Help my betta jumped out of the bowl. I found him on the floor still alive and put him in his bowl. He’s on the bottom kind of breathing heavily. He’s not on his side or anything. What can I do?
A: Oh, how stressful for the little guy. Weather or not he’ll make it depends on how long he was out (how dry his gills got), his overall health and the amount of stress and injury he incurred. I recommend keeping a careful eye on him and perhaps adding a conditioner that supports good slime coat. I like to use NovAqua since it’s what I condition my water with anyway. Many people recommend StressCoat which I have mixed feelings about but if you have it I think it might be a good time to use a little. Keep his tank water very clean over the next several days and increase the number of water changes you do per week. Also, if he’s having trouble breathing, consider a little aquarium salt. (1 teaspoon per 5 gallons of water) This will help to improve gill function. Other then that, I wouldn’t add anything else for now.
Additional Notes:
Bettas certainly have proven themselves time and time again as capable jumpers. I recommend always covering Betta tanks with a tank hood or mesh cover. Pay special attention to areas that remain uncovered like the space around filters and heaters. I once lost a beautiful white Betta when he jumped out of a hole the size of a quarter. I have since taped over all exposed holes or have fitted them with pieces of plastic that I cut to fit snuggly around protrusions.
Often Bettas jump simply because they can but it may also be a sign that your water quality isn’t what it needs to be. If you have a jumper follow up with the usual water tests. Check your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH. Rather then jumping some bettas will hoist themselves on top of a leaf or other floating decoration. If you notice this behavior double check your water parameters to rule out poor water quality as the culprit. Often the reason is benign but it’s best to know for certain if your Betta is trying to tell you something.
Just this morning I experienced the same situation with my betta, Wilson. Luckily I rescued him shortly after the jump, and he seems to be doing okay for now. Some advice – when I first tried to get him off the floor and back into the bowl, it was very stressful. Any time anything would touch him (e.g., fingers, net), he would flop/jump again. He would go really far across the floor. This made it basically impossible to get him with my hands or a net. Also, I was worried about picking him up with my fingers, I did not want to pinch his body or his fins. Finally, I got the idea to put dishtowels and cloth napkins down all around him. I also got them wet in his aquarium water. Then, I poured water very slowly on the ground next to him, which made him flop again. He flopped right onto a dishtowel, and it was easy to pick up the corners so that he was completely contained – and then I unfolded the fabric over the tank. Also, I had a piece of mesh over his bowl secured with a rubber band – and he still somehow managed to jump out in the tiny sliver that was not fully covered.
I got a Betta last week. He is a jumper. I have a covered 10 gallon aquarium with hiding places, filter, plants, a heater, and good water quality. I check it every other day. My Betta flings itself onto the side of the tank until it is stuck 2/3’s out of the water plastered on the corner of the tank, breathing air. He has done this now for four days straight. I splash water until he gets unstuck. Then he happily swims around for a while and eats. Then he throws himself up on the wall 3/4s out of the water again. Will he damage himself by doing this?
That happened too with my pet betta, Cherry Blossom, when I was a kid, because of a stroke of bad luck. My mom put her in her little Petco container and got my other betta out of his tank (we tried to breed) and when she came back to check on her she had JUMPED OUT THROUGH A PINKY-SIZED HOLE and was on our table flopping around. Mom got her back in her little container just in time. Some advice for you is to lower the water level. Bettas can jump up to 2 inches in the air, so don’t fill the container all the way to the top. Also, consider getting a lid so you don’t have to worry about tiny gaps.
Best of luck!
Today I experienced what it was like to lose a betta. I have two BEAUTIFUL bettas – a female, VaneStar, and a male, Blue Night Shimmer. Anyway, I was sitting in my room doing some stuff. The next thing I knew was that I had stepped on something cold, wet, slimy and soft. I pulled my foot away and examined the ‘thing’. Not a cockaroach, a fish!!! It was VaneStar! I went into historics and by the time I got VaneStar back into the tank…….. It was too late to save her………………………..
