mirror tank

[jimbooo]

Hi Everyone,

i have a small 2 gallon tank with the back panel made of a mirror instead or normal glass.

i have had one male betta in there for 2 months and he has only recently stopped fighting with his reflection. he swims up and down "flaring" at himself.

i have a piece of bogwood and one grass like plant in there with internal filter and airstone.

i was just wondering if the mirror is unhealthy for him. although he seems happy, eating normally etc...

the only other option is to put him in my 40G community tank with danios, guppys, pleco, bala shark (rehousing asap), and Angelfish.

what would you suggest??

 

[cation]

Over the long term, it can be unhealthy. Some bettas will flare and flare until they blow their tail, or it can also simply cause the betta to become tired. Maybe you could find a piece of flat plastic to slide down in front of the mirror to cover it up.

Now, if you remove the plastic for short periods of time so he can flare occasionally, it shouldn't hurt him. Good luck.

Another possiblity is emptying and drying the tank (you can put a betta in tupperware or something - it'll only be temporary!), then applying a "fish safe" paint to the mirrored side. Wait for the paint to dry, refill the tank, betta back in. This will eliminate the problem all together.

 

[bkk_group]

i think the worst damage that can occur longterm would be a blown gill cover (the gill covers become useless and stick out). short tail plakats are less likely to blow their tail but are succeptable to gill damage. it's not life threatening but you still don't want it to happen to your fish. i believe in a set time for flaring meaning if i had a mirror i would only use it for a few hours every day etc. it's healthy for them to flare, it gives them exercise and keeps them mentally focused for a period of time (which is good). all the time though and the exercise loses it's effectiveness.