[banana3685]

Hi all! I have a quick question about my Crowntail betta Remus. Currently, I've got him and two albino corys temporarily in a 10g until summer when the corys will be hopefully be rehomed to a bigger fish tank. Remus gets along with the corys really well -- he doesn't show any aggression towards them at all and I've made sure to monitor him consistently to make sure. What he does do, however, is hang out by my filter and flare his gills at the glass. I'm pretty sure fish can't see their reflection (?), so I have no idea why he flares his gills at the glass. There's nothing on the other side of the fish tank except a mini-fridge with bottles on top of it. No other pets, no other animals, no pictures, etc. He shows no aggression to anything else EXCEPT that! Does anybody have an idea why?

Also, I added a bubble wall and I can't tell if he's pissed that it's there. Do bettas generally like bubble walls, or do they roll their eyes and scoff?

Thanks!

 

[True Indigo]

It might very well be the reflection, especially if there's a shiny surface beyond the class close up. I had to get rid of a background poster because of the shiny surface, plus the glass, caused him to see his reflection. I only figured it out when I caught him doing it and from outside the tank saw a barely noticeable reflection but he probably saw it more clearly inside.

See if putting like a piece of cardboard or something against the fridge will do the trick. Experimenting with scenery around them never hurts.

 

[Rosso1011]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. After a while, he should settle down a little bit more. I have backgrounds on both my 3.5 gallons and there is a little reflective area on the background in Rosso's tank, but he doesn't obsess over it too much. He'll swim around, hide in the plants, rest in his temple, hide from me when I'm at the desk for a long period of time :roll:, flare at his reflection for a little bit.

If he obsesses for over a week, then you might need to think about changing the background.

 

[banana3685]

If he obsesses for over a week, then you might need to think about changing the background.

I don't have a background though and my minifridge is way shorter than the table he's on. I've tried changing the decorations, but he keeps on doing it.

 

[sourgrl]

we put our betta, bruiser, in a high traffic location where we tend to drop things outside his tank (to help with his tailbiting). certain things cause him to flare. a tub of vicks vapor rub always gets him going! i'm not sure how far out of the tank they can see. in your case it sounds like he's catching his reflection.

 

[True Indigo]

What's the nearest thing he could be looking at when he flares and how close is it to the tank?

 

[Rosso1011]

A background may help, just don't go too dark or light. Colors like black and white can still cause a reflection. If you don't want to move the tank, you can either use a background or create your own. I hope this helps some.

 

[laoshun]

The filter shines a reflection that is black onto the glass, which makes him able to see his own reflection. That was my problem until i put a while paper behind my tank.

 

[banana3685]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I'm going to try and hopefully something works