Awww 🙁 So sorry for you. If you get another betta, make sure the tank is about 3.5 inches filled from the top, as bettas like to jump. Maybe get a lid. I almost lost a betta to that, so I feel your pain.
my betta, spikes, jumped from his tank and is now acting odd. he is VERY skittish, and his body bends. will he be okay?
Mine is doing that too…I’m so concerned
The fins of my betta are plastered to its body. He is also acting very odd. I’m wondering the same thing.
I lost my awesome betta, Harold, yesterday. I keep him at my desk at work and he gets really excited when the lights are turned on in the morning. Well, the day before I had added water to his bowl and filled it up too much. I think he got excited and accidentally jumped out of the bowl. The really tragic thing was, unlike most mornings, I didn’t go directly to my desk for about 45 minutes. When I found him, he was dried up but still alive. I put him back in his bowl and he tried vainly to swim a couple of times and died. It was horribly traumatic!! If I had just walked to my desk as usual I would have found him and saved him. I feel so guilty.
Same experience- when I clean my betta’s bowl, I scoop him into a cup measure, and today I had him in there a bit longer than usual. He must have gotten uncomfortable, because he jumped right off of the counter onto the kitchen floor. I got him up right away, and aside from being (understandably) skittish for a few hours, he seems alright. I certainly hope I didn’t hurt him in the frantic effort to get him back in his bowl, though.
This isnt about a betta but I could’nt find any info relating to my problem. I was out of town for a few days and my bala shark jumped out of the tank when my house sitter was feeding him. She had a really hard time getting a hold of him and he made his way to the hardwood floor where he managed to cause severe damage to both of his eyes. Since I’ve been back I have been adding malafix to the tank which has helped him a lot, he has his color back now. The only problem is he cant see. I’m afraid he’s going to starve to death, anyone have any ideas? Thank you
no way he will live sharks have an inceredable sense of smell
A bala shark technically isn’t a shark, but you are right he will live
HELP My betta jumped out of my tank! I found him a few minutes later. Some scales were damaged and he sits at the bottom breathing. I put Nutrafin which claims to reduce stress. Is there anything else I can do? And will he make it?
Please cover the top of your tank or bowl!! Bettas will jump!!!! (I am scared to let my tank cover open even while cleaning or feeding, becoz my betta will jump thinking that it is food! (Hes never fallen out though, thankfully!)
I had a beautiful Blue and red Betta, He was wonderful to watch on my computer desk at home. However tonight i came home from work and did my usual night time things and put my son to bed, I sat down at my computer and noticed he wasn’t swimming around ??? Alas I found him dry as a bone on the desk top next to the tank. He must have jumped out during the day whilst i was at work. RIP Mr Betta we will miss your beauty 🙁
my beautifol betta awesome jumped out on a plastic bag she is swimming around just fine and seems to be fine you guys think she will be okay 🙁
I understand why bettas are inclined to jump, but what I find strange is that I’ve never personally witnessed one even attempt to do so. I’ve had my precious Karl for over 10 months now, and although he’s very active, he has never once tried to (thankfully.)
Please, please, cover your bowl or tank. Betta fish love to jump. I’ve read they’re more likely to jump when their water’s too dirty for their preference. They’ll also hoist themselves onto any floating decoration or spend time atop plants if they find their water too dirty. They can jump thru’ very small holes in their tank covers, so do cover every square inch. If, God forbid, little Karl does jump out, put him back in asap, he might be okay.
I’ve had my beautiful betta fish Chev for about 3½ to 4 years..I left home tonight for about 2 hours and saw that he wasn’t in his tank.. (I keep him covered when I leave and he’s never ever jumped out before and is the most active betta with the biggest personality..yes, sounds dorky, I know!)..I found him on the floor next to my desk and immediately freaked out and started crying..he looked dried up but i tried to see if he would move and he did..i put him back in his aquarium and gave him his favorite pleasure of slowly pouring bottled water over him..he swam to the top but was just floating vertically trying to breath.. 🙁 .. im leaving him alone and keeping a close eye on him..but this has never happened before. I’m a geek for praying that my fish stays alive but i’ve had him for about 4 years.. I don’t want him to suffer.. just hope cleaning him and the good life he’s had will keep him around..if not, 4 years is a good run for a betta.
