Betta berserk

[lgb]

OK, now I've seen everything. I fed some blackworms to my betta and his
platy tankmates last night. While they were chomping away at the front
of the tank, I dumped a teaspoonful of worms at the opposite back
corner, down among a lawn of pygmy chain sword plants.

I was trying to get a few into the sand/gravel alive where they could
multiply and help keep it clean.

A little while later I went in and my betta had disappeared. I finally
saw a tiny bit of one fin sticking out under the edge of the lawn. So I
watched for awhile.

He came out and swam around for a few seconds and then went back down.
When he got to the bottom of the tank he laid on his side on the bottom
and squirmed under the lawn. A burrowing betta! And this is supposed
to be a top feeder :-).

--
BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever

[2pods]

> A little while later I went in and my betta had disappeared. I finally
> saw a tiny bit of one fin sticking out under the edge of the lawn. So I
> watched for awhile.
>
> He came out and swam around for a few seconds and then went back down.
> When he got to the bottom of the tank he laid on his side on the bottom
> and squirmed under the lawn. A burrowing betta! And this is supposed
> to be a top feeder :-).
>
> --
> BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever

I've seen my angelfish do this too.
I thought they were just copying the clown loaches and corys, but they
really wanted that algae wafer :-)

Peter

[Gill Passman]

"2pods" > wrote in message
...
> > A little while later I went in and my betta had disappeared. I finally
> > saw a tiny bit of one fin sticking out under the edge of the lawn. So I
> > watched for awhile.
> >
> > He came out and swam around for a few seconds and then went back down.
> > When he got to the bottom of the tank he laid on his side on the bottom
> > and squirmed under the lawn. A burrowing betta! And this is supposed
> > to be a top feeder :-).
> >
> > --
> > BNSF = Build Now, Seep Forever
>
> I've seen my angelfish do this too.
> I thought they were just copying the clown loaches and corys, but they
> really wanted that algae wafer :-)
>
> Peter
>
>
Mine goes nuts for the any algae wafers or sinking tablets I put in for the
otos....I thought it was just mine being "weird" - lol But obviously he is
not alone in this

Gill

[Tynk]

You know....I always get a good laugh when I read that Bettas are top
feeders and because of the shape of their mouths, they're strictly
surface feeders.
LOL....the Bettas never read those books, because every one I've ever
bought or raised has eaten food off the gravel just fine.
The Angels also haven't the books either, hehe. = )~

[Dr Engelbert Buxbaum]

lgb wrote:

> A burrowing betta! And this is supposed to be a top feeder :-).

This stuff with top- and bottom-feeder is overrated at least.
I have seen angels, tetras and zebra fish pick food from the bottom, and
I had a cat fish that during feeding time swam up the side wall of the
tank, bend over backwards until its mouth touched the water surface and
picked its food from there. Looked really funny.

If they are not overfed most fish will get all the food they can,
regardles of where it is.

[Tynk]

Right on!
My Gold Weather Loaches do this all the time when I'm feeding
Bloodworms, or other yummies.
They have figured out how to compete with the female Bettas and
Angelfish that I keep in that 75g tank.
They've not *had* to learn this behavior because I put the chunks of
frozen foods down by them with my hands, or using a medicine dropper.
However, they don't always feel like waiting. = )

[IDzine01]

Some top feeder my Flash is...

http://www.nippyfish.net/Flashshrimp.jpg

[Tynk]

LOL!!
I had to remove a stuck shrimp from one of my male's mouth once.
He looked just like your's in that picture.
Too cute.
Anyone for sauce?

[Gill Passman]

"Tynk" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> LOL!!
> I had to remove a stuck shrimp from one of my male's mouth once.
> He looked just like your's in that picture.
> Too cute.
> Anyone for sauce?
>

My betta is currently standing guard over a catfish tablet I put in the tank
for the otos....he's not eating it - just no way he is going to let anyone
else get to it - lol

[Tynk]

Oh isn't that the funniest.
I giggle every time I see this.
I just lost this male that shared his 3g Eclipse with several Molly
fry. He even allowed a couple that were absolutely still snack size
without eating them, or even harrassing them.
One day I tossed in a 1/4 of one of those large-flat algae disks for
the Molly fry to nibble on (they need vegie matter) and he got right on
top of it and kept each one away.
What a dork! He's a carnivore and he's guarding an algae disk.
After he tired of guarding his prize the fry came in and gibbled it up.
He never did leave either. He stayed right there with the fry as they
ate.
They had the strangest "relationship".
He had recently died (just an old dude), and so I tried housing the
remaing fry that I kept (3 of them) with my daughter's male in the same
type pf tank. Her Betta also accepted the runt and isn't eating him.
I was shocked enough from the one that did this and now another has.
This just doesn't happen. A Betta not eating a fish that could easily
fit into their mouth.

[Gill Passman]

"Tynk" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Oh isn't that the funniest.
> I giggle every time I see this.
> I just lost this male that shared his 3g Eclipse with several Molly
> fry. He even allowed a couple that were absolutely still snack size
> without eating them, or even harrassing them.
> One day I tossed in a 1/4 of one of those large-flat algae disks for
> the Molly fry to nibble on (they need vegie matter) and he got right on
> top of it and kept each one away.
> What a dork! He's a carnivore and he's guarding an algae disk.
> After he tired of guarding his prize the fry came in and gibbled it up.
> He never did leave either. He stayed right there with the fry as they
> ate.
> They had the strangest "relationship".
> He had recently died (just an old dude), and so I tried housing the
> remaing fry that I kept (3 of them) with my daughter's male in the same
> type pf tank. Her Betta also accepted the runt and isn't eating him.
> I was shocked enough from the one that did this and now another has.
> This just doesn't happen. A Betta not eating a fish that could easily
> fit into their mouth.
>
My betta has always been housed with fry because of the history of the tank.
When he first moved in any number would have fitted into his mouth but he
left them alone.

Last weekend we had a clear out of the miscellanous fry scattered across 3
tanks - Platys and Mollies to take them to the LFS. My betta was sharing
with around 8 small Platy fry and 3 Otos.

When I netted and bagged the Platys he tried to jump in the bag with them -
lol. As I lifted the bag out of the tank he looked so despondent I had to
relent and put 2 of them back in....he cheered up instantly :-)

Strange, wonderful fish....so full of character....love them to bits....