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my beta fish and its gills/color HELP2007-11-24 23:38:06

1. my beta fish opens its gills a huge amount, like they make a 90 degree angle on each side, is there something wrong with it?

2. it is blue/ purpleish in color and its head it turning into a dull dark blue color, is that bad?! PLEASE HELP!!

Answers:

sounds like he's just flaring his fighter fins. do you have him close to another make betta or near another agressive fish? or is there something that might be stressing him out?

sometimes they will even do this if they face a mirror and see themselves. my suggestion would be to try and limit what's causing his stress.

it doesn't hurt him to flare though.he's just trying look impressive and big.

i would only grow concerned if his color is dramatically changing and if he doesn't seem himself. definitly check those betta forums listed above and also there's a few great yahoo groups for betta owners too. some really great people have helped me get my bettas through some tough to understand times.

good luck!

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Is it it's gills or is it just flaring?

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the first thing i would check is the amount of oxygen in your tank, are the pumps strong enough, if it is in a bowl, it will work harder for the oxygen, change the water atleast once a week, they will change color as they get older that is normal.

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The betta is simply flaring.trying to make itself look bigger and scarier. It's a completely natural behavior.