Beta faking dead?

Buphy

Dovii
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Jun 10, 2015
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So my beta has started to do this thing where he lays down on the ground under plants and looks like he's dead. I go in there to take him out and he jumps right up and swims off. Any ideas what might be wrong?
 

Kittiee Katt

Potamotrygon
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Aug 1, 2015
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As my last betta Bruce got towards the end of his life he would try to find a place to sit with little or no current to relax, in the end I rescaped his tank to provide dead spots where he could relax but I could still see him so I could make sure he was alive (his eyes followed my finger so I knew he was alive).

Is there a chance your betta is old? If not I'd assume he's sick but I'm not very well versed in fish diseases and treatments so I couldn't say what with..
 
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justarn

Arapaima
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May 24, 2011
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Add some salt and see if he improves, guessing all his water is good? Still feeding? As above how old is he, don't they only live 3 years ish, usually sold as adult too.
 
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Buphy

Dovii
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Jun 10, 2015
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I've had him nearly a year. He just got a new tank but all the danios are doing fine, so I don't imagine it's a water issue. And he eats fine when he's not playing dead...
 

GamerChick5567

Dovii
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Nov 1, 2016
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Maybe the new lights on the tank are really intense or something? Bettas do like to rest on leaves and stuff, see if you can find a large broadleaf plant for him?
 

Buphy

Dovii
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I've been wanting to try some small floating plants but paranoid about snails as I've had a bad experience with them.
 
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Deadliestviper7

The Necromancer
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Aug 6, 2016
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They will rest on bottom,this isn't abnormal,however many Berta's today are inbred and in poor health because of this,the oldest betta lived to 16 years.
 

Circa4190

Jack Dempsey
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Jan 15, 2009
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So my beta has started to do this thing where he lays down on the ground under plants and looks like he's dead. I go in there to take him out and he jumps right up and swims off. Any ideas what might be wrong?
I had one that we named Michael Jackson, and he was hands down the weirdest fish I've ever had in my life. He would lay in the plants upside down looking dead but as soon as you moved one he would be at the front of the tank flaring at you. The fish never moved except to eat, and then went back to sitting upside down in his plant. Finally I got tired of him and fed him to my big Oscar OJ Simpson.
 
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