# is my betta blind?



## MeredithNa (Oct 13, 2014)

Hi everyone.

I bought a betta a week or two ago and initially I thought he was a little bit on the unintelligent side, but then as I got to know him better I started to think he has some form of PTSD, because any interaction with him makes him swim off at a million miles per hour. Now I'm thinking something else.

The original reason why I thought he was not the sharpest tool in the shed is because he had two types of reaction: none and extreme. This became apparent because when I put the mirror up to his tank he would just lie there and do nothing for a minute until he ssssllllooooowwwwllllyyyyy realised that another evil fish was within one centimetre away and then you could see the neurons kick into gear one by one then suddenly he would be flaring as per normal.

Today I flared him, dropped the mirror down for less than 3 seconds and then put it up and... nothing. He was less than a centimetre from his reflection (he's done it a lot of times). He also hangs around the bottom of his tank a lot or hides in his hidey hole. He knows when I come to the top of his tank it means food so I have no problems feeding him (he also likes to eat the little balls on the flower of the anubias plant, so he's not starving). After I gave him more places to hide he built a massive bubble nest.

So, I think he might be blind (or at least partially). The reasons supporting my theory:
1. He's very timid and hates me putting my finger near him on the tank. He swims away to hide for the smallest things. He also hides next to the filter (I have one that hangs off the side of the tank) where it is dark.
2. Doesn't react easily to his reflection, and when he does he takes a while to start flaring. From realisation to flaring is about twice as long as my other fish.
3. When I come over to look at him, he does one of three things: swims out to say hello (followed by a swift retreat when I put my finger on his tank), swims away in terror or does nothing. Unlike my other fish which is always "hellohellohellohelloplaywithmeohmygodyouareherelookingatmeiwantfoodplaywithmeohmygodohmygodhomygod!!!!!"
4. Rests by lying his entire body against something. But then again, he has rather large finnage too. I saw him wrapped around the stalk of the flower which was quite cute.

Things not supporting my theory:
1. He finds food really quickly (scent?)
2. He eats the anubias flower which looks like the pellets I feed them.
3. Occasionally does come out of his hidey hole to say hello when I approach.
4. Looks and interacts with new things I put in his tank.
5. Figures out where everything is quite quickly. Within a minute after putting the hidey hole in his tank, he was checking it out and within a few minutes was hiding in it.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!


----------



## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Since he reacts to your fingers and a mirror then he's not blind at all. All these characteristics are normal for a fish just introduced to a new home and is still trying to figure everything out and get comfortable in his new space. Moving from the Pet Store to your home is a huge move for these fish and it takes time for them to settle in. 

Also, some Bettas just don't flare either, doesn't mean that they don't feel intimidated or angry at the "intruder" but they just won't have the "typical" reaction and that's not a bad thing either. The more he gets used to his new surroundings, he may become more outgoing eventually.


----------



## selah (Oct 14, 2014)

I agree that he is just getting used to you.. it takes some time, some more than others.. if he swims away when you put your finger near him he is not blind.. I have had one of my girls since August and she still bolts when I touch where she is. They all have different personalities, maybe you have a shy guy.


----------



## MeredithNa (Oct 13, 2014)

Oh good. I didn't want him to be blind.

If he's shy, do you think a few tank mates will be ok? He's in a 20L tank by himself, so he has plenty of room for a friend (a tank calculator said that it was at 85% capacity). I don't particularly want a snail if I can get another fish. My preferences are these in descending order: fish, shrimp, snail.

Any suggestions?


----------



## Charc14 (Aug 27, 2014)

I would go with a snail personally.
I've heard stories about some shrimp will pinch the fins of bettas. I'm not sure if it is true or not, but just incase it might not be the best idea for a betta who likes to stick near the bottom. 

I'm not sure if you can really put another fish in there, as most smaller fish group, so you would need around six of each. I'm not sure about an endler tho, I've never had one and I don't know anything about them really, maybe someone who owns them might get on here and tell you more about them 


You are not alone to have a betta that takes awhile to flare or doesn't flare at all. Infact, the only thing that my betta Marius flares at is my net and a female lol. He could care less about males or his reflection. 

I tell you what tho. Those nails can go fast then you think lol. They will be at one side of the tank you turn your head to read a two sentence text and they will be at the other side lol. 

I wish you the best of luck!


----------



## kjg1029 (Jun 14, 2014)

is the tank cycled? id wait to add anything else untill your sure it is, and also ive never heard of shrimp hurting a betta at all (infact its always the other way around lol), maybe a crab, but not a shrimp. but shrimp are very sensitive to the water params,just like MOST fish/ invrets, so thats why you should wait. also shrimp need ALOT of plants to hide in. snails poop ALOT and for that reason there def not my favorite..


----------



## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

The only concern of mine is, just because he may be shy doesn't mean he'd be good with tankmates, each of their personalities are different and he may grow in personality with you and he may be good with mates or not, it's something we have to experiment with unfortunately but always have a backup plan if you find he's actually viscous to other fish, even if that includes taking them back to the store to keep them safe.

Think about it this way, we're giant faces to him that he's not quite used to seeing yet but another small fish is more his size so he won't be as intimated with it since it isn't as scary as a gigantic face looking at you, I certainly wouldn't like that lol. But on the flip side, he might even be shy to tankmates and it could cause him to hide even more. Long story short, I'd wait another month or so until he's fully settled in (and for the tank to fully cycle too) and more comfortable with you  that's the time I find it's easiest to introduce tankmates at least.


----------

