Betta Prolapsed Gills?

[TropicDan]

Hi,
In anticipation of setting up my 40g reef tank, I wanted to set something small up for the time being while I collect the various parts and research the marine world. So, I set up a 5.5g and added a male crown betta today. It looks like his gills are sticking out a bit, more before but they seem to have retracted a bit. Any comments, I mean for all I know this is normal. He's swimming pretty actively, not gonna try to feed until tomorrow.

Water: 79F;ammonia 0;nitrite 0;nitrate 0 or close to it.

 

[LauraFrog]

Bettas like to flare. It's basically the fish way of saying 'look how big and tough I am, don't think of fighting me or stealing my females, because I will kick your butt.' Usually this involves them raising all their fins to their full size, sticking out their gill plates (so viewed from the front they look like a frillneck lizard, or like a lion's mane, and from the side it seems to protrude downwards) and often weaving in the water or even attacking. They will do this when confronted with another male betta (don't mess with me, buddy), a female (I'm hot! I'm hot! Over here baby!) their own reflection which they think is a rival male - common on reflective aquarium glass - or anything they don't understand or don't like... the 'betta people' on this forum have a wide range of oddballs which will flare at anything from stationary, pictures, aquarium decorations, other fish to their owner's hand.

It's normal for the betta's 'beard' that comes out when he flares to be black or red, but if it looks inflamed, he is gasping, lethargic or seems uncomfortable something could be wrong.

If you can get a photo we can tell you if it's normal or not.

 

[Aquatic_Az]

And this is a picture of my betta flaring at me to demonstrate what 'LauraFrog' said: