Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping Help and Advice => General Fishkeeping advice => Topic started by: fishcake76 on November 11, 2014, 11:26:13 AM
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Hello!!!
I decided to start a thread devoted to Stanley so you can all avoid reading it when it comes up at the top of the list of new posts!!!!!!
Todays query is regarding his gill membranes. Look at the two photos and you will se that they have gone!! I am putting this down to the fin rot which i have treated and which reduced him to a scruffy little urchin!!!
Will it grow back with his other fin damage and does it cause him any problems not having it??? Am I right in thinking that it is just extra finnage used to display rather than actually serving a purpose??
Opinions please?
FC76
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The gill flaps flare out like a beard when the betta flares his fins. It's all part of making the fish look bigger than it really is to scare off intruders to his territory.
Have you tried holding a mirror up so he can see his reflection? That should make him flare so you'll be able to see his gill membranes properly.
This is also a way to tell males from females. Shops quite often have plakat males mixed in with females. A female will flare but her gill membranes only show at the side. A male's gills show under his head as well, making it look as though he has a beard.
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Hi Sue,
Yes, both those photos are after he has seen his reflection.
He doesn't really flare any more when he sees the mirror, he sort of wobbles!!!??!! He doesn't spread his fins which i suspect would make the wobbling for more affective!!! Then he flicks at objects in his tank and yawns and that's about it. His water is fine, i have checked it this morning as i know flicking and yawning can be related to poor water quality.
I will try to take a video of him wobbling!!
FC76
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Some males don't flare properly, it's just them. I wouldn't worry about him.
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Is it normal for a fish that did flare - quite brilliantly I might add, to stop flaring?
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Stanley is not well. He has been hiding for the last four days and his fins are totally ragged and clamped. He is not eating and is just lying on the bottom of the tank or wedging himself behind things.
I don't want to disturb him with water changes and things as he seems so stressed. I'm keeping his tank mostly covered with a towel.
Should I wait and let nature takes it's course or should I intervene?
FC76
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If you think he is suffering, I would end it for him. If he doesn't seem to be suffering, wait a while.
Bettas are very inbred fish and it is not uncommon for an individual to be very weak. I had a betta die 12 days after I bought him but I have also had one live for at least 19 months (my current betta). There is no way to tell in advance with a fish that doesn't have anything obviously wrong in the shop. We can only see the outside of the fish.