# Is it Normal for Bettas to Be So…Energetic?



## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

My new betta, Io, has to be the most energetic fish I've ever had. He's barely stayed still since I got him yesterday (with the exception of sleeping through the night). He just keeps pacing along the back, or side of his tank, sometimes darting so fast I'm surprised he can stop:roll:.

At first I thought the filter current was bothering him and that's why he stayed in the back, but this afternoon he decided to pace the front of his tank instead. He even spent some time "surfing" in the current:lol:. He doesn't seem to be breathing hard, he stops occasionally for a gulp of air, and he has no problem slowing down to get some dinner (he already knows where the food comes from).

Could he just be enjoying all this space? Or does he have ADHD or something:roll:


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## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

Both of my fish are energetic. Although my female is much more so than my male. My male's favorite thing to do right now during the day is do half hour rotations between his favorite resting and hiding spots. During the evenings, he's making bubble nests like mad. My female is constantly swimming all over her tank and I hardly ever see her resting at all.


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Okay, well it's good to know he's not the only hyper betta around. Io spends most of the time darting along the edge of the tank, but sometimes takes a little break in one of his plants. He also seems to have found a "massager" in the filter. He rubs up against the intake tube, I think he likes it sucking on him as he swims by...crazy fish.


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Is it normal for him to keep diving down to the bottom real fast? It's like he has somewhere to be and he has to be there THIS MINUTE! I think he hit his face on the gravel one time...He stopped diving so low after that.


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## GemmaBetta (Apr 14, 2013)

My betta loves to pace the back of his tank, swim laps, and dive down. He hit one of my ghost shrimp once so thinks twice about diving so low, but I honestly think its a sign of happiness. It's like a dog who likes to run! I think it's just swimming because it can! It makes me happy to see my betta happy


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Well that makes me happy to think he's just enjoying his tank:-D
He was swimming laps in his cup in the store, so I guess he just loves all the space


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## kimt (Mar 5, 2013)

I think they all have their quirks. My crowntail is pretty energetic while my elephant ear lounges on his betta leaf like it's his job. The baby though is a tiny maniac. He was a rescue and now that he is feeling better, he loves to zoom around the tank. I think he is just happy to be alive.


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

If he is running against AQ decor or the valve and darting, then these might be symptoms of ich. Check disease sticky.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

I think it's interesting that you named him Io, considering the end of the Greek myth from which that names comes from. Or is that why you named him that?  My boy Declan is always moving around, but then he's my friendliest, so I think it's cause he's just curious about what's going on.
But yeah, you should also check to see that whatever he's going through isn't disease related, just in case!


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

Otterfun said:


> If he is running against AQ decor or the valve and darting, then these might be symptoms of ich. Check disease sticky.


sorry typo, i meant "rubbing"


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## bannlow2471 (Mar 12, 2013)

Now that I have multiple Bettas to compare, it seems that it does depend a lot on the individual fish. Murray, my first Betta, is very chill, and has been from Day 1. I call him Mr. Moody Blue ... he has a very soulful, almost meditative quality about him. I never saw him flare until about two weeks ago (I've had him since last October) and that was because I got one of those little floating Betta mirrors and put it in his tank for a few minutes). Chai Son, the baby, is a bundle of energy - probably like most baby/young animals. They seem to go overnight from doing not much of anything to zipping around like crazy. The two crowntail girls, Suma and Aurora, I'm still kind of getting to know. Suma I've had for a little under two weeks, and for the first week she was in a Kritter Keeper with no filter and had to have 100% water changes daily so she was a little nervous. Now that she's in a 5 gallon tank and the tank maintenance is not so intrusive, she's starting to explore a little more and stop hiding in the plants. I guess I'll see how she is as I get to know her better. Aurora, same thing ... I just got her yesterday, so it's hard to say what she'll really be like once she gets settled in. Your guy sounds very entertaining!


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks for the replies everyone!
*Otterfun,* it's not like he searches for the filter tube to rub on, he just does if he happens to be nearby. He isn't rubbing on anything else though. I've had a betta (and several other fish) that had ich before so I do know what it looks like at least, but I'll go check out the sticky. Thanks for the tip though, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him to make sure it's not ich.;-)
*quietlythundering,* I actually named him Io after Jupiter's volcanic moon (which of course got that name from Greek mythology). What's the end of that Greek myth?
*bannlow,* he is by far the most entertaining betta I've ever had.

