we got some tetras yesterday for ardeth to play with. when i placed the bag in the tank, he noticed them right away. he swam by and that was it. he wasn't interested anymore. it used to be that when we'd place a new bag of fish in the tank, he would poke at it. when we placed the fish in the tank, i don't think he went to greet them. it used to be that he would give them a good chase when they were let out of the bag. at one point ardeth was laying at the bottom, not doing anything, and the school of tetras was very close to him. the old ardeth would have been hiding there and waiting to strike. this time ardeth lay there perfectly still. one of the tetra's fin was extremely close to ardeth's face. it might have even touched his face. ardeth didn't flinch. he didn't do anything. i think he's finally stopped being a bully. i don't think he remembers that he's a betta anymore. maybe he's just getting old. i think he's suffering a personality disorder or a midlife crisis. ;)

this morning when i looked in on the tank, all was fine. all of the tetras were alive and none of them seem injured. ardeth looked as bored as ever. maybe he's become the older brother. he's certainly acting very respectful.