Falling out between my betta and his snail! 😅

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

My Betta (Gandalf) and his nerite snail have been living together for over 6 months now in a 10 gallons tank.

I believe they recently had an argument because Gandalf will flare at the snail every time the snail is on the glass. If it’s elsewhere, Gandalf doesn’t care.

Gandalf is a very curious and inquisitive betta. He will patrol his tank and stop to stare at a rock, a leaf, substrate.

He only flare at the snail… then go do something else… come back after some times, etc. But he never hurt or touch the snail and not once did the snail ever hide in his shell to protect itself.

I am just wondering if it’s a source of stress for Gandalf and if I should remove the snail. I am asking because on the mirror we use to stimulate them, it says 5 minutes max. I have no way of controlling how often or how long the snail is on the glass. Here is a video. Personally I don’t think he seems in distress but I just want to make sure.

Thank you!

Karen

Edited May 11, 2022 by Karen B.
Typo

[dangerflower]

My Betta also flares at his nerites 😂 I think as long as he's only doing it sometimes, it's fine, and it's probably a good source of exercise and mental stimulation for him. But if he seems obsessive about it and you see him flaring at the snail all the time, it could be a source of stress.

[AndreaW]

Mine does the same thing and I think it infuriates him when the nerites don't pay him any attention and go about their business! 

He's doing other things in-between and he's only flaring in short bursts so I think it's just fine. I wouldn't worry about it, but I would also consider his daily exercises complete and not use the mirror. He's beautiful and so is your tank! I bet he loves it there despite the enemy that encroaches his territory!

p.s. I tried adding a couple Panda Cories to my tank with my Betta and he wouldn't have it AT ALL. He didn't stop chasing them and flaring at them. I ended up moving them to the community tank and they were all happier with the arrangement. That was nothing like the behavior I see with Gandalf and the Nerite.

[Guppysnail]

He does not look stressed at all.  He seems comfortable in his king of the castle role.  Looks like he just wants everything including Mr. Nerite to know he is king. Gandalf is gorgeous 😍

Edited May 11, 2022 by Guppysnail

[Torrey]

Gandalf is gorgeous, his coloring is good, his fins and tails look fine. I'm willing to bet he has finished growing, and finally hit sexual maturity, so he's got to test his testosterone out on somebody... lucky nerite!😅

It's obvious you interact with him a lot, and keep a clean tank environment. If you get worried, you can try not cleaning the glass behind one of the clumps of plants. Then the nerite will have a dedicated food source that isn't front and center for Gandalf to obsess over. Personally, I don't see any obsessive behaviors or anything else of concern. Keep monitoring, and enjoy the entertainment!