betta behaviour

[RedForeman ©®]

Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
"I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After a
few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches and
does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner again,
see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....

I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize this
guy would want to fight/love himself so much...

Any comments are welcome....

BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that never
come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...

TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
larvae... :-)

[Sajjad Lateef]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:41:07 -0400, RedForeman ©® wrote:

> Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
> himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
> "I'm so beautiful"?

A Betta is the Siamese Fighting Fish. If you put two males in the
same tank, they'll fight each other. Your fish thinks that it's
reflection is another fish and is challenging it to fight by
flaring it's fins.

You really ought to read about these fish on the Internet or books
and learn about them, before you purchase them.

[RedForeman ©®]

This isn't my first, and I know about bettas, I was asking whether it's good
or not for him to be flaring alot.... I didn't ask "how do I care for a
betta" and I do have several books about bettas, but they were about as
helpful as your comment/suggestion/answer.....

Thanks for stopping by, Cya...


"Sajjad Lateef" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:41:07 -0400, RedForeman ©® wrote:
>
> > Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's
seeing
> > himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and
saying,
> > "I'm so beautiful"?
>
> A Betta is the Siamese Fighting Fish. If you put two males in the
> same tank, they'll fight each other. Your fish thinks that it's
> reflection is another fish and is challenging it to fight by
> flaring it's fins.
>
> You really ought to read about these fish on the Internet or books
> and learn about them, before you purchase them.
>

[Sajjad Lateef]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 16:51:35 -0400, RedForeman ©® wrote:

> This isn't my first, and I know about bettas, I was asking whether it's good
> or not for him to be flaring alot....

Strange, I didn't see you ask that in your original post.

You originally asked:
: Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
: himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
: "I'm so beautiful"?

I don't read that to mean whether it is good or not for him to be flaring!
Do you?

> I didn't ask "how do I care for a
> betta" and I do have several books about bettas, but they were about as
> helpful as your comment/suggestion/answer.....

Why, you are welcome!

> Thanks for stopping by, Cya...

Oh, no problem.

Rhetorical question: Why the heck do I respond to newbies? Oh yeah ...
I forgot that they were *newbies* <smacks forehead>

[Sunny]

"Sajjad Lateef" > wrote in message
...

> Rhetorical question: Why the heck do I respond to newbies? Oh yeah ...
> I forgot that they were *newbies* <smacks forehead>

Rhetorical comment : wasn't everyone, at one time a *newbie*? (whatever that
means.)

[Tedd]

"Sajjad Lateef" > wrote in message
...
> Rhetorical question: Why the heck do I respond to newbies? Oh yeah ...
> I forgot that they were *newbies* <smacks forehead>
>

perhaps if you read the question a bit more carefully...? (and a little less
arrogantly).

tedd.

[Gail Futoran]

"RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
...
> Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking
that he's seeing
> himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing
himself and saying,
> "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black
back and he's
> seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at
himself... After a
> few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every
3-4 inches to
> pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and
swims 3-4 inches and
> does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that
same corner again,
> see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
[snip]

I don't know the answer, I only have female Bettas. They
flare a bit but not that much. Maybe for this kind of
specialized question it might be better to check one of the
betta boards? Anyway, good luck finding an answer. I know
you care about your fish and want to make sure they're
healthy and stay that way. :)

Gail

[levittd]

"RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
...
> Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
> himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
> "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
> seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After a
> few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
> pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches and
> does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner
again,
> see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
>
> I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize this
> guy would want to fight/love himself so much...
>
> Any comments are welcome....
>
> BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that never
> come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
> had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
>
> TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
> rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
> larvae... :-)


I think it's healthy for them to have something to flare at once in a while.
That's hardly scientific, but they do seem to get lazy and lethargic if they
have no stimuli once in a while. I keep a little mirror near the betta tank
and prop it up for him to see for an hour or so once a day. He stays much
more active, and builds lots of bubblenests to impress the nonexistant
females. When he's bored, he just sits on top of the ugf riser all day.
levittd
>
>

[luminos]

>
> I think it's healthy for them to have something to flare at once in a
while.
> That's hardly scientific, but they do seem to get lazy and lethargic if
they
> have no stimuli once in a while. I keep a little mirror near the betta
tank
> and prop it up for him to see for an hour or so once a day. He stays much
> more active, and builds lots of bubblenests to impress the nonexistant
> females. When he's bored, he just sits on top of the ugf riser all day.
> levittd
> >
> >
>
>

I agree....this is exactly what happens if they are not stimulated.

