original filter media.


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## Thunderloon (Feb 6, 2011)

Most of us who use prime or comparable materials that take two drops per gallon commonly put 3 or more drops per gallon in. The material is neutral to tanks and also has nitrite/ammonia detoxifiers in it, so its no worry to use extra.

Power head? What kind of flow does it produce or are you referring to the filter.

How many days has this tank been running since setup? Are any other fish in it?


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## tanker (Mar 13, 2010)

It's just the powerhead on the filter - small one, the filter doesn't produce a huge current. It's been running a couple of months, no other fish.


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