my fish just sits at the bottom of the bowl, is it bored?

Question

Can fish get bored?

It's not sick, but looks sad and only moves when I 'play' with him on the outside of the bowl.

He's a purple fighting fish named Mora.

Answer 1

Bettas can get like that when they lack stimulation, they are suffering from poor water quality, or they are cold. Be sure you're changing the water regularly. Is he getting too cold, or too hot? (Ideally his water should be the high seventies, or very low eighties.) I'd change 70-80% of his water. And give him something new in to interact with in his bowl. If he is in less than 2 gallon upgrade his bowl so he can swim around a bit. (My females in my main tank are quite the active swimmers, and males in 5 gallon tank do quite a bit of swimming.) Move him to a different room with more traffic.

PS- Betty C is wrong in pretty much everything she says.
1)Betta's are carnivores and generally won't eat plants unless starving.
2)Healthy plants aborb nitrates. Fish waste contains ammonia which bacteria convert to nitrates, and nitrites. All 3 are poison for your fish in large quantities.
3)Bettas breathe air from the surface of the water, and are unable to get oxygen from the water.
4)Bettas like large amounts of space to swim about. Wide is better than tall. In nature they live in rice paddies, shallow lake and ponds. These are hundreds of gallons folks.

Answer 2

Most Betta fish do that. Occasionally I hear of a really active Betta.

How small is the bowl? Although Betta's can live in small bowls, some like to have a lot of space. If it's under 1/2 a gallon, maybe you could try a larger bowl and get some fake plants for him to swim around.

He's okay, so it's nothing really to worry about.

Answer 3

fighting fish huh? love those things? its just normal because there isnt really anythingto do and its a way of concerving energy. and fish dont get bored bec. they haveshort term memory. most fih from the put in aquariums dont think there being taken away from their real habitat bec after like 20 minutes they forget they even came from the sea lol. fish are stupid but cute!

Answer 4

Bettas dont belong in small bowls. They need room to swim just like any other fish and if they dont have it then they will just sit there. I keep mine in a 5 gallon tank.

Answer 5

Fish are supposed to be at the bottom of the bowel if he was at the top that is a sign of him dead & fish are boring they don't play!

Answer 6

no he is not bored. how large is the bowl you have him in. it may be to big. also you need to put some type of plant in with him so he has something to eat beside fish food and also it puts nitrates in the water to keep him breathing better. if he has gotten used to you playing with him he will sit and wait for you.

Answer 7

If it's a Beta, then laying at the bottom is mostly normal. Beta does it when it's bored and has nothing to do, they say it's "sleeping". As long as it comes up to eat, then it can be assumed to be in a healthy state.

Answer 8

check out the following website. www.kokosgoldfish.com they not only deal with goldies but bettas as well. They have a betta secrtion on there.it is free to join and ask questions. the members are friendly and will help you with a knowledgable answer

Answer 9

i have a blue Betta. he is so pretty. my grandaughter named him BLUE. imagine that, quite the original name huh? mine lies in the bottom all the time to. i heard that if you have 2 males togather they will kill each other, i dont know if this is true or not. i have always wanted to get a female for him but i cant find anything but males.any way, your fish is fine.

Answer 10

no, betta fish are like that. they just like to lie around the fish tank and not move around much