[Flash Wilson]

On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:41:07 -0400, RedForeman ©® > wrote:
>Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
>himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
>"I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
>seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After a
>few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
>pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches and
>does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner again,
>see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....

Having read the responses and found them mainly flamey, I thought I'd
reply too.

Mine flares when he sees a reflection of himself, but this only happens
when I hold up a mirror. He's thinking it's another fish and doing the
"I am more impressive than you" act. He's now in a tank next to a female
betta and he flares at her too. I've noticed (by holding up pictures
of other bettas) that he reacts to the ones that look most like him.
Odd, because he can't know what he looks like! Maybe his siblings looked
like him too and he got the imprint from there.

I don't think it harms them to do it quite a bit - if he's in a smallish
tank it will be good exercise. If he does it all the time maybe you will
want to make the background less reflective. I found putting tinfoil up
helped - because although it's shiny, the reflection is blurred and
indistinct. If the tank's a bit bigger, you could put pieces of slate
against the glass or whatever, or plants, so he doesn't get to see himself
so often.

>BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that never
>come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
>had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...

Surely all those fish he's with are bottom feeders? Maybe he'd be happier
with some dither fish - those that swim at the top or mid level, be a
bit of a distraction... at any rate, my bristlenose and cories are shy
and don't come out unless they are really hungry and the food looks good.
Bristle is starting to get more confident after a month or two. I had
a khulhi but it died quickly, still, I thought they just burrow? So if
you want fish that come out to play, perhaps you could ask the fish shop
for some advice, because those all sound to me like fish which will hide.

>TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
>rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
>larvae... :-)

FWIW mine loves Tetra Prima and as a treat he gets Tetra Delica brine shrimp.
I tried him on bloodworms and he wouldn't have any, but the female likes
them. Seems Bettas are quite picky. When you get fed up of making time
for live food - if you do - try Tetra Prima.

HTH.

--
__ __ ____ __ ____ __ __ __ _ ___ _ _ __ _ ___ ___ _ _ __ _
\ V V /\ V V /\ V V // _` / _ \ '_/ _` / -_)_/ _ \ '_/ _` |
\_/\_/ \_/\_/ \_/\_(_)__, \___/_| \__, \___(_)___/_| \__, |
|___/ |___/ |___/

[Wendy Puckett]

Found the following at this link:
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_behavior.htm (this website was helpful
to me when I got my first betta, Sonny the bachelor)

Because bettas are not as intelligent than us (or are they? :)) ) you
can get the same result by putting a mirror in front of them. Well, it’s
not really that they are dumb, but they don’t know what they look like,
so when they see the betta in the mirror, they don’t know the betta is
actually THEM.:) This makes for hours of fun watching the whole
commotion. And no, bettas will not get exhausted, as a matter of fact, I
have two brothers jarred side by side who have been continually flaring
at each other for a year now. I believe that a little action and company
is good for the moral. So I let my bettas see each other. This is not a
good idea though, if you intend to show your bettas. Sometimes, a betta
who looks lethargic will be stimulated by replacing his neighbor. A new
neighbor equals a new pecking order to establish and a whole new desire
for flaring."



RedForeman ©® wrote:
> Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
> himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
> "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
> seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After a
> few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
> pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches and
> does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner again,
> see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
>
> I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize this
> guy would want to fight/love himself so much...
>
> Any comments are welcome....
>
> BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that never
> come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
> had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
>
> TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
> rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
> larvae... :-)
>
>

[RedForeman ©®]

Thanks Flash, I'm leaning towards changing the background just to save him
the trouble of always seeing himself... I may put some of that black
background on the side for him to see from time to time, but probably not
permanent.....

