Arguing With Myself

[live_the_wild]

Good day or evening ladies and gents!

I have a question, I read somewhere that a mirror should be held up against the side of your betta's tank maybe once or twice a week so that it can "flex some muscle" and get some excersise.

We all know that the betta is flaring his fins as he thinks he is protecting his territroy but is this considered excersise for the fish?

Do you guys think one should let their betta do this form time to time or is it folly and just stressful to the fish?

Thanks for your time

Best regards,

live_the_wild

 

[Night61]

good for them.

 

[Truck]

There's is no need for it at all.

 

[live_the_wild]

There's is no need for it at all.

that's what i was thinking also.

 

[Larkspur]

Doesn't seem like a need to me. I have two males that can see one another in a divided tank and they don't flare at each other at all after 2 days passed. Neither are stressed. They mosey around their tank as happily as a betta could be. If I put a mirror in front of them it'll be for entertainment reasons or to get a good photo (if they even flare at all, who knows) I don't see how it's a need.

 

[MrNiceGuy]

There's is no need for it at all.

need, maybe not. but i do think its beneficial. most bettas live in small, poorly decorated tanks without tankmates. occasional flaring gives them some stimulation and can keep them interested in their surroundings.

 

[ellena]

There's is no need for it at all.

need, maybe not. but i do think its beneficial. most bettas live in small, poorly decorated tanks without tankmates. occasional flaring gives them some stimulation and can keep them interested in their surroundings.

Be much better to improve poor tank conditions though, no?

 

[Truck]

There's is no need for it at all.

need, maybe not. but i do think its beneficial. most bettas live in small, poorly decorated tanks without tankmates. occasional flaring gives them some stimulation and can keep them interested in their surroundings.

How do you know that flaring gives them stimulation and keeps them interested in their environment?

There is nothing scientific about it.

 

[loraxchick]

There's is no need for it at all.

need, maybe not. but i do think its beneficial. most bettas live in small, poorly decorated tanks without tankmates. occasional flaring gives them some stimulation and can keep them interested in their surroundings.

How do you know that flaring gives them stimulation and keeps them interested in their environment?

There is nothing scientific about it.

not necessarily true. its natural for them to flare. just as natural as swimming and building bubble nests. also a good technique to try if trying to breed and they are hesitant to build a bubblenest (scare away potential rival-spark the breeding instinct).
bettas tend to "get used" to their surroundings and be pretty sedate. also, bettas are prone to constipation (generally from lack of exercise and overfeeding-flaring stimulates them to poop-well, every one of the bettas ive ever owned anyway) so "exercising" them is actually a good idea. even in the BEST setups, they do tend to get lazy,or should i say comfortable in their surroundings, and problems can arise from that sort of lifestyle.
flaring is also useful if there is crooked ray growth (fairly common with "pet shop" bettas). over time, can help straighten out their fins.
be warned tho-if you leave the mirror up indefinitely they will eventually get bored with that too as they understand that they cant "get to" the other fish. similar to 2 males that are in divided tanks or house next to each other. may flare like mad initially, but eventually give up. also the older the betta, typically, the less he cares about flaring in any instance. mirrors or not.
just some thoughts. personally it is up to the owner. but i can say it does not cause any "stress". it is good for them.
cheers

 

[Lacuna]

I had a betta who was tail biting; I would see him swim in circles and chase his tail and bite it. His tail was totally ragged with chunks missing. Getting him to flare a lot seemed to stop the biting. That was a few months ago and as far as I'm aware he hasn't bitten since. Not scientific evidence, just personal experience . As loraxchick said, getting them to flare can be useful for things like breeding and constipation. It's probably not necessary on a regular basis though.

 

[BethK]

I do it to test how aggressive my betta can be but that is all (before adding other fish), I did it 5 times with my now betta and he didn't even bother. Where as my first ever betta was ready to take your hand off!

I personally think it is a little cruel to wind a betta up on purpose. If your betta is in with other fish, then he may well flare up a couple times a week, anyway.

 

[tom130691]

only done it once as i had never seen him flare

then when i got my other betta, i changed the 5 gal to sand and put him in a trap in the tank with another betta

took them a good 15mins to notice each other one flared more than the other

i personaly feel its good for them time to time , but then we are getting them worked up for a figt then not letting them fight, stressing them

 

[MrNiceGuy]

i personaly feel its good for them time to time , but then we are getting them worked up for a figt then not letting them fight, stressing them

i think the fact they flare and dont have to fight is the opposite of stress. i get the feeling they feel as if they've scared the enemy away. i'm not gonna lie and say i have any scientific evidence to support this, i just think logically, it makes sense.

 

[BethK]

My betta winds up the tetras every now and then, he'll swim up to them and flare up but turn and swim off. He's never gone for them but you can see he is having fun, in a sadistic kind of way

 

[tom130691]

i personaly feel its good for them time to time , but then we are getting them worked up for a figt then not letting them fight, stressing them

i think the fact they flare and dont have to fight is the opposite of stress. i get the feeling they feel as if they've scared the enemy away. i'm not gonna lie and say i have any scientific evidence to support this, i just think logically, it makes sense.

do not agree they will not be relived by the other fleeing, when i have done this he stays on that side of the tank darting arounf to find the other betta and is clearly stressed and ready to protect his territory,