Hey, you flaring at me? Are you flaring at me??

[radiant sea snail]

So my husband and I moved the 10 g that houses our betta and snail since we moved the dresser it sits on. Don't worry, it was during a water change and the betta and snail were in a little 2 g while we moved it.

Anyway, now I can watch the betta while on my side of the bed. (No, I didn't move things for that reason. I moved our birds into our bedroom.) Last night as I was trying to fall asleep, I watched the betta under the soft blue light we keep on during the night so there isn't total darkness.

He was playing in the bubble curtain and having a jolly good time. Then I noticed whenever he came to the front of the tank, he started puffing out and flaring. And man, did he flare hard.

Remember that scene in Jurassic Park? With that dilophosaurus spitting the poison and flaring and shaking his skin flaps around his face? Yeah, it was like that, only no spitting.

My betta would swim along the length of the aquarium, and every 2 seconds or so he'd turn and face me, gyrating his fins and puffing up as hard as he could. It was driving me crazy so I started moving anything off the dresser that I thought could be upsetting him. He kept doing it!

Finally, I asked my hubby to turn on a night light instead and I turned off the blue light so at least I couldn't see him flare if he was still doing it.

The only conclusion I came to was that he was flaring at me. It was wild. His back fins were rhythmically shaking and I thought he was going to pop from all the puffing up he was doing.

I think he settled down once he could barely see me since the night light wasn't very bright.

[AquaQueen]

Be careful...My Betta was doing that and I think he may have stressed himself out to death. It is cool to see him doing it tho...I took pictures of my guy cuz it was so darn cute but i now know that his reflection can bug him out so when I buy another I will be sure there is a backing and siding on his tank to prevent that again. try and get some pictures of it to share with us if you catch him doing it again.

[MeganL3985]

Puffin has done that to me a couple times where I think I may have "snuck up on him" lol Its crazy to watch though

[radiant sea snail]

AquaQueen, I wasn't making him do it. I really don't know why he was. I was concerned about it so that's why my hubby turned on a night light in the room and I turned off the blue light.

Megan, I was being so still just lying there in bed. Usually if I startle him, he swims off.

[TowBoater]

Mine flares up at me as if he is begging for food, he does it real quick and then looks at the top of the water. Amazing what these fish can learn. Paint the sides or put a background if you can to keep him from flaring as much if possible.

[AquaQueen]

I didn't think you were doing it at all hun....I knew I wasn't doing anything when my buddy used to do it. I think they do it when they see their own reflection in the glass when the light in the tank is the only one on...I noticed when my overhead light was on my Betta didn't do it but not all of my family knew that so they'd always shut it off. That's how I lost him I think. I'd hate to see anyone else go through that when someone could warn them of it first. so that's what I was doing that's all. Sorry if I didn't word it right.

[radiant sea snail]

Thanks so much, AquaQueen. I definitely don't want to stress my little dude out.
I'll see what I can do on getting some background. I may pop into my LFS tomorrow and get some.

How do you seal it to the aquarium?? tape?

[AquaQueen]

Yes that is how I put mine on I make sure it is pulled really tight then just used scotch tape.

[TowBoater]

Paint is another alternative and it will look better. I like the self adhesive backgrounds as well but I can find them around here, I use packaging tape on my aquarium.

[radiant sea snail]

Kuli, what kind of paint looks good?

[Palor]

I have many bettas and most of them act fairly normal around me. I do have 1 that has never flared, even at other bettas. I also have one that flares only at me and not my roomy. We both feed him too. I figure he knows I am male and he wants to fight me anyway.

[TowBoater]

Any, if you paint the outside, I use craft paint.

[Darkstar824]

my betta flares at me alot, got a pic of it too