Do males get vertical stripes? I know females do, but over the last few days I've noticed that my male looks like he has vertical stripes. He's currently sick, so I've been changing his water every day, and for the few minutes that I've been changing his water, I've had him in a little cup, which I put next to another tank with a female in it. I didn't think anything of it until I noticed that whenever she notices that he's there, she gets similar stripes, too.
Could it be just the fact that the female's there, or could it be part of his illness?
I don't think it's part of his illness. Vertical stripes in a female are also called breeding stripes, as they indicate she's "in the mood" for breeding. Males get them too... My halfmoon Jade got some when I fed him some Mysis shrimp this evening. He also buld a huge bubblenest over the day... which he almost never builds those.
Stripes on a male like that are commonly stress stripes. It's the fact that he is A) sick B) going through daily water changes (which is a must, they just don't like it) C) and then add to those two on top, he's being put next to a fish that normally they would fight so that is even more stress.
Nothing to do with breeding, when a male wants to breed he brightens his colors and flares, not lessens it to show stripes =)
Stripes, color changes..etc.....are a form of communication and camouflage in Bettas of both sexes....could be communicating stress, sick, hiding from the other Betta due to illness, female to tell the male she is ready to spawn, happy, sad, excited...etc.....sometimes the color of the substrate and surroundings will cause a color change or fading in response to the surroundings...etc....fish can tell you a lot of things by the colors and stripes they display as well as body language that often will go along with some color changes....
I took some pics and a video of my fish. Anybody have any idea what this could be? I've already done a betta revive treatment and I'm finishing up a AQ salt treatment. He hasn't gotten any better or any worse. He's been like this for more than 3 weeks now. :(
He's got a good appetite, but if the food is too big he regurgitates it. And he always swims around when I check on him.
Here are a few of the pics. These are from this past Sunday.
I can't seem to get the video to work, but here's a pic that I took last night.
One thing to note that I forgot to put into the previous post...
It is possible that there might be some chlorine poisoning along with what was originally wrong with him. I'm not quite sure. The first time I did the betta revive, I can't remember if I put in the dechlorinator or not, and I didn't think of it until the next morning, which means he was 8-10 hours in water that MIGHT have had chlorine in it. I've researched the symptoms and he doesn't seem to be exhibiting any of the signs of chlorine poisoning, but I'm just not sure.
How long have you had him? Sometimes when males are kept in very small places their fins can do this. Also, how much movement of water is in his tank? Can cause the same things. Also, as for vertical bars, everyone else beat me to the answer, but it's a form of communication with them. Usually if a male has bars, he's unhappy/not well. I wish the best for him, and yourself.
I've had him since May. He's usually in a 1.5g heated tank with a filter. The bowl is only to treat him.
Originally his fins weren't quite so bad, just really clamped and there was a bit of fuzziness to his sides, but the fuzziness is gone, and now he's just got the problem with his fins and a problem with eating.
Sparrow's been doing lots better lately. His fins have started to open up, and he's slowly improving where his eating is concerned. Still has trouble keeping pellets (even crushed) down. Thankfully he's able to eat small pieces of freeze dried blood worms. :)
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male vertical stripes?