Thanks again...
"Flash Wilson" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:41:07 -0400, RedForeman ©® >
wrote:
> >Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's seeing
> >himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and saying,
> >"I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
> >seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After a
> >few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
> >pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches
and
> >does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner
again,
> >see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
>
> Having read the responses and found them mainly flamey, I thought I'd
> reply too.
>
> Mine flares when he sees a reflection of himself, but this only happens
> when I hold up a mirror. He's thinking it's another fish and doing the
> "I am more impressive than you" act. He's now in a tank next to a female
> betta and he flares at her too. I've noticed (by holding up pictures
> of other bettas) that he reacts to the ones that look most like him.
> Odd, because he can't know what he looks like! Maybe his siblings looked
> like him too and he got the imprint from there.
>
> I don't think it harms them to do it quite a bit - if he's in a smallish
> tank it will be good exercise. If he does it all the time maybe you will
> want to make the background less reflective. I found putting tinfoil up
> helped - because although it's shiny, the reflection is blurred and
> indistinct. If the tank's a bit bigger, you could put pieces of slate
> against the glass or whatever, or plants, so he doesn't get to see himself
> so often.
>
> >BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that
never
> >come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
> >had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
>
> Surely all those fish he's with are bottom feeders? Maybe he'd be happier
> with some dither fish - those that swim at the top or mid level, be a
> bit of a distraction... at any rate, my bristlenose and cories are shy
> and don't come out unless they are really hungry and the food looks good.
> Bristle is starting to get more confident after a month or two. I had
> a khulhi but it died quickly, still, I thought they just burrow? So if
> you want fish that come out to play, perhaps you could ask the fish shop
> for some advice, because those all sound to me like fish which will hide.
>
> >TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
> >rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
> >larvae... :-)
>
> FWIW mine loves Tetra Prima and as a treat he gets Tetra Delica brine
shrimp.
> I tried him on bloodworms and he wouldn't have any, but the female likes
> them. Seems Bettas are quite picky. When you get fed up of making time
> for live food - if you do - try Tetra Prima.
>
> HTH.
>
> --
> __ __ ____ __ ____ __ __ __ _ ___ _ _ __ _ ___ ___ _ _ __ _
> \ V V /\ V V /\ V V // _` / _ \ '_/ _` / -_)_/ _ \ '_/ _` |
> \_/\_/ \_/\_/ \_/\_(_)__, \___/_| \__, \___(_)___/_| \__, |
> |___/ |___/ |___/

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: betta behaviour
>From: "RedForeman ©®"
>Date: 9/17/2003 8:58 AM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: >
>
>Yeah, I read that, but the length of time, up to a year, well, does that
>mean 24/7/365?? probably not, but so far, mine has hardly stopped in a
>week.... only to eat, sleep whenever that happens, and he's back at it...
>
>Thanks Wendy...
>
>
>"Wendy Puckett" > wrote in message
...
>> Found the following at this link:
>> http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_behavior.htm (this website was helpful
>> to me when I got my first betta, Sonny the bachelor)
>>
>> Because bettas are not as intelligent than us (or are they? :)) ) you
>> can get the same result by putting a mirror in front of them. Well, it’s
>> not really that they are dumb, but they don’t know what they look like,
>> so when they see the betta in the mirror, they don’t know the betta is
>> actually THEM.:) This makes for hours of fun watching the whole
>> commotion. And no, bettas will not get exhausted, as a matter of fact, I
>> have two brothers jarred side by side who have been continually flaring
>> at each other for a year now. I believe that a little action and company
>> is good for the moral. So I let my bettas see each other. This is not a
>> good idea though, if you intend to show your bettas. Sometimes, a betta
>> who looks lethargic will be stimulated by replacing his neighbor. A new
>> neighbor equals a new pecking order to establish and a whole new desire
>> for flaring."
>>
>>
>>
>> RedForeman ©® wrote:
>> > Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's
>seeing
>> > himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and
>saying,
>> > "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
>> > seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After
>a
>> > few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
>> > pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches
>and
>> > does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner
>again,
>> > see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
>> >
>> > I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize
>this
>> > guy would want to fight/love himself so much...
>> >
>> > Any comments are welcome....
>> >
>> > BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that
>never
>> > come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
>> > had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
>> >
>> > TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
>> > rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
>> > larvae... :-)
>> >

OK, after reading all the replies, here goes:
A Betta's natural behavior is show how big, bad and gorgeous they are to other
males, and females too.
When they don't ever get the chance to do what they were made for (wild Bettas
mostly do this and the lesser retreats before a fight starts. In a jar, the
lesser has no place to go so they fight. I do not condone fighting Bettas!),
they can become lethargic, drab in color, and not have much will to live.
Now when they get the chance to strut their stuff, show how absolutely gorgeous
and what a bad a$$ they are, their color is vibrant, they look great, and get
much needed daily exercise.
As for "flaring too much?", I would say in many years, I've had a few males
that just would flare to they dropped from exhaustion. With those males I had
to use a mirror for daily exercise. I would put it up to their tank at least
once a day, for about 20 or so minutes.
All the other males either have a "flare buddy" in a tank next to them, or are
in front of a large mirror on my dresser. They have a mirror image of
themselves to play with everyday.
Most become bored ina month or so, so I change them around.
I have onemale that will only flare with one other male. He will not bother
with any others....just this one male. Weird.
I have also seen Bettas have a color preference.
This didn't always mean it was their own color either.
Bettas are thinking creatures and have to have their minds stimulated as well.
The 29g that I house my females and always a resident male (I do switch the
males around in here too), has a shiny-royal blue background. The males will
often flare at themselves for a while, and then go on about their business in
the tank. Later he may take another gander at himself. This behavior is closer
to natural, as he can take off when he's ready (or gives in = )~ ).
I'd say if your guy is still going at it non-stop for a couple more weeks, he
should probably be one to have timed, daily exercise. Give him a little more
time though. I've seen them go nuts for weeks and go to when ever they felt
like it.