R.I.P. Chev.. :’(
Oh Bianca, This is so sad. I was praying for Chev too. So sorry for your loss.
I’m crying right now. I was praying for poor Chev….hopefully there’s a fish heaven
hi i am going to be a proud owner of a betta tomarrow.. im kinda nervous and ive never owned one before any advice?
Wonderful news Erika! Congratulations. I suggest checking out our Bettas 101 section to get you started. It has all the beginner info you’ll need to prepare a safe home for your new betta fish.
https://nippyfish.net/bettas-101/
🙁 i have a pretty blue betta called stewie, these posts have really put me off buying him a bowl 🙁 . should i get one or is it a bad idea?
I have a wonderful blueish green betta that i call peacock (due to his colouring), i have him in a nice glass bowl that can hold up to 5L and it has almost 4cm of space still left at the top. I made a nice lid for it by cutting out a circle from the clear plastic cover of a display folder. I also cut out of that piece smaller holes around the top and a semi circle on one of the edges for tubing and thermometer wire to go out from. I have had Peacock for a little over a month and he’s a good jumper but so far he has not been able to attack my finger from a certain point (so i gauge that as a good thing for now).
In my bowl i have a small silk leafy plant to one side and his hammock a little to the side of that attached around about 3cm below the water surface. i have an air pump but i have had to get a gang valve (pressure valve) to lessen the blast from the pump for such a small space. I have also intertwined the air nozzle into the plant so that he still has his glass walls free to “patrol” 🙂 (save the little digital thermometer head (but i think he’s used to it and it doesn’t phase him)
just remember a bowl will need more regular water changes and cleans that a tank. Also, instead of a normal fish bowl maybe get a nice sized fat cylinder vase that way you could probably install an under-gravel filter and wont need to do as many cleans or water changes.
I lost my beloved betta,Ruby this morning. I found her dead on the floor, 2-3 feet away from her tank. Ruby was the most personable betta I’ve ever owned. I was very upset to find her dried up on the carpet. Of course I haveblamed myself for this, because I had left her feeding slot open the night before. To anyone reading this, please be very aware that these fish WILL jump the tank. Unfortunately I had lost a very dear friend to my “dumbassness” RIP Ruby-doo. 🙁
Oh, I’m so sorry. I had the same thing happen to me. 🙁
My betta, Guillermo, jumped out of his bowl while I was at class. I luckily found him on my desk, but he looked somewhat dried up but he jumped back into his bowl. I have no idea how long he was out of water, I was gone for about 2 hours. He is at the bottom of the tank. His gills are moving and he will sometimes swim up to the surface but he is mainly laying at the bottom. He looks like he is gasping. I just got him a few days ago, and moved him into a new tank today. I made sure the water was room temp (~75F) and put conditioner into the water. I have noticed little bubbles forming around the rocks (yes, I rinsed them off before putting them in the tank and they were exposed to the conditioner), could that be a sign that there are still trace amounts of chlorine? Please help!
my old blue and red betta fish litteraly JUST jumped his bowl, i got so scared i had to find out what to do. he landed on a piece of paper and left pinkish skid marks. he keeps floating to the top and not moving, but hes not dead. im afraid if i walk away he will jump again! i dont know how long he was out, i wasnt looking. i just heard papers moving and looked back and m fish was jumping up and don. WHAT DO I DO!!!???
I got a little guy yesterday and he jumped out earlier today. I have no idea how long he was out. I just walked in and found him in my sink… I thought he was dead, but when I tried to pick him up, he flopped a little. Since he was so lifeless, I’m guessing he was out for a while. :/
He’s back in the tank now. He’s not looking good, but he’s alive. We’ll see what happens. :/
It’s odd- I’ve owned three Bettas before him and I’ve never had a jumper. I guess I’m going to have to invest in some kind of covering for the future. Please be rooting for him!
