Saw this poor guy at Petco

[wah543]

So today I went to petco to pick up some stuff and I saw this poor halfmoon plakat with what I think is big ears, has like white fluffy ears, he's like a pale red or pinkish color but when hes not moving he floats on his side. I was wondering if I were to go back tomorrow and get him is there anything I can do to help him?

[Bettafish]

bettas dont really have ears...

I hope u mean fins.

And that hes not dead.

[meiperfectneina19]

She means something like this:

and sorry I have no idea how to help you wah.

[wah543]

No he's not dead he can still swim around fine but sometimes when he's just sitting there he just went to his side, and yes I know bettas dont have ears

[PaulO]

Ears on a betta commonly refers to the gills or more accurately the "beard" of a male betta when he flares I think. I have seen a few videos on YouTube of breeders describing their betta of having "dumbo ears" and I gotta say those guys look amazing when flaring. Usually if the bettas are lying on their sides their on their last legs, sorry to be morbid but their is a chance he wont be there tomorrow. As for what to do just acclimate him slowly. First keep his bag ( or cup) in the tank for a good 30-60 minutes, then drip acclimate him (if you have the patience) or replace about 1/5 - 1/6 a.k.a a small amount of his water every 15-30 minutes. Finally you'll keep an eye on him and if he develops any problems post on disease/emergency forums. Otherwise you'll have a new faithful companion.

[Bettafish]

Okay just making sure lol. :D

I see what u mean by ears. my bad.

And if hes floating like that it sounds like swim ballder but i just know hot to solve it. only way i know how is to feed less.

[wah543]

Originally Posted by PaulO

Ears on a betta commonly refers to the gills or more accurately the "beard" of a male betta when he flares I think. I have seen a few videos on YouTube of breeders describing their betta of having "dumbo ears" and I gotta say those guys look amazing when flaring. Usually if the bettas are lying on their sides their on their last legs, sorry to be morbid but their is a chance he wont be there tomorrow. As for what to do just acclimate him slowly. First keep his bag ( or cup) in the tank for a good 30-60 minutes, then drip acclimate him (if you have the patience) or replace about 1/5 - 1/6 a.k.a a small amount of his water every 15-30 minutes. Finally you'll keep an eye on him and if he develops any problems post on disease/emergency forums. Otherwise you'll have a new faithful companion.

Hmm I need to think about what to do, maybe i'll check on him tomorrow and then see what I'll do

[LadyVictorian]

There could be any number of problems with him and if you are not already a near expert care taker of fish and can spot what is wrong with him already chances are very great then that you will buy him and he will just die. Even higer chances he has already done so at the petshop.

[vilmarisv]

Originally Posted by PaulO

Ears on a betta commonly refers to the gills or more accurately the "beard" of a male betta when he flares I think. I have seen a few videos on YouTube of breeders describing their betta of having "dumbo ears" and I gotta say those guys look amazing when flaring. Usually if the bettas are lying on their sides their on their last legs, sorry to be morbid but their is a chance he wont be there tomorrow. As for what to do just acclimate him slowly. First keep his bag ( or cup) in the tank for a good 30-60 minutes, then drip acclimate him (if you have the patience) or replace about 1/5 - 1/6 a.k.a a small amount of his water every 15-30 minutes. Finally you'll keep an eye on him and if he develops any problems post on disease/emergency forums. Otherwise you'll have a new faithful companion.

No. Dumbo ears (what is shown in the picture above) are oversized pectorals on a betta.

[aokashi]

Yup, ears are just giant opaque pectoral fins