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: betta behaviour
>From: "RedForeman ©®"
>Date: 9/17/2003 10:36 AM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: >
>
>> OK, after reading all the replies, here goes:
>> A Betta's natural behavior is show how big, bad and gorgeous they are to
>other
>> males, and females too.
>> When they don't ever get the chance to do what they were made for (wild
>Bettas
>> mostly do this and the lesser retreats before a fight starts. In a jar,
>the
>> lesser has no place to go so they fight. I do not condone fighting
>Bettas!),
>> they can become lethargic, drab in color, and not have much will to live.
>> Now when they get the chance to strut their stuff, show how absolutely
>gorgeous
>> and what a bad a$$ they are, their color is vibrant, they look great, and
>get
>> much needed daily exercise.
>> As for "flaring too much?", I would say in many years, I've had a few
>males
>> that just would flare to they dropped from exhaustion. With those males I
>had
>> to use a mirror for daily exercise. I would put it up to their tank at
>least
>> once a day, for about 20 or so minutes.
>> All the other males either have a "flare buddy" in a tank next to them, or
>are
>> in front of a large mirror on my dresser. They have a mirror image of
>> themselves to play with everyday.
>> Most become bored ina month or so, so I change them around.
>> I have onemale that will only flare with one other male. He will not
>bother
>> with any others....just this one male. Weird.
>> I have also seen Bettas have a color preference.
>> This didn't always mean it was their own color either.
>> Bettas are thinking creatures and have to have their minds stimulated as
>well.
>> The 29g that I house my females and always a resident male (I do switch
>the
>> males around in here too), has a shiny-royal blue background. The males
>will
>> often flare at themselves for a while, and then go on about their business
>in
>> the tank. Later he may take another gander at himself. This behavior is
>closer
>> to natural, as he can take off when he's ready (or gives in = )~ ).
>> I'd say if your guy is still going at it non-stop for a couple more weeks,
>he
>> should probably be one to have timed, daily exercise. Give him a little
>more
>> time though. I've seen them go nuts for weeks and go to when ever they
>felt
>> like it.
>>
>
>thank you SOSO much for that reply... exactly what I was hoping to get...
>I've had him almost a week, and his flaring is subsiding a bit, but I'll
>give him some time to get used to seeing himself and if it does become his
>habit, I'll try and distract him a bit, maybe read to him some.. ..haha....
>
>He is gorgeous, and with all bettas, I'm sure he also thinks so... he might
>just have a crush so maybe it'll pass soon...
>
>It's nice to hear it's natural for this behaviour... I read that it's as
>hard to pin their behaviour to any one specific event or reason, because
>they are so good at being different.... that's another great thing about
>them... they are like NO other fish in the world....
>

I just wanted to add one more tid-bit:
There is the occasional male who is very timid, and submissive.
To the point that if even seeing his own reflection with scare the you know
what out of him, and send him cowering in a corner, and showing horizontal
barring (blanching their color out too) to show submission and fear.
You don't see these boys too often, but they're out there.
You think they're going to have a heart attack when they see their own tail
fin!
These boys I would just leave alone. No mirror, or reflective background. I
just make sure to visit their tank a little longer (their exercise would be
their happy dance when they see the Goddess of the Bloodworms!).
Have a Betta day! = )

[Tenille]

"RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message >...
> Yeah, I read that, but the length of time, up to a year, well, does that
> mean 24/7/365?? probably not, but so far, mine has hardly stopped in a
> week.... only to eat, sleep whenever that happens, and he's back at it...
>
> Thanks Wendy...
>
>
> "Wendy Puckett" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Found the following at this link:
> > http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_behavior.htm (this website was helpful
> > to me when I got my first betta, Sonny the bachelor)
> >
> > Because bettas are not as intelligent than us (or are they? :)) ) you
> > can get the same result by putting a mirror in front of them. Well, it?s
> > not really that they are dumb, but they don?t know what they look like,
> > so when they see the betta in the mirror, they don?t know the betta is
> > actually THEM.:) This makes for hours of fun watching the whole
> > commotion. And no, bettas will not get exhausted, as a matter of fact, I
> > have two brothers jarred side by side who have been continually flaring
> > at each other for a year now. I believe that a little action and company
> > is good for the moral. So I let my bettas see each other. This is not a
> > good idea though, if you intend to show your bettas. Sometimes, a betta
> > who looks lethargic will be stimulated by replacing his neighbor. A new
> > neighbor equals a new pecking order to establish and a whole new desire
> > for flaring."
> >
> >
> >
> > RedForeman ©® wrote:
> > > Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's
> seeing
> > > himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and
> saying,
> > > "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
> > > seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After
> a
> > > few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
> > > pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches
> and
> > > does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner
> again,
> > > see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
> > >
> > > I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize
> this
> > > guy would want to fight/love himself so much...
> > >
> > > Any comments are welcome....
> > >
> > > BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that
> never
> > > come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to play...
> > > had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
> > >
> > > TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black earthworms,
> > > rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
> > > larvae... :-)
> > >
> > >
> >