I got a Beta fish just yesterday( my cousin Allison bought it for me).Though this one isn’t my favorite, my favorite was Ariel my rainbow-colored Beta. I had Ariel for about 3 1/2 years.
it was odd how she died by jumping the tank, because she’d
never done that.
I have two fish, Apple and Stan-lee, and I have a cleaning solution for the water that has to be in the water for an hour before the fish can go in. I covered their mini bowls so that they couldn’t jump out, but after an hour, when I came back, I found that Apple was missing. I don’t know how long he was out on the kitchen counter, but it has been a few weeks, and he’s amazingly active. At first I was worried because he was just kind of sitting around, but it turns out that was just because of the size of his tank. He’s great now.
I brought a betta fish eight days ago, and today I changed his water (for the first time). It took me a while, but I was able to get him into the fish net. No sooner did I get him in there, he jumped out. He wasn’t out long (maybe 30 seconds), but now I’m really concerned. He seems to be swimming okay, but he’s not eating his food (this happened about two hours ago). What should I do? Do you think he will be okay? Please help. I am really freaking out 🙁
Also, I have a small tank (2 Liters), that has a big hole on the top (no mesh cover). Reading all of these stories has really scared me. Chester (that’s his name) hasn’t tried to jump yet, but then again I’ve only had him eight days. Should I buy another tank or just get a mesh cover? If I need to buy another tank, should I get something bigger? How do you prevent them from jumping when you change their water? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
i think getting a small bowl for temporaraly use till ur done cleaning ur tank is good
Help,my betta Phillip just jumped out of his tank while I was cleaning it. He fell in the sink,and I poured his tank water over him. He’s back in the tank now,and is sitting at the bottom of it. He’s occasionally swimming,but I can’t tell if he’s breathing normally….What should I do? Treat his water with More stress coat? His tank is less than one gallon.
i think not because too much isnt good.
My baby denim jumped out of the net when I was cleaning him. He jumped behind my bookshelf, and he kept flopping on the carpet. Luckily, I picked him up in time, and he is doing very well now. My five bettas are all doing well now. Today I bought the most beautiful amber, red, black and yellow betta with the cutest looking fins.
Denim is thriving in his new tank, and I am thinking of buying ghost shrimp for the tank. Is there anything I should know before I do buy them Christie??????
I will answer my own question DO NOT buy ghost shrimp. My eleven ALL died in two days.
i have a problem my betta jumped and landed on the floor 2 days ago i listened to all your adviceI’ve watched him non stop i turned his heater up and everything like you said but he’s not ok he will barely eat and i don’t now why.He lives in a 10 gallon tank alone with live plants and good water for him i just need help or ideas for him to eat 🙂
i have had a betta before the one i have now and he jumped. i found him on the floor all dried up. i dont know how long he was out but he was bone dried. my new red betta jumped out into my hand when i opened his cover and i immediatly tried to get him back in. it was about 3 seconds this frantic was. I was so scared but he is fine now. i was shaking so much. RIP first betta, nicknamed spike
My betta fish jumped out of the tank and was there a long time but when we put him in he was still alive.
Last night my betta Walter was acting really funny, laying at the bottom of his tank, i thought he was getting trapped between rocks, I cleaned his tank and took the bigger rocks out, later when i went to feed him before i went to bed he was no where to be found, i looked behind the end table that his tank was on and he was lying on the floor, unfortunately i did not get to him in time to save him 🙁 R.I.P. Walter
I have a beautiful blue betta…next month he will be 1 year with me 🙂 … But last night while I was moving my betta from one bowl to the other as I was changing water he fell from about 100cm height on a small rug we quickly picked him from his body and put him back on the water…he stayed for a little without moving as he was very afraid then he began to move and today he seems to be fine but sometimes he run very quickly in the water!! I don’t know what’s wrong?!!…Is there anything to do ?? do I have to buy anything for him??
