Okay, this is gonna sound dumb.....

[Emerson]

But in the week that we've had Horatio so far, I have never actually seen him.......you know......poop. I remember back when I was little, my parents had an aquarium with "regular" fish in it. You could always see stuff hanging from their rears or falling to the bottom of the tank. Not that I sit here watching for Horatio to use the bathroom, ;D, but my husband says he's never seen anything either.

I don't think Horatio is constipated, though, because he isn't bloated and is doing just fine (right now, he's 'fighting' with a plant in his tank).

Are Betta droppings very noticeable? Or does the larger tank (5 gallons) just hide it better?

sef

[Nancy]

Betta waste isn't like other fish's waste. It is small comma shaped poos. Unless you watch him constantly you will probably never see him actually do it. When I get a new guy I keep him for a bit in a container with nothing but a silk plant, that way I know all his "plumbing" works and if he does end up needing meds, I don't have to clean all the decor. If you have had him for a week and he is eating regularly and is not swollen then he is probably just fine.

[ana]

you'll see it when you clean his tank, if youre not cycling

if he gets constipated youll see the area around his dorsals begin to be a bit fatter than usual

if youre worried just give him a bit of cooked, peeled fresh or frozen pea, he'll love it anyway, and if he is he'll poop

[AmberD]

You could show him a mirror for a few minutes. Most of mine, when they get to flaring, get so excited that they just poop.

Betta's poop should not be long and stringy unless there is something wrong. When Psych got to be huge from his tumor, his poop started coming out like that, I think because his intestines were just being pressed upon so much by that growth.

But usually they're clean poopers, lol. Good ting. I always thought my mom's platies and mollies were utterly disgusting, with those long strings trailing behind them :/

Amber

[Emerson]

LOL -- when I told the mirror up to Horatio's tank, he seems more interested in the frame than the mirror itself! Have not really seen the little guy flare at anything except the Kleenex I use to wipe a smudge off the front of his tank. Then it's more of a laid-back kinda flare.

Yes! We had mollies, platies and swordtails when I was growing up. Yuk! They always had a "trail" behind him. (Another thing I didn't like about them, the males were ALWAYS after the pregnant females. What was that about?)

Obviously, Bettas are vastly superior creatures! ;D ;D

sef