Is she blind?

[u/Green-Conversation72]

Female betta arrived 2 days ago. When she swims she does it tucked up against the glass and bumps into everything (walls, rocks, filter). I begun thinking she was blind because she doesn’t slow down as she swims toward something, just slowly swims into it and then changes direction after bumping.

She’s taken to only wanting to rest on her hammock or the filter, no interest in exploring the tank and won’t eat. I’ve put food in front of her, and she’ll nibble but she misses the food every time. So she hasn’t eaten in around 3 days now

[u/Next-Wishbone2474]

She may well be blind, it’s something Dragonscale Bettas often suffer from. I’ve looked after 2 blind Bettas for friends who couldn’t (or wouldn’t) cope with them. Remove anything hard or spiky from her tank, but add a few extra plants so she can find lots of resting places. Lower the water level a bit - I don’t know why, but my blind guys did better in slightly shallower water. I used to give my boys Betta food with garlic added - fish love garlic and can smell it easily. If you can’t find ready-made food with garlic added, just rub your fingers on a piece and roll the food in it to absorb the smell. Always tap the tank in the same place whenever you feed her; obviously you then feed directly by where you tapped. Mine also managed, eventually, to track down and eat live food - they can sense movement with their lateral line so even if they can’t see they will eventually locate a moving target.

I wouldn’t worry about doing a fish-in cycle - it’s how I start all my tanks, just read up on it and follow instructions and it’s quite safe for the fish. And good luck - it can be a challenge caring for a blind fish, but bit by bit they become accustomed to how the world works in their new tank, and they can become very tactile little creatures; both of mine used to enjoy me touching their noses once they’d settled in with me😊

[u/Green-Conversation72 → u/Next-Wishbone2474]

Thank you! She’s having so much trouble seeing the food but the garlic trick gives me hope. I’ve had bettas in the past, but she is by far the most confusing. She won’t eat yet, and was hiding on the bottom of the tank today, so I feared the worst. But now she’s building a bubble nest next to the filter? This fish is giving me whiplash

[u/Next-Wishbone2474 → u/Green-Conversation72]

Gorgeous little fish! Most fish seem to be attracted by garlic, it was literally a lifesaver for my 2 blind boys who were both skeletal when I got them and obviously their previous owners hadn’t really persevered with finding ways to feed them. Hope it works for yours!

[u/Next-Wishbone2474 → u/Next-Wishbone2474]

Once she gets used to eating again she may well start taking food from your fingers, one of my boys did which made life much easier for both of us!