Gill flaring is a behavior that is normal for a betta fish to perform once or twice a day.
They also flare out their fins and tails. This could happen for several innocuous reasons.
However, excessive flaring could indicate something is amiss.
Whether you’re a veteran betta fish owner or have recently gotten a gorgeous betta as your first fish, you may notice that your betta fish is excessively flaring its gills.
As a long-term betta owner, I’ve seen my fair share of gill-flaring from my fish.
But, any excessive behavior can be concerning, so let’s explore why your betta fish could be excessively flaring its gills.
While there are negative reasons for this reaction, there are also positive reasons that your betta fish could be flaring its gills more than normal.
Keep reading, you will learn:
Why Do Betta Fish Flare Their Gills?
Bettas are known for their beautiful fins and tails, coloring, and their aggression. It’s no mistake that they are also called Siamese fighting fish, as they originate from Southeast Asia, where they were often bred to fight each other.
Betta fish do normally flare their gills about once or twice a day. Male bettas flare more frequently than female betta fish, but both sexes have this habit.
It is rare, but some betta fish simply do not flare, or they flare very rarely. This is actually due to genetics. These fish are placid and will naturally not be as aggressive as other bettas.
In their relaxed position, your betta fish’s gills will be flat behind its head and you won’t be able to see them easily.
When their fins and tails are relaxed, they resemble sails without the wind blowing through them, or flattened parachutes.
When they flare their gills, they will pop up and become visible, as though the “sails” are rising.
Why Is My Betta Fish Flaring So Frequently?
Betta fish flare their gills to appear bigger than they are. This is a defensive technique to scare off other fish or predators that might hurt the betta.
However, domestic betta fish don’t have many predators to worry about, so why would a betta fish flare gills like that?
One reason a betta might flare its gills is to display aggression toward other tankmates or even its reflection.
Gill flaring is such an ingrained instinct toward other fish that even if they see their reflection in the tank, they could respond by flaring their gills and fins.
Bettas are bred to show dominance through behaviors like gill flaring, fin flaring, and even ramming other fish and biting their fins. If your betta fish feels like it is not safe or perhaps not the leader of the tank, it will likely flare its gills more often than normal to try and establish that dominance.
What betta fish lack in size, they make up for in intimidation and spunk. Betta fish are also territorial. They have an intrinsic need to defend their space and physical bodies. Although betta fish can have tankmates, it is typical to see them alone in a tank because of the ingrained need to show dominance, which can potentially harm other tankmates or the fish itself.
Besides defense, frequent gill flaring could be a sign of courting. Male betta fish will flare their gills and fins to attract female betta fish. In this case, flaring is a display for a female betta, demonstrating how protective and magnificent a male suitor can be. Male bettas also flare during spawning season not only to impress females but also to make rival suitors back off.
If you have a breeding pair of bettas, you will know a pair is ready to mate when vertical stripes appear on the female betta’s body. Even if your breeding pair is in separate tanks, it’s usually a good idea to let them see each other so they can perform their normal mating behaviors.
Male bettas are in charge of building the bubble nest where the female will lay her fry of eggs. This brings us to another reason why your betta may be flaring; it could be trying to scare away threats to their fry. After the female lays the eggs securely in the bubble nest, the male betta typically chases the female away and becomes responsible for protecting the eggs.
Why Is My Betta Flaring at Me?
It might be even more concerning to see your betta fish flare its gills at you when you approach than it is to observe this behavior in passing. There are many reasons your betta could be directing its flaring gills and fins at you specifically.
One is quite adorable: they are excited to see you and flare their gills as a greeting. Many people may not know that betta fish are trainable; you can even get them to eat from your hand! If your betta fish feels comfortable around you, flaring when you come home or feed it is a sign it’s happy to see you.
Your betta may also flare its gills at you when you first bring it home. You are essentially strangers and it is getting to know you, just as you are getting to know this new fish. Your betta might flare to cover up nervousness and appear threatening to you at first. This should go away over time as your betta acclimates to seeing you and interacting with you.
Even if your betta has been a long-term resident in your home, it could flare its gills at you if you approach the tank too quickly. Betta fish do not like sudden, unpredictable movements. They are excellent at anticipating and defending against attacks.
You can stop this from happening by moving slowly around the tank or even by placing a barrier between the tank and the rest of your home. This solution means that you won’t have to alter your behavior; you just have to make sure your fish cannot see you if you are moving quickly.
Along with sudden movements, betta fish dislike loud noises. If you are making excessive or sudden loud noises, such as doing dishes, vacuuming, having a get-together, or moving, this will almost always stress your betta out and they may begin to flare frequently. The simple solution is to stop being so loud and “obnoxious” around your betta fish.