Bettas are definitely jumpers. I have one in particular, a dark blue King betta I named Edgington (I have a thing for True Blood, heh), that jumps excitedly whenever I feed him. Well, tonight he must have thought it was feeding time when I removed the cover to add some water, because he JUMPED RIGHT OUT. Argh. Fortunately, the distance from the top of the tank to the top of my desk is only a foot or so, and I immediately scooped him up and put him back in.
My betta jumped out of her tank (I just bought her and had gone to find the cover but got side tracked, so I was gone for a few hours) anyway, I had her temporarily on a shelf above my bunny’s cage and at some point in the two hours that I was gone she jumped out and it took me quite a while to find her, then finally I found her on the floor under my bunny cage stand, in a pile of bunny shavings and dust 🙁 I figured she was dead when I saw her lying there motionless, til I picked her up and she wiggled, she’s back in her tank but still very dirty, I don’t want to touch her, but should I? I don’t know what’s worse, touching her with my fingers, or leaving the dirt all over her. She seems fine otherwise.
Lindsay you should most definitely clean your betta off as the dirt could lead to infection i suggest putting your betta in some shallow water (not to shallow though!!!!) and pouring clean tank water over her. I have been caring for bettas since i was about 6 and my first jumper was yesterday. RIP King!!!!!
My betta “Don” is very active. He gets excited when I come in to work and turn on his light, and he wiggles uncontrollably when one of my neighbors at work comes to talk to him. He would really get excited when I opened his lid so the light was really bright. Recently, he jumped out of his little tank while I was feeding him. I started putting on e hand over one side of the tank and putting the food in on the other side. He actually jumps up and touches my hand.
Now, I keep the lid closed because he jumped out once when I walked away from my desk. This has just been over the last 2 weeks. Now he constantly jumps up and touches the lid throughout the day. Is he telling me his water is dirty? or is he just being an active Betta? I have bought a larger glass bowl that I will put a mesh screen over in hopes that he just needs alittle more room.
Our cat knocked our betta’s tank off the shelf and it shattered, leaving him on the floor. Fortunately, the cat didn’t find him. Unfortunately, neither did we for several hours. Miraculously, as I was throwing him away (thinking him dead), he flopped, so I got him back in a new bowl of fresh water (not cycled, sadly). He’s a real fighter – 3 days later, he’s swimming around, eating, flaring at his reflection, etc. However, I notice that his scales all along one side of his body are discolored (darker), slightly raised, and shedding slime. There’s little/no sign of an actual wound, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he got abraded there while out of water. I’ve been doing partial water changes every day and added a little salt in hopes of keeping down the chance of infection, but given the trauma he went through, I’m wondering if I should treat him with something stronger. I have some tetracycline – is that overkill? Should I just try one of these general purpose treatments first?
Thanks!
Kaz
i just got my son a red crowntail betta for his birthday complete with a new bowl and everything. he “fed” him somehow while i was sleeping even with the bowl and food up where he can’t reach it and overfed him. he was sluggish but alive and just a few minutes ago i noticed he had jumped the tank. he was dry so i just flushed him and now have to find a way out to get a new one before he notices
I have had my red betta for two months. Given to me as a Christmas gift. I have a light plastic cover over my 5 gallon tank with only a slight space between the plastic edge and the front of my filter. I couldn’t believe I didn’t see him in the tank. I found him on the carpet. He had been dead a while. I kept looking at the top of the tank and just thought it was inconceivable that he could fly up through that space, but then again,I had a couple of philadendrum leaves poking through and he must have made his way up that way. I am in disbelief. He was so funny and just swam around like a mad man every time I turned on the light. I am debating whether I will get another one.
i have 4 betta fish, 1 boy and 3 girls. about half an hour ago i was cleaning out their tank 2.5 gallons and when i was adding their water conditioner i noticed 3 of my 4 cups were empty. my girls were gone. i quickly got them and put them in their cups since i have to wait 15 min before putting them in i was afraid because only 5 min passed but i placed them in. they were on the bottom of the tank. i dont know how long they were out but they were moist i put up their heater and they wont eat not even my 4 year old boy. they are all only about 8 months old, will they make it because now they seem to be swimming fine but no eating.