I am new to the world of betta's.. actually to the world of fish in
general. But I bought two because their bright red color was so
appealing and they look great on my entertainment center.. terrible
reason to get into them I know but they have become great pets. I've
tried a few different kind of foods and the thing they seem to like
best is sun dried shrimp and blood worms. But the pellets I bought
says that it will enhance their color. Should I keep feeding the
pellets or what they like?

[TYNK 7]

>Subject: Re: betta behaviour
>From: (Tenille)
>Date: 9/17/2003 3:15 PM Central Daylight Time
>Message-id: >
>
>"RedForeman ©®" > wrote in message
>...
>> Yeah, I read that, but the length of time, up to a year, well, does that
>> mean 24/7/365?? probably not, but so far, mine has hardly stopped in a
>> week.... only to eat, sleep whenever that happens, and he's back at it...
>>
>> Thanks Wendy...
>>
>>
>> "Wendy Puckett" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > Found the following at this link:
>> > http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_behavior.htm (this website was helpful
>> > to me when I got my first betta, Sonny the bachelor)
>> >
>> > Because bettas are not as intelligent than us (or are they? :)) ) you
>> > can get the same result by putting a mirror in front of them. Well, it?s
>> > not really that they are dumb, but they don?t know what they look like,
>> > so when they see the betta in the mirror, they don?t know the betta is
>> > actually THEM.:) This makes for hours of fun watching the whole
>> > commotion. And no, bettas will not get exhausted, as a matter of fact, I
>> > have two brothers jarred side by side who have been continually flaring
>> > at each other for a year now. I believe that a little action and company
>> > is good for the moral. So I let my bettas see each other. This is not a
>> > good idea though, if you intend to show your bettas. Sometimes, a betta
>> > who looks lethargic will be stimulated by replacing his neighbor. A new
>> > neighbor equals a new pecking order to establish and a whole new desire
>> > for flaring."
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > RedForeman ©® wrote:
>> > > Is the flaring of a betta's fins a sign of it NOT liking that he's
>> seeing
>> > > himself in the reflection of my tank, or is he seeing himself and
>> saying,
>> > > "I'm so beautiful"? I've got him in a tank with a black back and he's
>> > > seeing himself and flaring his fins, and his neck at himself... After
>> a
>> > > few pumps, he makes a big round the tank, stopping every 3-4 inches to
>> > > pause, flare his fins, "look how big/pretty I am" and swims 3-4 inches
>> and
>> > > does it again... he'll go all around the tank, find that same corner
>> again,
>> > > see himself, flare, flare, turn, turn, flare flare....
>> > >
>> > > I can change the background if it's a bad thing, just didn't realize
>> this
>> > > guy would want to fight/love himself so much...
>> > >
>> > > Any comments are welcome....
>> > >
>> > > BTW, he's in a 10g with 3 cories, 3 kuhlis and a 3" bristlenose that
>> never
>> > > come out.... that's why I got him, nobody else would come out to
>play...
>> > > had him for a week now and he's energetic, attentive and eats well...
>> > >
>> > > TNKY77 I'm taking all the advice I find and feedig him black
>earthworms,
>> > > rinsed well and chopped, but so far, I'm trying NOT to find mosquito
>> > > larvae... :-)
>> > >
>> > >
>> >
>
>I am new to the world of betta's.. actually to the world of fish in
>general. But I bought two because their bright red color was so
>appealing and they look great on my entertainment center.. terrible
>reason to get into them I know but they have become great pets. I've
>tried a few different kind of foods and the thing they seem to like
>best is sun dried shrimp and blood worms. But the pellets I bought
>says that it will enhance their color. Should I keep feeding the
>pellets or what they like?

A well varied diet would be the best thing for the Betta (as well as all fish).