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Post by haname on Mar 3, 2004 16:49:27 GMT -5
I had a betta that inexplicably started pacing his tank. He seemed happy for a long time but then one day I noticed him pacing back and forth.
Now I have a gourami that does the same thing. It reminds me of the snow leopard at our local zoo -- all he ever does is pace back and forth.
It must be restlessness or boredom or something -- does anyone know? Does anyone else have fish that do this?
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Post by jessabelle on Mar 3, 2004 17:42:32 GMT -5
My brand new betta does that, too! I really have nothing of merit to add to this post, except for that I know what you are talking about and you are not alone in wondering why fish do this!
Anyone out there have an answer for us?
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Post by haname on Mar 3, 2004 19:57:04 GMT -5
Jessabelle, does it look like he might be seeing his reflection? I'm thinking that this might be it, that the fish sees his reflection and is treating it like another fish. Bettas and neon gouramis both like to fight with other males and maybe that's it? If so, I would like to know how to fix it because it's annoying.  |
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Post by jessabelle on Mar 4, 2004 12:11:37 GMT -5
Haname, that was one of the two reasons I could come up with as to why a fish would "pace" in his tank. I did wonder if he was seeing his reflection in the tank, but I have ruled that out on my end, I think. I know that Alpha, my betta, can see his reflection from time to time, when the lighting is right, in his tank. He tends to flare whenever he does see his reflection, and since he is not flaring as he is "pacing" I think there must be another reason.
The other possibility I have come up with is that there might be some kind of substance in the tank that is irritating Alpha. His constant swimming may be him trying to "rinse" himself off. I have neither ruled this theory out or proved it. I am really at a loss as to why he does this so frequently.
Maybe our fish are just active little guys. Oooh, I just had another thought! I read somewhere that bettas are very territorial. Maybe they are just patrolling their territory. I am not to sure as to the reason why, but I am trying to control the water quality and rule out anything that might be bothering him. It's really just trial and error at this point, since I am a beginner on my first betta. If I ever figure it out, I will post here on the board. Good luck with your fish!
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Post by Rachel - old on Mar 4, 2004 19:52:28 GMT -5
Hmm. I'm not really sure why they do it either.. One of my guys used to swim laps around his tank all day. He was quite a feisty guy and I always assumed he was just protecting 'his turf.'
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Post by palepinkvase on Mar 5, 2004 0:48:16 GMT -5
Some of my guys will 'pace' and the caged cat at the zoo is a very good description. At first I worried that I had another illness to deal with, but after watching and examining every day, I realized it was a personality thing.
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Post by haname on Mar 5, 2004 22:37:15 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies, I notice that this gourami is pacing less now, maybe he is getting more relaxed  I hope so Jessabelle my betta that paced was also not flaring when he did it. He would flare and display at the background, but not when pacing. My current betta has a female in a vase next to him so he seems to like just hanging around within view of her prettiness Someone on another board noted that all of his 'heavy swimmers' pace their tanks, no matter how big the tank is. So it isn't a matter of the fish not having enough space. He thinks the fish is exercising -- kind of like how a hamster needs to exercise and will run on the wheel. So maybe it is a personality thing -- or a 'constitutional' thing. Some are just more active and need to exercise more. |
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Post by spyker on Apr 18, 2005 11:07:03 GMT -5
I had a betta that inexplicably started pacing his tank. He seemed happy for a long time but then one day I noticed him pacing back and forth. Now I have a gourami that does the same thing. It reminds me of the snow leopard at our local zoo -- all he ever does is pace back and forth. It must be restlessness or boredom or something -- does anyone know? Does anyone else have fish that do this?
maybe the water's Ph is too low... thus, irritating his gills.
tried testing yur Ph levels yet? |
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Post by briggs on Apr 18, 2005 11:25:11 GMT -5
... this was posted over a year ago.. lol
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Post by Rachel on Apr 18, 2005 13:07:16 GMT -5
... this was posted over a year ago.. lol Yes it was. Spyker I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't pull up such old threads as I've mentioned to you previously. Thanks. |
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