I left my Betta, Jaws in his cup floating in a liter container to bring him home from school with (My school allows us to have non-mammal pets). I came back after about 1 1/2 hours and found said container empty. I was freaking out at first that someone had taken him, which has happened other people in the school, when I searched my backpack and found him halfway into one of the big pockets. I grabbed him up and set him in about 1 inch of water with a few pieces of aquarium salt since he didn’t seem to be breathing well or able to swim at all. Thankfully, he slowly got function back in his fins within 2 hours, though they got pretty beat up in the process. Little guy is a trooper (Not to mention a free willy!). I’m going to make sure to put a cover over his traveling cup from now on! 🙂
When I travel back home from school with my Betta Shiloh I put home in one of those hard plastic reusable cups that look like the take out ones you get at the movie theatre or a fast food place…. the ones that were popular a few years ago…..
They are pretty cheap, have a bit of insulation, have a lid which also has a small hole for the reusable straw that will let air in, and it fits right in the cup holder so he is nice and secure and I can kind of keep my eye on him and in the winter he is closer to the heaters so he won’t get too cold.
I have been debating to get a betta tank without a lid. After reading all of your posts I have decided against it.
Thanks all
my female betta ive had her for about 4 months has jumped out of her tank 3 times the first time was when i was cleaning her tank and i forgot to cover the cup where i had her she jumpeed out and i saw her got her and put her back in the water the second time i had her in a bowl(i had a male betta and he was flaring at her and chasing her so i moved her to a bowl for now)she jumps out again thankfully i saw her and got her again and put her in her tank the third time was today i went to go feed her and i saw this brown thing on the the floor i looked closer and it was my Beeta!! i was so scared and i thought she was dead next thing you know i see her gills moving and she starts flopping around!! thank god !I got her with a wet paper towel and put her in her tank as fast as i can she seems really great and i cleande her tank and put Beeta Safe(Highly recomended)in her tank and she looked better..i havent named but ive decided to call her Lucky!!:)
My red female beta I had jumped out of her bowl when I went somewhere for a day when I came back her bowl was empty and I couldn’t find her I think she’s dead what should I DO!!!!!!????? Is she dead or what!!!!???? I already lost 1 to the same thing why do animals hate me
My beautiful reddish male beta jumped and was lying on the kitchen table place mat all dried but put him back and seemed ok but kinda slow and hangs out on the top near the edge and won’t eat,,, Seems this is a common problem… do they get brain damaged? The female actually was spitting out the pellets at him to get him to eat!! Never saw anything like this in my life… But been a week and still appears he isn’t eating and would hate to lose this lovely fishy….