I think he's just energetic. He's getting to know me now and always swims to the front of the tank when I go in my room. I've also been tapping on the glass gently when I'm about to feed him, and he already knows where to go when he hears it. It's amazing how fast they can learn!


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## Otterfun (Dec 31, 2012)

Lonely Dragon said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone!
> *Otterfun,* it's not like he searches for the filter tube to rub on, he just does if he happens to be nearby. He isn't rubbing on anything else though. I've had a betta (and several other fish) that had ich before so I do know what it looks like at least, but I'll go check out the sticky. Thanks for the tip though, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him to make sure it's not ich.;-)


cool, I hope it is not ich, too.
mine also ride the outflow wave for fun but my girls do not rub against the foam, though.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

Lonely Dragon said:


> Thanks for the replies everyone!
> *Otterfun,* it's not like he searches for the filter tube to rub on, he just does if he happens to be nearby. He isn't rubbing on anything else though. I've had a betta (and several other fish) that had ich before so I do know what it looks like at least, but I'll go check out the sticky. Thanks for the tip though, I'll be sure to keep an eye on him to make sure it's not ich.;-)
> *quietlythundering,* I actually named him Io after Jupiter's volcanic moon (which of course got that name from Greek mythology). What's the end of that Greek myth?
> *bannlow,* he is by far the most entertaining betta I've ever had.
> ...


Well, it's a bit long, but here's the story:
Zeus fell in love with a girl named Io. Now in some variations of this myth she's either a plain old princess or a nymph princess, but either way, the story goes that Zeus wanted her, and when the king of the gods wants something, not even his own wife, Hera, can stop him from getting it. However, that doesn't mean she can't take her revenge, and this case was no exception. In order to hide Io, Zeus covered the sky in clouds to prevent Hera from seeing them together, but that only made Hera suspicious, so she told him to move them. Before he did, he turned Io into a white cow, and so when Hera saw her, she knew he had taken a new lover. She then asked Zeus to give her the cow as a present. Zeus had to give her Io, because he knew that if he didn't Hera would kill her. So Hera takes Io, and asks her favorite guard, Argos, to watch her since Hera knew Zeus would come back for his mistress. Now what made Argus so special was that his body was covered in eyes, and so it was virtually impossible for anyone to get passed him. So what does Zeus do? He asks the most wily of the gods, Hermes, to go steal his girl-cow back, because if anyone can do it, certainly the god of thieves can. And wouldn't you know, of course he does! Unfortunately, he killed Argos in the process, and so when Hera goes to check on her favorite guard and captive only to find no cow and a dead Argos, she is furious and more than eager to avenge the death of Argos, who she turns into a beautiful bird with hundreds of eyes all over its tail; and that is where we get the peacock, and why it is Hera's symbol. Still fuming, she conjures up a relentless gadfly, who's sole job is to torment and chase Io to the ends of the earth. Io, in turn, can never stop running from it, or else she'll be bitten. And Zeus? Well, you can't punish the leader of mount Olympus, who doesn't learn a thing a from this except that it's probably not a good idea to get caught.....
And that's the story of Io!


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Wow. Well the "never stops running" definitely fits my boy. We actually read a short version of that in class, but the only thing I remembered was the cow.


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## quietlythundering (Jan 29, 2013)

That's what I meant by that ^^' 
Despite it's origin, it's a nice name! Short and sweet! I'm having trouble naming my new boy, so maybe I'll turn to the myths too....


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Well he seems to have calmed down a little bit. Maybe he was just enjoying his new tank with so much space =)


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

Thanks for sharing the story quietlythundering . My daughter is a Latin teacher and she is one who got my betta for me so I wanted a Greek myth name and when she said Perseus and it sounded perfect for him. 

Lonely Dragon its so fun to watch them dive, Perseus also dives to the bottom, sometimes fast sometimes slow. I agree it is so amazing they are fast learners and I like your guys name its so cool !


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## Lonely Dragon (Mar 28, 2013)

Thanks *Perseusmom*, I like your guys name too! 

Io is still crazy:roll: but I love watching him. I changed a gallon of his water yesterday and he was so funny! As I was pouring the new water in he started to swim all around where I was pouring. He'd dive into the water flow which would shoot him over to the side of the tank, then he'd come racing back chasing bubbles.:lol: I've never had such a silly betta before. He also blows "kisses" to me. Soon as he sees me he starts wiggling his butt and popping his mouth open.


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## smaughunter (Sep 15, 2011)

My Feynman is full of zest too. Always swimming around, begging for food, building bubblenests and flaring at his reflection. Makes me laugh. He just enjoys life.


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