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This is my only one, Sokka

801 views 21 replies 6 participants last post by  Sokkasmom 
#1 ·
This is Sokka. I got him this last Sunday at Petco. They had him listed as a double tail half moon male, and looking at pictures of some bettas online, he doesnt look like thats what he is to me. Can anyone tellme what you think he is? was petco right? he doesnt seam to hav the spikes on his dorsal fin like all the other pictures show. So im not sure what he is, but he is pretty.
 
#2 ·
He could be a doubletail. He certainly has the wider dorsal of one. His tail could have some damage to it. I don't know about him being a doubletail halfmoon though. I would need a picture of him flaring to tell you for sure. Halfmoon means that the tail spreads out to 180 degrees.
 
#3 ·
This is my doubletail halfmoon flaring. The pictures were taken by his seller. See how his tail has two lobes and he has a broader dorsal? Those are doubletail characteristics. Also, his tail extends to 180 degree, making him a doubletail halfmoon.

 
#4 ·
I cant get my guy to flare. like at all. thats the biggest he has gotten, so i dont know if he will flare up like your pictures or not. ive put the mirror next to his tank, and he sees it, wants to check out the other fish, but he never gets any bigger...
 
#6 ·
Yeah, some fish's personalities are just like that. I have a plakat that almost never flares and a veiltail I can get to flare just by standing near his tank. Sometimes, they're surprise you and flare when you least expect it.


And thank you. He has marbled and his colours have changes quite a bit. I think Sokka might get some more colour over time on him too.
 
#7 ·
when i got him on Sunday he didnt have this much color on him. His fins were clamped, he looked almost grey and white. Now his colors are really coming out. Wish i could get him to flare... he dances for me when he sees me, and he even dances for my cat. but no flare. he about an inch in body lenght (not counting his fins) so im guessing he is mature enough to flare. I dont know really. this is my first betta ever. I thought they all flared and everything...
 
#9 ·
Some fish just aren't as aggressive and thus don't really flare often. I had a boy once that seemed to think flaring was undignified while my friend had a girl who would flare at any movement at all.

Sokka might become more active and flare more as his health perks up as well :]
 
#12 ·
He seams pretty happy in his new home. He even dances. Just no flare. And when I put a mirror infront of him its like he tries, but can't. Hisgils puff out, he shows the black under them, breaths hard but his fins don't perk up any more than he is in that first pic I post on the original post.
 
#11 ·
Yeah that's true. If he is just gaining some color back then he was probably feeling stressed and icky before. Once he starts feeling better he might flare for you :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
Keep at it. I typically make my bettas flare once a day by either showing them other bettas or a mirror or my phone (all my bettas go nuts over my phone...probably because it's black; bettas seem to flare a lot at black coloured objects) or wiggling a finger in front of them (all these things work for me). Flaring is good exercise for them and will help them build up muscle. He'll have a stronger flare over time if you exercise him.
 
#14 ·
Here are some more pics of Sokka, so you can see his top fin better. he neer puffs out more than this, so i dont know if her has the half moon or not... anyone know what his coloring is called?
 
#15 ·
Looks to be a blue grizzle? Or a messy sort of blue cambodian. There is a chance he might marble and chance colour. Whatever he is, he is a pretty fish.

Maybe he hadn't had an opportunity to stretch his fins. Now that he is in a nice big home, he should build up more strength.
 
#16 ·
Does your tank have a light? Rusty my betta just burst in his redness when it is on.
Like others have posted, he might be adjusting to his new home. Also, if the water is really warm (around 80-83 degrees) Sokka will feel good and energize and may flare too.
 
#17 ·
it doesnt have a light, but i have an old tank lamp i put on him at nights, he seams to like that ok, but he wont come up to the surface if its on. So maybe its to bright for him (it was originally on my old 75 gal tank that got smashed in a move).
I dont really know if thats blue or maybe black on his fins, but its deff color of some kind and not some weird fungus or anything like that, and its slowly starting to fill in.
fenghuang, how long should i be trying to get him to flare at a time? i understand that it can stress him out if i leave the mirror there all the time, and ive only been doing it for a few minutes at a time, a few times a day, normally right after i feed him. is that a good way to start working his fins? should i be doing it longer at one time?
 
#18 ·
A few minutes is perfectly fine. :) Also, if you have a young fish that is near 180 degrees (aka a super delta), exercising him and feeding him good food can help him grow into a halfmoon. Only if he is close, of course. It won't work with a fish that has a significantly smaller spread.
 
#19 ·
Oh, i didnt know you could help your fish grown into a half moon. I thought their tails were determined by genetics and couldnt grow into a bigger fin. Good to know. Ill keep doing a few minutes with him and the mirror then, hopefully he will get the hang of it. He dances like a champ, so im sure once he gets his flare on he will be beautiful.
 
#20 ·
Technically they would still have to have the genetics. Even two pure halfmoons won't always have all halfmoon offspring. They could have a combination of a deltas, superdeltas, and halfmoons. Likewise, you could still get halfmoons by breeding a superdelta if the genetics are there.

But not all halfmoons start off as halfmoons. It takes a while for a betta to fully grow out its fins and like any other living thing, good nutrition and exercise can help them develop better.
 
#21 ·
Oh ok i see what you're saying now. Im like 98%sure he is a double tail whatever he is... he has two very even tail fins, with the split being right down the center of his tail fins.
 
#22 ·
I finally got him to flare!!! these are the best pics i could get of him flaring. My kids figured out how to get him to do it. they put their sea monkey tank next to his tank... he went crazy. So can anyone tell me what tail type he is? please and thank you!
 
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