March 29

Sarah Robertson

Why Does My Betta Fish Stare At Me

Betta fish are said to have outstanding memory, with some even recognizing the faces of their food providers. If you regularly feed and interact with Betta fish, they may swim past you and look at you from within the tank.

Why Does My Betta Fish Stare At Me? Betta fish frequently stare at their owners since they see them as food sources. As you approach its tank, your betta will naturally glance at you as if it is anticipating food. However, bettas are also nearsighted, so the fish may be observing unclear activities outside its tank.

Reasons Why Does My Betta Fish Stare at Me

Here Are Some of the Reasons Why Your Betta Is Staring at You.

You Are Their Source of Entertainment

Fish are bored when they live in little spaces. They are attracted to any abrupt changes because the world they reside in is constant every day. The action outside the tank is fascinating to them since it provides something fresh for your fish to look at.

Bettas can still detect changes in light and movement even if they don't have a lot of surfaces to swim on, since that's where they get the most stimulation. They're probably just interested in what's going on, causing them to stare.

They Are Sensing Your Movements

Betta fish are sensitive to movement, and your betta may be reacting to you walking around its tank. Because of their monocular vision, they have poor depth perception. However, because of their lateral line, they can feel vibrations caused by movement and are drawn to it.

They are aware of your presence if you hang near the tank. However, if you're far away but yet notice them staring at you, they're sensing your movements. They are simply watching how things change around them as a result of their tremendous interest in their surroundings.

Why Does My Betta Fish Stare At Me

They Don't Have Eyelids

Fish do not need to blink or close their eyes in water, so you would believe they're staring at you!  Fish do not require eyelids since they don't have to moisten their eyes like we humans do. It is also instinctive for fish to remain attentive to what is going on in their surroundings for the purpose of survival.

Because their eyes are always open, they're constantly aware of their surrounds and the activities taking place around them. All the fish knows is that something is moving, and they can identify it. Because your fish has no other choice since they are unable to close their eyes, you may think that he or she is staring as a result of this.

It's Instinct 

Some people feel that bettas look at humans because they see us as a danger. It's instinctive for a betta to size up any potential dangers in its environment, including people, and determine whether you're a threat or not.

He's Just Curious

Amazing! Not only do bettas enjoy bonding, playing, and having fun with their owners (particularly their food), but they're also naturally curious and friendly. They like to connect, play, and have a good time with their owners (more specifically, their feeders). When they detect their guardian approaching, they swim about with a great deal of enthusiasm. They are very curious and interested in new items added to the tank when you are not visible to them.

What to Do When Your Betta Is Staring at You

It's not unusual to discover your fish staring at you. Fish are attentive animals that are drawn to any changes in their environment. You can do a few things to persuade them to stop staring, but it is important to understand that gazing does not always signal an issue with your fish.

  • Consider A Larger Aquarium
  • Ensure The Water Conditions Are Suitable
  • Feed Him
  • Keep Him Entertained
  • Redecorate The Tank
Betta is Staring at You 3

Consider A Larger Aquarium 

Some fish look at their owners out of interest. Others do so because their aquarium is too tiny and uninteresting. Buy a bigger tank and fill it with caves, driftwood, plants, and the like. Create an appealing environment that encourages the bettas to spend their days exploring rather than staring at you.

Ensure The Water Conditions Are Suitable

Betta stare when the conditions in the aquarium deteriorate.

The Ideal Water Parameters for Betta Fish as Follows:

Temperature :

75°-81°F (23.8°-27.2°C)

pH :

6.5-7.5

GH :

3-4 dGH (50-66.7 ppm) 

KH :

3-5 dKH (53.6- 89.4 ppm)

Ammonia :

0 ppm

Nitrites :

0 ppm

Nitrates :

<20 ppm

Feed Him 

The quick remedy is to offer your betta some fish flakes, as he will likely be hungry or yearning for food. Approaching the tank indicates to the fish that a meal is on its way, as they are conditioned by the association between you approaching the tank and being fed. If he persists in staring after giving him food, he's simply interested in what's going on in your life. He may be bored and seek to interact with you for amusement. 

Keep Him Entertained 

Betta fish require little stimulation and, as a result, become bored quickly. Tricks like following your finger or jumping out of the water may be taught to your fish. Providing him with entertainment in front of his tank will aid their boredom and prevent depression.

There are also toys to keep your fish amused, such as floating logs and a moving exercise mirror. Floating logs and a floating exercise mirror are just a couple of the toys available for your betta, which allows him to experience something new.

Redecorate The Tank 

Bettas are excellent at observing and remember the layout of their home, recognizing where each item is situated and when it changes. Because your betta's daily routine remains fairly similar, changing the decorations in the tank will provide him something new to look at.

