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What does it mean when a betta fish flares its gills at you?

8 July 2010 11 Comments

I put my face close to the tank and my betta fish just flared its gills at me and i was just wondering if it is frightened or just angry.

11 Comments »

  • Srsly. Jessica. said:

    He is probably not flaring them at you, but rather his refelection. Bettas are extremely territorial, that’s why you can’t house more than one male together. When he flares his gills, it makes him appear larger to his "adversary", or in your case, his reflection.

  • Diablo said:

    He’s angry. He’ll do it to other fish also who bother him. It’s his way of saying "Beware"

  • nobo848 said:

    He was trying to intimidate you because he thinks you are trying to invade his territory.

  • normy in garden city said:

    I used to keep two of them in a tank with a glass divider between them. It’s really neat, or you can put a small mirror in the tank and watch him go nuts.

  • lonly_luver_boi said:

    its just trying to defend itself. it does that also wen u put mirrors or ur finger next to it. u shouldnt do that often though. thats wat my cousin told me. he said that if ur gonna buy multiple bettas u should have a piece of paper between each of them so that they dont always flare out all the time

  • ferrari_83000 said:

    he’s challenging his reflection.

  • tigerfairy39 said:

    Bettas flare when they are excited. He sees you, and equates you with a change of pace and FOOD! Bettas are little piggies and love food, so they flare when they see you because they are excited to get fed.

  • Petlover said:

    LOL!!!! My betta does the SAME thing. Its soooooo funny. He’s just doing to you what he would do to another male, threatening you and asserting himself. Nothing wrong except that his ego is getting a little high. Hope this helps!!!!

  • Jenni wit an i said:

    Bettas sometimes are agressive they like to fight with other fish. Your betta is very healthy because he flares unlike mine but yea. He isn’t frightened its a normal thing thats but bettas do sometimes.

  • mytanaka@sbcglobal.net said:

    He’s just saying "hey, this is my territory, get out"

  • ericka1star said:

    he’s trying to make his appearance seem larger to you to scare you away. he’s probably both frightened and angry

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