The One Magic Hit

My betta fish was doing much better today. He was swimming around the tank, doing his think, slower, I'll admit, but none the less moving around like he's supposed to.

Needless to say, he was doing too well, I couldn't let this go one forever now, could I? So, I took my plastic fork and touched the betta fish once while he was under water. He went crazy and started swimming rapidly and erratically all over the tank. Then he sank to the bottom.

I wondered how long it would take him to recover. Now he is swimming much much less than before. That hit I did on him must have been very powerful. I'm going to watch him and see how long it takes him to recover.

He is still flapping his fins, and swimming a little, though, much less and much more slowly. I'll see how he progresses through the late afternoon.

Oh, he seems to be picking up a little now. I wonder if he's ready for another hit? But on the flip side, it's so nice to watch him swim around. I'll see if he can recover to where he was before. Then, maybe I'll give him another hit later on. We'll see how he does.

He's still not eating, though, I fed him before the hit and he spit out the food. I did notice though, that he seems to try and eat the food that is at the bottom of the tank.

Well, we'll just have to wait and see how well he does. It's 4:28, I could still go to the pet store and look for a replacement betta fish to occupy his tank. Still going to think about that. We'll see if I hit him again a few more times, he might definitely need a replacement. If I don't, then I think he can make it a few more days on his own in the tank.

That hit definitely quieted him down though -- it was very effective! It's amazing how just one touch can send a betta into hyperactive orbit, and then dropping to the bottom of the tank. They are very sensitive fish, and they need these treatments just as much as we need to give them.

Why I injure betta fish

So, now that you are reading about all my treatments for betta fish, and everything I do to them, you might be wondering why I do these things. Well, I can tell you that I have anxiety. I've got a mental chemical imbalance. When I see a betta that doesn't do what I want it to do, or doesn't swim the way I want it to swim, I get anxious. Then, I start to think that this betta really needs a treatment. So, I treat the betta, as described in my previous posts. However, usually this just makes me more anxious. Then, when I see the betta's performance degrade, I get even more anxious. So eventually I give the betta another treatment, and the cycle continues.

When it gets to a certain point, I put the betta into his cup from the store, for a more personal treatment. Then, I really let him have it, make him swim in circles, deplete his energy, start hitting him with a plastic fork, etc. When it gets really bad I may even sever his head and end his life. But it takes a little bit of time for it to get to that point.

Anyway, the reason I do these things to bettas I would surmise to say is a result of my anxiety and my obsessive compulsive disorder. I am simply dissatistfied with bettas swimming ability at times, and when they don't eat their food. Then it makes me want to do things to the betta because the betta is not behaving correctly.

Latest Treatment to Betta Fish

What has happened to my betta fish? Two days ago, his fins were wide open, and beautiful. He swam against the sides of the bowl with such vigor. He was constantly swimming.

Now, he is weak. I administered another treatment to him tonight and I think it hit him pretty good. I would push him around with a fork and make him swim away. When he tried to come up for air, I would push him down. I only did this for I think 2 or 3 minutes, but it was a very intense treatment for my betta.

Now, he is staying on the bottom. He's breathing heavier than normal. I'm not sure what he wants to do. He's not swimming around anymore. I assume he will come up for air at some point. I will check on him a little while later.

If he continues to decline I will have no choice but to administer another treatment and let him loose the ability to swim. Then, tomorrow, I will replace him with another betta.

But I have hope for him. Maybe he will recover. This is a true test, to see really how much strength he's got left in him. Now his true colors will shine. I can tell he wants to move. Let's see if he succeeds.

The betta doesn't know it, but how he behaves in the next few hours, and tomorrow, will be the results that determine his life. Time will tell.

Results of Recent Betta Treatment

I just did a couple of treatments on my new betta that lives in 1/2 gallon tank. I think the treatments were successful. The betta likes to stay near the top now at times. It swims around more slowly. When the betta pushes against the walls of the tank (wanting a bigger tank), it's not with such ferocity now. Overall I would say that this has been a successful treatment.

Compulsion of Treatments

Sometimes you will want to continue a treatment or keep doing one treatment after another. But, be careful. This will severely weaken your betta. If you want your betta to die, then definitely continue. If you want your betta to live, then you should let your fish recover before attempting another treatment.

How long should you wait? This varies. I would say at least a few hours. The best thing would be to wait until the next day. You'll learn this more as you begin to experiment.

Signs of a Successful Treatment

How do you know when you have been successful with a treatment for your betta? When your fish stops eating the food you put out for it, you have been successful. When it swims more slowly around the tank, you have been successful. If the fish stays longer at the bottom of the tank, this is a good sign. Also if the fish stays towards the top, this is also good, this may mean your fish is weak and cannot hold enough air. All of this are signs that your treatment is working.

How to calm a betta fish

Is your betta fish too wild? Does it have too much energy, swim around too much, or generally get on your nerves? In this article, I'm going to talk about how to calm down your betta fish, and make your life easier.

Calming a betta fish can be done by administering a treatment. A treatment is a form of discipline for the betta fish, and can be performed in many ways.

By the way, you may want to consider not feeding your betta fish when you know you want to perform a treatment. This will help slow down the fish naturally.

First, I'll describe a very basic form of treatment. You are going to keep the betta fish under water for 5 minutes. You will need a watch, and a plastic fork. Everytime the betta looks like it is coming up for air in it's bowl, put the plastic fork directly over it. It should swim down or even to the bottom of the bowl. Sometimes you will need to be quick, it can sometimes muster up a lot of energy when it tries to get to the surface. Just tap the betta slightly with your plastic fork and it will swim back down. After 5 minutes, you can let the betta come up for air. The treatment is over.

This is a good beginning treatment to learn. But if you really want to weaken the betta fish, you must take this treatment one step further. While the betta is under water, take your plastic fork and tap the betta slightly near the head. This will cause it to swim to another part of the tank. Be sure to block the betta when it tries to come up for air. This is very important. Do this several times, like 7-8 times at least, over a 5 minute period. When you are done with its treatment, you should notice the betta swims with less vigor and less energy than before. This means you have had a successful treatment.

There is a more advanced treatment that involves putting a betta back in the cup you got it in from the store, and really working it over with plastic silverware for various minutes, till it almost doesn't move at all. We will leave this for a topic of later discussion.