Your betta fish may also flare at you after you clean their tank. Cleaning the fish tank is unavoidable and necessary for their health, but you can’t exactly explain that to your fish. You have to move your betta to a new container while you clean out the tank, and this change, along with new water in its original tank, can make a betta fish become tense and flare its gills.
This can also occur when you are changing the water. When you change the water in your betta’s tank, pH levels change and your fish needs to get used to the new water, which has a different composition than the previous water in the tank. Flaring is a natural reaction to any change in your betta’s environment and does not mean that something serious is wrong.
Will Female Betta Fish Flare?
Female betta fish do flare, just not as frequently as males, and could for any of the same reasons as male betta fish.
For the majority of the animal kingdom, the males are more colorful, flamboyant, and demonstrative of the two sexes, and betta fish are no exception. Males have much larger gill flaps and long, flowing tails reminiscent of a ponytail. They come in splendid colors ranging from red to blue to violet and everything in between.
Female bettas, on the other hand, do come in lovely colors, but their fins and tails are much shorter, and it can be difficult to even glimpse their gill flaps when they are not flaring.
Female bettas may not have as strong a fighting drive as the males and they may not be as easily startled, intimidated, or moved to aggression.
After all, the male betta is the one that protects the fry after the female lays her eggs.
Flaring: The Good & the Bad
Flaring is a natural behavior that serves many purposes for your betta fish. It’s normal for them to flare a couple of times a day, especially if your betta is male. When betta fish flare their gills, they usually do this for about a minute or two at a time. Your betta won’t flare for prolonged periods, as this can be exhausting for the fish.
This behavior is healthy for bettas if it occurs at a regular frequency, but not too often. You can think of it as a mini yoga session for them, a chance to air out their gills and fins and to stretch. It also strengthens their muscles and keeps them loose and ready to display their gorgeous fins, tails, and gill patches.
When your betta flares once or twice a day, it’s simply stretching, practicing wooing a mate, or intimidating a potential threat, just like they were bred to do. Flaring at regular intervals is a way for betta fish to exercise and it also works as a motion and behavior that releases stress for them and helps them to calm down. It can also act as a maneuver to release pent-up energy.
However, frequent flaring may be a cause for concern, and what you can do to help your betta fish stop this potentially harmful behavior. If a betta continues to flare too often, it can cause muscle strain and potential damage to its fins from the exertion. Excessive flaring can also indicate that the betta is under unnatural levels of stress, which is unhealthy.
Since gill flaring is a sign of discomfort, your betta could also be sick. If you are concerned that your betta fish may have health problems, have a vet check them out. However, this is not a very common symptom of many betta illnesses. It is best to try and alter the environment for your fish before you take more drastic steps.
If your betta fish isn’t flaring at all, that is more cause for concern. You can use a mirror in front of your betta so that it will catch sight of its reflection and begin flaring.
How Can I Stop My Betta Fish from Flaring Excessively?
There are many steps you can take to make your betta feel more comfortable and relaxed so they will stop flaring excessively.
Remove incompatible Tank Mates
Although betta fish are typically kept alone in a tank because of their aggressive behavior, there are plenty of suitable species that betta fish tend to get along with, as they don’t feel the need to dominate over them. If your betta fish is sharing a tank with any other fish, especially other bettas, remove the tank mates as a first step to stop excessive flaring.
Reduce Reflection
To keep your betta fish from flaring at its reflection, you can move the tank to a place where the light is dimmer and will avoid creating reflections. The darker spot the tank is in, the more shadow the tank will get and the less likely it is that your betta will be able to spot its reflection.
You can also purchase aquarium paper. This is adhesive paper specially designed to act as wallpaper inside a fish tank and keep the fish from seeing reflections in the glass.
Stressful or Sick
Your betta may be flaring because it is stressed out. Bettas tend to flare to relieve stress or make themselves appear intimidating, so there may be a new stimulus in their vicinity making them stressed. Check and see if there is something unusual near the tank that may be the source of the betta’s irritation.
Your betta fish could also feel stressed because it has nowhere to hide and feel safe. You could try adding more hiding places in your betta’s tank to make them feel safe because they have a quick escape from outside threats.
Conclusion
Flaring is a natural daily behavior for betta fish. You don’t want them to flare too frequently because it can mean they are uncomfortable, feel threatened, or have a health issue. However, your betta fish should flare occasionally, as it’s natural and a way to stretch their muscles.
Have you seen your betta fish flare its gills? Let me know in the comments section! For more helpful articles on bettas and other fish species, check out my other articles on fishkeepingleague.com to keep you and your fish happy and healthy!
Thanks for the post!