HELP: Siamese fighting fish and filters

[Donegal Paul]

OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes) Siamese
fighter.

however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.

I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
again.

I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes not,
so, anyone else ever had problems similar?

Is this normal for these fish or what?

He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
filter by himself so......?
--
Donegal Paul - On the mend
Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?

[Vicki PS]

"Donegal Paul" > wrote in message
...
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?

He might just like it. Some bettas get freaked out by water movement,
others enjoy it. Strong water movement can be a problem for heavily-finned
bettas.

The other possibility is that he's got skin irritation and the filter
suction is scratching his itch, so to speak. I recently had an ich
outbreak in my barracks, and one of the fish took to lying all day in the
stream of bubbles from the filter.

Vicki PS

[PatC]

Hi
I once had one that would let himself get sucked into the outside filter (
there was no guard on it).
No matter how many times I removed him he returned to stay there forever.
He just seemed happy there so I eventually stopped taking him out. I think
it felt like home in Thailand!
Good luck
P


Donegal Paul > wrote in message
...
> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
Siamese
> fighter.
>
> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>
> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
> again.
>
> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
not,
> so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>
> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?
> --
> Donegal Paul - On the mend
> Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
> Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
> www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
> www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?
>
>

[Margolis]

"Donegal Paul" > wrote in message
...
> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
Siamese
> fighter.
>
> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>
> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
> again.
>
> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
not,
> so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>
> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?
> --


As long as he can get off by himself and his fins don't get sucked in too
much it should be okay. This is very interesting behavior ;o)

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/20030215212142/http://www.agqx.org/faqs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

[IDzine01]

If the filter intake is sucking up his fins or he seems to struggle to
get away from it you can cut a pair of pantyhose and rubberband them
around the intake. This will help to keep fragile fins safe. Unless
that filter has an adjustable intake button. Then, of course, lowering
the flow would work just as well.

[Donegal Paul]

"Margolis" said to "Donegal Paul" >
wrote in message
>> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
> not,
>> so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>>
>> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>>
>> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from
>> the
>> filter by himself so......?
>> --
>
>
> As long as he can get off by himself and his fins don't get sucked in
> too
> much it should be okay. This is very interesting behavior ;o)

Well, he's only done it once, that ive seen again and can get away from it
himself.
However, ive noticed today that he's also been going under the filter and up
on top too, also he's been much more out in th etank today and chases the
blue rams and also the male dwarf gourami occasionally has to chase him off.
So i think he's ok now that he is a bit more settled.
--
Donegal Paul - On the mend
Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?

[Fuzzy Orange]

Donegal Paul wrote:

> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes) Siamese
> fighter.
>
> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>
> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
> again.
>
> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes not,
> so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>
> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?

I got the exact same fish a week ago and posted on here
I have same filter and fish did same thing - laid on top of filter or
stuck to side like it was dead and being sucked to side

I added a couple of females and some more fish 2 days ago (which
according to people here was a bad idea) but either because of that or
because he's got more relaxed in the tank he's absolutely fine now
Swims round all day looking quite happy

[John D. Goulden]

> I added a couple of females and some more fish 2 days ago (which according
> to people here was a bad idea) but either because of that or because he's
> got more relaxed in the tank he's absolutely fine now
> Swims round all day looking quite happy

You added female bettas? How is that working out? What other fish did you
add?

--
John Goulden

[SkyCatcher]

This happens with mine all the time. I think eventually it can be bad. What
I do is show them their reflection in a mirror & it drags them out of this
lethargy (they chase it & flare out the gill plates). This seems to keep
them more on their toes!

My theory (for what it's worth!) is that they check out the tank tank when
they first go in & when they find no other males they get a bit complacent &
just mope about.

Perhaps the addition of a femail might keep his interest up?

Sky.
"Donegal Paul" > wrote in message
...
> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
> Siamese fighter.
>
> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>
> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
> again.
>
> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
> not, so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>
> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?
> --
> Donegal Paul - On the mend
> Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
> Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
> www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
> www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?
>

[Paul Wadland]

I have had my Siamese for about 6 months and he does exactly the same as
yours. I have a Fluval 4+, it doesn't do him any harm. He also rests on top
of plants, seems to a bit of a lazy sod !
Paul

"SkyCatcher" > wrote in message
...
> This happens with mine all the time. I think eventually it can be bad.
> What I do is show them their reflection in a mirror & it drags them out of
> this lethargy (they chase it & flare out the gill plates). This seems to
> keep them more on their toes!
>
> My theory (for what it's worth!) is that they check out the tank tank when
> they first go in & when they find no other males they get a bit complacent
> & just mope about.
>
> Perhaps the addition of a femail might keep his interest up?
>
> Sky.
> "Donegal Paul" > wrote in message
> ...
>> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
>> Siamese fighter.
>>
>> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
>> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>>
>> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
>> again.
>>
>> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
>> not, so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>>
>> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>>
>> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from
>> the filter by himself so......?
>> --
>> Donegal Paul - On the mend
>> Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
>> Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
>> www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
>> www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?
>>
>
>

[The Drunken Lord]

On Tue, 30 Nov 2004 17:41:48 -0000, "SkyCatcher"
> wrote:

>This happens with mine all the time. I think eventually it can be bad. What
>I do is show them their reflection in a mirror & it drags them out of this
>lethargy (they chase it & flare out the gill plates). This seems to keep
>them more on their toes!
>
>My theory (for what it's worth!) is that they check out the tank tank when
>they first go in & when they find no other males they get a bit complacent &
>just mope about.
>
>Perhaps the addition of a femail might keep his interest up?

These fish are bred for fighting and sometimes they like to duke it
out.

