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My little guy doesn't flare.

2K views 6 replies 4 participants last post by  Pleione 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi! I'm on my second betta and just upgraded his tank to a 10 gallon not long ago. My first one was a veiltail given to me as a gift from my sister in law a few months ago. He was a walmart rescue and was ... very unhappy. They had him in a .5 gallon so I upgraded him. Still he struggled and eventually died after several months with me. Now I have Chichiri the halfmoon doubletail (I think) that I could not resist but to buy at (oddly enough) Petsmart. I've been dying to get one at aquabid but fell in love with him when I went to get kitty litter one day. And here I am ... spending money on a new beloved fish! He seems to really love his tank a lot except for a few things.

First, he doesn't flare. I mean he does flare but his gills doesn't flare out. I've put a mirror in front of him and he responds like most betta does by being dominant. Tail flares and everything responds except the gills. The gills get darker in color but that seems to be it.

Second, I think the new tank has made him more defensive. I've seen him hovering at his reflection on the glass tank a lot. He's been upgraded from a plastic betta wave 2.5 gallon so ... I guess the reflection thing is new to him. Hopefully he will adjust, yes? Any thoughts on how to not make him see his reflection?

Third... I can't take a picture for the life of me because he's constantly moving. So until I can afford a camera that takes better motion photography, here's a video of him instead. He seems to be responding to me well but again ... gills does not flare out. But he seems completely happy and nothing seems out of the normal. He's been this way since I bought him. I wonder if certain breeds just don't flare their gills. Does anyone own a betta with a similar response?

Here is a video of him since he can't stand still.

And his new tank.
 
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#3 ·
How long have you had him and how big is he?
He just might not be old enough or comfortable enough yet.
I have a Halfmoon boy, and it takes another male betta that is super aggressive to make him flair all the way.
 
#5 ·
I've had him for about three weeks now. Unfortunately, pet stores don't really tell you how old the bettas are. If he's still a teenager then I can't wait to see him as an adult! He's rather small-ish. Perhaps the size of my thumb or a slight bit of it. He's definitely very active and responds well, I was just curious why his fins never came out. Hm. I guess we'll have to wait and see!
 
#6 ·
if you have another male, a dark one preferably, put him in a cup and float him in the same tank (with a lid so he cant jump out). Thats how i get my flaring pictures. :)
He may never flair, or may just need to grow up a little. Time will tell.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I'll have to try that. :)

In the meantime, it looks like his new tank prevents him from seeing us outside and acts like a mirror inside. I have no idea how that works considering it was completely glass. But now the water has turned it into a mirror. No wonder my little guy is frantically defending his territory. I should have went for the plastic aquarium. I hope he doesn't act this way forever.

Wait. Nevermind. That's just... -my- point of view due to light and water ... damn you science! But he's still chasing something so I guess he sees a faint image of himself in the water. Oh well. He'll adjust, I hope. :)
 
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