betta cant flare

[phsyco009]

I noticed that when my betta tries to flare it cant flare up fully or only one flare will open. It also tends not to eat and if it does then it spits out the pellet. Any idea whats wrong with it?

[Myates]

This may help the others to be able to answer :) Unsure about the flaring.. as for the pellet.. most fish tend to spit out the food a few times before eventually eating it, or having it fall to the bottom and they eat it later. Sometimes the food is too big or needs to be soaked for a bit before you feed it.

Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

[phsyco009]

The tank i normally use is a 24 gallon tank but for about a month or so i've kept the betta in a large vase probably about 1 gallon. I noticed it hasn't been able to flare for a couple months now thought it might heal on its own. I don't have a heater, filter or air stone and there are no mates with my betta. I do a 100% water change every other day with no additives. I feed my betta pellets but it spits them out and i see them collect at the bottom so i don't think it eats many of them if any. I have not tested the water, i change it every other day so it didn't seem necessary (should I?).

I got this betta when i went to a cousins wedding they have 1 betta on every table for guests to take home so I have no idea how old it is. Its been about a year since i got it. I can't tell for sure but it seems it is losing brightness in its colour as compared to another betta I got at the same time. Hope this helps let me know if you need anything else.

[Myates]

Changing the water regularly, you still need to get the proper chemicals to take out the ammonia and nitrates, etc that are in your tap. I prefer Prime, but any of the tetra line that you can buy in most stores such as Walmart, work good too. Usually one drop per gallon or so. It's just a combination of chemicals used to neutralize the chemicals in tap water that may be harmful to fish. That will help out a lot.
Try soaking the pellets for a bit in water prior to feeding, see if that helps.. sometimes they are too hard/big and if you pre-soak, makes it easier to eat. Most fish do the whole spit-out game before actually eating. Also, if you changed food recently, he could just be being stubborn as well.. sometimes they can be picky and prefer one brand over another.
So, try water conditioner, buy a thermometer for tanks and see what the temp is, if it's too cold, it's not good.. should be 76-82F is the idea temp range. I don't know what else you could do.. does he swim around just fine, active? How many pellets are you feeding at once? Have you put up a mirror next to it? I know, obvious question, but just making sure since they won't flare unless they feel the need to defend.

[phsyco009]

Actually he seems pretty lazy..he usually just floats at the top. When i get the mirror it looks like its trying to flare but it can't. Either only one of the beard flares will open or neither and it starts turning reddish. (normally blue). I feed it 2-3 pellets twice a day. I haven't switched brands.

I will try all the things you said though and i'll see how it works out.