Tarzan's Flaring doesn't look right.

[nikkeita]

Hey everyone!!

I noticed something a little weird about my Betta, Tarzan!
He usually flares at me, which I know it's because of excitement and all. I like watching him flare 'cause I think it looks funky. Plus I heard it could be that the fish is happy and all.

But lately, I've noticed that when Tarzan flares, one side sticks out more than the other. Some of the time, it appears that he only flares from one side only.

It's a bit strange. I didn't notice any discoloring around that area and he's still as active and excited as he normally is when he sees me, but it just looks a bit off.

[Emerc69]

first what kind of tank do u hav?? im sure it would be healthier for him to hav some room other than a small bowl or cup that they come in. i mean it can be a list of factors to why his gills dont flare as much.

personally i dont think its healthy for him to flare all of the time. i had more fish die on me from stress than maybe any other reason. try to keep him came and satisfied better for them just like how its better for us. he'll flare when its necessary (from other fish or when he wants to be defensive) and you will probably notice a difference in mood n health.

[nikkeita]

The tank I have is about 2L because it is a starter fish and all, the petshop lady said they really didn't need anything bigger. Mind you, when I first bought Tarzan, he came in a much smaller tank. I felt bad for lack of swimming space, so I got him this one. It also came with a light and thermometer.

Maybe it was from the plants in the tank? They are soft plastic ones, but I heard that sometimes the Bettas hurt themselves on them.

And about him flaring, I heard its ok to flare sometimes. It's just when he first sees me coming home. I guess it's cause he knows he's getting fed.

[Lupin]

If he is doing fine, I see no reason to worry about him.

[tenpaull]

It could be a birth defect. However, if you sure that it wasn't that way before then you could try to observe him more closely and see other changes in his appearance. For the plants, try to run it through some stockings, if it catches then I would suggest you take it out immediately as it can hurt the delicate fins of your fish.

[nikkeita]

yeah, I'm very sure he wasn't like this before. He's actually a lot more excited than usual. I think he's ready to breed. I'm going to have to clean out his tank tmw morning because I read that they make ammonia? That's not cool. He's EXTREMELY energetic and flaring twice as much when I'm around. When the light is off, he's really chill.

But still... it gave me a better chance to check out his flaring, and it doesn't look as nice as it used to. Apparently, he flares everything, but the left side (him facing me) doesn't stick out like the right, and the gills looks like it's shaking in that area too.

He's still bright and colourful, eats regularly, and a happy fishy! Maybe I should change those plants just in case. How about do I run them through stockings? Like.. do I put them inside the stocking like I would my leg?

[Flashygrrl]

Run the edge against one of the legs in the pair with the legging stretched out a bit (I'm guessing you'll do this with someone's old nylons :) )?

[Emerc69]

^yea just make sure the nylons are clean

well im sure he's fine but if u have to change the water a lot to get rid of the ammonia then im sure u would need a better filter. ppl at the pet shop dont always kno how to take care of fish. in the wild fish hav all the room in the world to go around. 2L should be standard for him, i think if theres one betta a 10gal would be ideal for optimal health n growth. the filter should probably be the first concern tho. most fish die from ammonia and bad water conditions.