Mine did the same thing. Jumped out, I found him slightly damp but fins 3/4 dry, folded back on themselves, and him not breathing. I cupped him gently in the palm of my hand and swished him gently back and forth in his tank to unravel and reset his fins. (Something I do with Koi to get water going back thru their gills. Figured it might help with a betta). He floated on his side and upside down not breathing for about 1-2 minutes. Then, a miracle, I think I saw his gill move! Did I? Yes! It did! He continued to float this way with slight, sporadic gill movement so I held him near the surface and balanced him on a plant. I’ve seen bettas do this when they are sick. I was afraid he wasn’t strong enough to come up to the surface to breathe as well. By the end of the day hed moved to the bottom, half way on his side, hiding by his little live plant. He stayed just like that for the next 2 days. The third & 4 th day he ate 2-3 pellets and did the same thing. He just spit them out. On day 5 he ate 4-5 pellets and now is doing great. Took almost a week but he’s acting normal. I also put a 2”x2” piece of Indian Almond leaf in his filter right away as soon as I’d stabilized him. Hes in a 3 part betta falls tank closest to the filter. As for my water. It’s well water and I’ve always add a level (- a little) 1/2 tsp per gallon (1 Tbls for every 6 gallons) of aquarium salt to all my tanks. With that I add api concentrated tap water conditioner (2 drops per gallon, 1 ml for 20 gallons as directed) for my large tanks and ponds plus 1/2 ml per gallon of api stress coat. (I calculated the correct doses for each gallon to use for Bettas). I use all 3 for my Cichlids, Oscars, koi and koi ponds as well. Not to treat chlorine because we don’t have any, but to treat the heavy metals in our water. The salt already existing in his water may be what helped save him. He was already adjusted to it. I also had another betta completely dried and stiff by the time I found him under my table on the carpet. (One of the first ones I’d bought.) I couldn’t bare to toss him so I put him in about 1” of water in a plastic container on my table until I had time to bury him). I came back a couple hours later to do that and he was breathing! He survived that! Literally dried out no moisture! He’s still beautiful and doing great 3 months later. So don’t right off a betta even if appears too dry. Just put them in water to rehydrate them and wait. They might just surprise you! Hope this is helpful.
Today my mother surprised me with a beautiful purple, red vibrant betta whom I named Valentine. I’m making sure to do everything right to prevent disease, jumping out, unhappiness, etc. I came across this forum and thought: I didn’t cover her bowl. So, I came up with the idea for a temporary cover. I got a napkin, and a hairtie. I took the napkin and secured it around her bowl with a hairtie, and ripped itty bitty slits in the napkin. ( enough for her to breathe but too small to get out ) and she seems to be perfectly fine 🙂
When I visited my cousin a few weeks ago, I found that she had gotten her daughter a Betta, and they were keeping him in a bowl with no lid….
so I went to the dollar store, bought a kids butterfly net for $1.25, cut the netting off of the hoop and secured it over the top with a strong rubber band and cut a hole a bit smaller than the size of a pencil eraser near the edge for food, and informed my cousin that Betta fish are jumpers….
she was glad I told her, and helped do something about it, but was not happy that the owner of the pet store never told her…. her daughter is 6 (and a half as she keeps reminding me) and she would have hated for her baby girls first pet to have dies that way…. he is a beautiful orange and blue marbled Betta with white edged fins that , named Tigger.
My white Dragon Scale Betta, that I bought not even two days ago, jump out of his bowl and he is literally all covered in lint and what not. I am so terrified. I found him dried up but when I reached for him he moved. I quickly picked him up and put him in his bowl. He swims every now and then struggling then he is vertically up at the top I guess breathing. what do I do? I changed his water and put some conditioner, I think that’s what is called. He is such a beautiful fish and it would be really ashamed to lose him. He is my first fish and betta that I have owned. I feel so sad 🙁
same thing happened to me recently and my betta did the same it is possible his gill were damaged and he is up there to breathe atmospheric air which bettas can do with a gland behind their head.
Hi
I have a baby female in a 3 gal filtered and heated tank. The tank is covered but I have witnessed about ten jumps from her, each time she hits the cover and goes back into the water. But the cover does have an opening. I am worried that she might jump out. Any suggestions?
Lost my beloved tony today. I have had him for 10 months and never had a top on the tank. Today I came home and found him dried up behind the bowl. I had just trained him to eat off my fingers by jumping out of the water to get the food. I somewhat blame myself for teaching him the skill of jumping. I now know from reading these comments that when i get my new betta i will make sure to get a top for the tank.
