Reflection

[Hadoken Kitty]

I'm a new owner of a very handsome betta named Dovakiin. I bought a 20g tank for him (decorated now), and I also bought both a teenie weenie bristle-whisker plecostomus and a school (four) "neon" fish to keep him company (he's a spoiled baby). Before any one jumps the gun and shakes their finger at me, Dovakiin gets along ecstatically with them, and they aren't even really neon! The only thing that he doesn't get along well with is his own reflection. I know that betta males typically don't do so hot with other bettas, but my tank keeps showing his reflection on it's sides. Is this normal? I put a background up to eliminate any possible reflection from that side, but he literally wears himself out from flaring at it (his reflection) so much. Granted that this makes for some great picture opportunities, I'm worried about him. His color fades to a lighter purple when he flares up for an extended amount of time (from what information I've gathered, this is due to stress). Is there anything I can do to reduce this reflection thing?

[AyalaCookiejar]

You could try putting white paper on the sides of the tank... Anything black will cause more reflection. Has he been in the tank long? My new Betta flared excessively when I first put him in his new tank but he calmed down within a few days of getting used to it... Sometimes its just a territorial thing with new tanks.

[Hadoken Kitty]

Originally Posted by AyalaCookiejar

You could try putting white paper on the sides of the tank... Anything black will cause more reflection. Has he been in the tank long? My new Betta flared excessively when I first put him in his new tank but he calmed down within a few days of getting used to it... Sometimes its just a territorial thing with new tanks.

No, he hasn't been in his tank long. I was just getting worried, because his colors fade pretty quickly. They're so vibrant when he isn't stressed. I just don't want to see him stressed like he was when I bought him.

Also: There seems to be a bunch of bubbles surrounding the tank. Is this normal? There's a visible line where the bubbles don't go any lower, and that line is retracting. I'm sorry if I seem like a paranoid person. I just want my Dovakiin to be happy and healthy.

[sunstar93]

I have this problem in my 10 gallon tank with any fish I've kept in there..they get used to it eventually. Another thing you can try is to arrange the decorations to break up the line of site around the edge of the tank. I did this and it helped a little. Like Ayala said, it could also just be a new tank thing. Some fish are just more "betta aggressive" than others (like my boy Toby is cool with other fish and snails but will pull out all the stops when he goes to flare at his neighbor Sparky).
Good luck with him!

[AyalaCookiejar]

Bubbles on the sides of the tank are normal for newly set up tanks. They will disappear on their own. The only other thing I could think to do is turn off the tank lights and turn on a room light instead and see if it helps? Hopefully he will calm down when he gets used to his new home :)

[Hadoken Kitty]

Originally Posted by sunstar93

I have this problem in my 10 gallon tank with any fish I've kept in there..they get used to it eventually. Another thing you can try is to arrange the decorations to break up the line of site around the edge of the tank. I did this and it helped a little. Like Ayala said, it could also just be a new tank thing. Some fish are just more "betta aggressive" than others (like my boy Toby is cool with other fish and snails but will pull out all the stops when he goes to flare at his neighbor Sparky).
Good luck with him!

I noticed that the neons did it a little as well. Though they don't flare, lol. They just kinda freaked out thinking they had a bigger school than they do. xD

I have the plants arranged, but Dova seems bound and determined to swim past all of the plants to stare at himself. I can't tell if he's aggressive or just egotistical (joking). :P

[Hadoken Kitty]

Originally Posted by AyalaCookiejar

Bubbles on the sides of the tank are normal for newly set up tanks. They will disappear on their own. The only other thing I could think to do is turn off the tank lights and turn on a room light instead and see if it helps? Hopefully he will calm down when he gets used to his new home :)

Ohhh okay! Thank you!! I know that this isn't exactly tank related at this point, but is the color fading thing worth worrying about? His color comes back after he takes a break. It's like the exact opposite of a hide holding his breath for too long (with the face turning red thing). Sorry if I'm pestering you with questions. :3

[AyalaCookiejar]

You are not pestering me, lol :p the color loss is something that you should be concerned about because its a sign of stress, but its not something that you can treat with meds or anything... It's a good thing that his color comes back shortly and he's not constantly pale.
I would try the things suggested including putting up paper or turning off the tank lights and turning on a room light instead.. If it doesn't help, I would put them to bed early. Just make sure the lights are off and the tank is covered to prevent any light from the room getting in... Allowing them some darkness to warm up to the tank will be beneficial.

[Hadoken Kitty]

Originally Posted by AyalaCookiejar

You are not pestering me, lol :p the color loss is something that you should be concerned about because its a sign of stress, but its not something that you can treat with meds or anything... It's a good thing that his color comes back shortly and he's not constantly pale.
I would try the things suggested including putting up paper or turning off the tank lights and turning on a room light instead.. If it doesn't help, I would put them to bed early. Just make sure the lights are off and the tank is covered to prevent any light from the room getting in... Allowing them some darkness to warm up to the tank will be beneficial.

Alright. His tank light has been off for a while now. I hope he gets some super sleep tonight. He's had such a busy day with all the new changes!! (:

[lordcactusjack]

Dorian does this too sometimes. It's normal and he will get over it. I give you 100x respect for naming him Dovahkiin. Skyrim is the game of the Gods!