[IDzine01]

SkyCatcher,

Bettas shouldn't mope about at all. They are usually very active all
day long, taking short rests on leaf tops or other decorations. Healthy
bettas will see you and swim over to meet you when you come up to the
glass. You might notice them wiggling their fins. When you're not at
the glass you should be able to see them swimming about and exploring
their tank most of the day or blowing a bubble nest.

When bettas become lethargic, it's because something is wrong. (Notice
the bettas in the store cups just sit there) This is because they
aren't given enough space to move, live in poor water conditions, and
are kept at temperatures way too cool for them.

If you're betta isn't very active, check your water parameters
(ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature) Usually the answer is
found there first.

[IDzine01]

SkyCatcher,

Bettas shouldn't mope about at all. They are usually very active all
day long, taking short rests on leaf tops or other decorations. Healthy
bettas will see you and swim over to meet you when you come up to the
glass. You might notice them wiggling their fins. When you're not at
the glass you should be able to see them swimming about and exploring
their tank most of the day or blowing a bubble nest.

When bettas become lethargic, it's because something is wrong. (Notice
the bettas in the store cups just sit there) This is because they
aren't given enough space to move, live in poor water conditions, and
are kept at temperatures way too cool for them.

If you're betta isn't very active, check your water parameters
(ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH and temperature) Usually the answer is
found there first.

[Larry Blanchard]

The Drunken Lord wrote:

> These fish are bred for fighting and sometimes they like to duke it
> out.

Sometimes???

Boy, are you an optimist :-).

I've got two in a divided tank and they (one especially) spend most of their
time trying to find a way through the divider so they can kill the other
one :-).

--
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description.

[Tedd Jacobs]

"Donegal Paul" wrote...
> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
> Siamese fighter.
>
> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>
> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
> again.
>
> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
> not, so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>
> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?

one possiblity which has yet to be explored; maybe he's too tired to move
away. i've seen simular posts here from time to time regarding this same
topic, one response in particular which comes to mind- and seemed to have
been well thought out- was that they are exhausted. here are these fish,
confined to one cup of water for a very long period of time. naturally,
like a person who has been bedridden for a long time, it takes a while to
regain the strength of mobility needed to fully navigate their surroundings.

tedd.

--
"Excuse me sir, would you mind stopping and telling me why it is that I am
in this hand-basket?"

[Donegal Paul]

"Tedd Jacobs" replied to "Donegal Paul" wrote...
>> OK, yesterday we got a lovely dark blue (with 2 perfect red stripes)
>> Siamese fighter.
>>
>> however, after a short time he went over to the filter (fluval 3+) and
>> looked like he was either leaning against it or seemed to be stuck.
>>
>> I moved him off and then after a while he did it again, and again, and
>> again.
>>
>> I went to bed hoping he wouldnt be dead this morning and thankfully hes
>> not, so, anyone else ever had problems similar?
>>
>> Is this normal for these fish or what?
>>
>> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from
>> the filter by himself so......?
>
> one possiblity which has yet to be explored; maybe he's too tired to move
> away. i've seen simular posts here from time to time regarding this same
> topic, one response in particular which comes to mind- and seemed to have
> been well thought out- was that they are exhausted. here are these fish,
> confined to one cup of water for a very long period of time. naturally,
> like a person who has been bedridden for a long time, it takes a while to
> regain the strength of mobility needed to fully navigate their
> surroundings.


I have to say, i have seen some of my local fish shops doing this however,
where i get my fish, they keep a siamese fighter per tank, they dont keep
them in those silly little boxes thankfully. :-)
--
Donegal Paul - On the mend
Lambretta Li186 - crashed and bashed
Vespa T5 Millenium - intact
www.thepilgrimssc.co.uk
www.a4c.co.uk - What are YOU doing?

[Larry Blanchard]

Tedd Jacobs wrote:

> one possiblity which has yet to be exbeat; maybe he's too tired to mo=
ve
> away.=A0=A0i've=A0seen=A0simular=A0posts=A0here=A0 from=A0time=A0to=A0=
time=A0regarding=A0this=A0same
> topic, one response in particular which comes to mind- and seemed to =
have
> been well thought out- was that they are exhausted.=A0=A0here=A0are=A0=
these=A0fish,
> confined to one cup of water for a very long period of time.

That's exactly what happened with one of mine - he recovered in a day o=
r two
and the problem went away. =20

But it turns out he's psycho about the current. Drives him nuts. He p=
aces
like a tiger in a cage. Turn off the filter and he's fine.

But the divided tank isn't working out like I'd hoped, so I'm moving hi=
m to
his own 2.5 gallon tank and removing the divider.

I'm not sure I even need a filter in the 2.5 with only one betta in it.=
=20
I'll have gravel for biological filtering and a gravel vac for mechanic=
al
filtering.

If I do get a filter, I'll have to find one with a very gentle water fl=
ow.=20
A sponge filter has been suggested, but they're driven by an airlift an=
d
the last time I looked at an airlift (in a UGF) the bubbles coming out =
the
top created quite a bit of turbulence.

Suggestions, anyone?

--=20
Homo sapiens is a goal, not a description.

[pausto]

Donegal Paul wrote:
>
> He's done it a couple of times today and has then just moved away from the
> filter by himself so......?
> --

My betta loves to do this (for hours some times). He lives in a ten
gal tank with an Aquaclear 150 filter. I put an inlet filter sponge
over the intake to keep baby snails and java moss out of the pump
impeller. And it also eliminates my concern that the betta might shred
his fins. With the inlet sponge, the BSF (betta stick factor) is way
down in the delicate range, and he seems perfectly happy with this.

Paul
Yellow Prijon Calabria
Paddle the Upper Chesapeake