RIP Tony 1/21/13 – 9/19/13
I’m writing to ask for your prayers (or crossed fingers, whatever you believe in). My feisty little betta fish, Al, jumped out of his holding cup while I was cleaning his 1-gal bowl. It was horrifying. My boyfriend, Dan, had just come in the apt. I left the bathroom to say hi, 20 seconds, and when I came back, Al was nowhere to be found. We looked all over for him… behind the toilet, under the vanity, outside the bathroom door in the hallway, inside the toilet paper roll… There is a 1 & 1/4″ gap in the bathroom doorway where the landlord has yet to put a threshold and wouldn’t you know Al had jumped down it!? We got 2 soft vinyl spatulas and Dan carefully lifted him out–it took 3 or 4 tries–and immediately put him into the jar of clean water. He was covered in dust & hair & had lost a tiny bit of fin, maybe 2 mm in one eensy spot. I wet down my hand w/clean water, gently poured him into it, and poured clean water over him to get the dust & hair off. It mostly worked. Then back in the clean water jar. I refilled his bowl & gently poured him in. I let him relax for 15 minutes or so, then repeated the cleansing pouring routine. He got even cleaner, although not quite his flawless purple velvety self yet.
It was midnight when this happened, a good 20 after by the time the worst was over. I made sure he had aquarium salt in his bowl, but that’s all I had here to give him. I wrapped his bowl in a dark cloth for the night and texted all my friends to pray for him. He’s young, like 15 or 16 in human years; I’ve only had him for 2 1/2 months. Two of my friends recently said he’d gotten bigger. I feed him several times a day, one piece at a time. I make sure to get his attention first so he eats it & it doesn’t sink to the bottom to rot. (I feed him 2 different types of flakes, dried bloodworms & pellets, alternating.) After his ordeal tonight he was responsive but did not want to eat. I’ll post updates. Please pray for him/ keep your fingers crossed. Thanks so very much.
My beta just jumped out of his bowl and is in the process of dying! Even though I put him back right away! I think im going to cry!
I didn’t know betas jumped n left the covers off my new betas bowl. I woke this morning to find my girl missing I soon found her dried up 🙁 she was so sweet an inquisitive. She always swam up whenever I talked to her RIP lil girl
:'( I lost my betta girl today. i just bought her yesterday. Today, when i came home from work, the first thing i did was to see her, and to my astonishment!!! SHE WAS NOT THERE!!! I thought i saw wrongly, and then i found it under the table, with many lil ants moving around…. I was speechless, I am so saddddd :'( She was savvy and gentle lil cute fish…but when i saw her dead…the body was hard…TT I just want to cry.
All left inside was her toy friend Jellyfish. Goodbye my betta girl. RIP…
This morning I woke up and my dad was standing at the door and had told me that my betta Pete had jumped the tank he had been on the counter that holds my tank and my dad picked him up and pu him back in he is acting unusual I Found some blood on the thing I need help what can I do I have had him only for three months I can’t lose another one 🙁
This morning my betta fish named Trevor was on the carpet when I got back from work I love him truly much. I picked him up and put him back in he’s tank thank god he was alive . The next mornig he was on he’s side and had passed away I only got him yesterday R.I.P Trevor): you will always be remembered
Got my first betta today (had some as family pets before but this one I bought), a lovely little Half Moon. Had him in his freshly cleaned, conditioned, brand-new tank. The tank had no lid, when I left the room for a moment he jumped out of the tank. Found him in the corner covered in kitty hair. Rinsed him off and got most of it off, put him back in the tank with more conditioner and fresh water. He seems okay, but I’m still worried.
I just bought a new elephant ear betta. While I was cleaning the house, she jumped out of a hole in the lid that was as big as a quarter. She landed in the sink, on coffee grounds. She seems fine, she was still pretty moist when I found her. Do you think the coffee grounds will kill her? I put a slime coat in her water.
My Betta jumped out of his bowle and now lost many skailes and fins. He is sitting at the top of the tank but can’t swim. Will he die. What should I do
My betta just goes to the corner and jumps out of the water and remains on the corner of the tank on the glass and then returns to the water when ready…that’s in tank 2. but in tank 1 he doesn’t do that. instead, he goes into small holes in the castle or just sits there upon the castle motionless almost like camouflage.
I just got my beta today she jumped out of her tank and I picked her up and quickly put her in her take it’s been a few hours and she’s still alive but will it affect her health?