Because bettas have color vision, adding more colorful aquarium plants and decorations to their environment will provide them with something beautiful to look at. You may also get a leaf rest that adheres to the tank's side, giving your fish a new perspective and a different location to relax where you can see what's going on outside the tank.

FAQ:

How to Stop Betta Fish From Staring?

There is no way to prevent a betta fish from staring at you unless the aquarium is hidden from their view. You may try covering the tank with a towel or putting it in a cabinet, but your betta will eventually become bored and swim across the tank to the other side.

Betta Fish

How to Bond and Play With Your Betta Fish?

Keep it in an active area. Betta fish are solitary by nature and prefer to live alone, yet they become bored quickly and would rather be close to "where the action is" while maintaining their own defined "turf."

  • Place your betta's tank in a high-traffic, regularly occupied area of the house, such as near the kitchen or in the living room. Even when they are not being directly interacted with, bettas enjoy movement and action.
  • To keep your betta entertained, devote some time to moving the tank around in his room. Every so often, shift the fish tank within the chamber to offer him a change of scenery. His interest will be piqued by new things to see, and he'll be more engaged and interested in your activities.
  • Name your betta and talk to it. It’s difficult to develop a connection with a nameless creature of any kind, so find a name that fits your new little buddy's personality. 
  • At the absolute least, communication with your betta allows you to interact with him and form a bond on his end. 
  • Give it visual stimulation. Moving the tank is one approach to provide your fish with a new environment, but even simply looking at your fish every now and then provides them something fresh to focus on and eventually recognize.
  • Male bettas are well-known for "flaring" or expanding their fins when seeing their reflection in a mirror, which is thought to be a reaction to other bettas. 
  • You might also decorate the tank with dry erase markers or cut sticky notes into various shapes to place new and interesting objects outside of the tank, in addition to a mirror (if desired). Keep an eye on your betta as he explores and reacts to these strange happenings.

Play with your betta. Tapping a fish tank is a typical human reaction, but you should never do it since the sound is amplified in the water and will stress out your fish.  Instead, follow along with the glass as you touch it and wait for the fish to respond.

  • Your betta will probably start coming to your finger and even following it as it slides down the tank wall. It's possible that you'll be able to encourage your fish to turn and curl in its search for food.
  • Betta fish enjoy coming to the surface, so for playtime, bobbing toys and other things might be a good idea. Floating ping-pong balls can be a lot of fun — just make sure they're clean before using them.

Train your betta. The promise of a food reward may be a powerful incentive for your betta to learn new skills, as it is for other animals, including people. With some dedication and practice, your aquarium fish might learn some entertaining skills.

  • By gradually bringing your fingers closer to the food pellets you offer in the water, you may teach your betta to eat from them. Your betta could even jump out of the water to grab food from your fingertips.
  • The allure of food may also teach bettas to swim or even leap through hoops (which you can construct from pipe cleaners, for example). You might be able to train your fish to push that ping-pong ball it plays with into a net as well.

Be a friend. The best way to bond with a betta is to treat it like any other true friend. 

How Do You Know if Your Betta Fish Likes You?

There's no way to tell whether your betta fish likes you just for certain, but if they're following you around and staring at you, it's probably the case! In the wild, bettas will generally only approach people if they believe they'll be fed.

Bond And Play With Your Betta Fish

Do Betta Fish Get Excited To See You?

They quickly learn to recognize their human handlers, and they know when it's feeding time. They get ecstatic when you approach their aquarium because they understand that food is on the way. Though you see them getting all exited during this time, remember not to overfeed your betta fish so as to keep them healthy. 

Do Betta Fish Recognize Their Owner? 

Betta fish are intelligent and can learn to recognize their owners. They're a clever fish that may be trained to recognize people, especially the individual who brings them their food most of the time. Once they see you frequently, they'll get familiar with you and become thrilled by your arrival.

Wrapping UP

Bettas make wonderful fish companions. They are capable of forming a connection with their human owners. Many Bettas stare at their owners for no apparent reason, and people wonder why. We've gone through all of the reasons why they might be doing it, but most of the time, it's a case of fish behavior.

Do not keep your Bettas in the same tank with a lot of other fish. Please provide them with a spacious aquarium. Make sure the aquarium is both beautiful and interesting, with some fun fishy toys to play with. The tank should be cleaned on a regular basis as well as any related ornaments.

Sarah Robertson


I am a passionate blogger who also happens to be a fish keeping enthusiast. Writing about my hobby is something that I absolutely love to do, and it's no secret that my chosen topic is always centered around fish keeping.

Sarah Robertson

{"email":"Email address invalid","url":"Website address invalid","required":"Required field missing"}

Subscribe to our newsletter