Females, Do They Always Swim With Fins Spread Out?

[keithp]

Are Female bettas supposed to always swim with their fins spread open, or is it normal when they swim to close there fins? My Female usually swims with her fins like the "closed" betta, only when she is swimming in place does she have her fins like in the "open' picture.

Closed (blue betta)

Open

 

[Netty]

That's quite common in females. We have one of our babies that never opened her fins until about 3 weeks ago. They weren't stuck....she just always had them closed up.

I guess for swimming it makes them cut through the water easier.

 

[keithp]

I was asking because closed aka "clamped" fins usually mean signs of illness, so I was concerned. But, since they are not always closed and her behavior/eating is normal, I wanted to know if the closed fins were normal. I guess that does make them more streamline in the water and that's why they do it.

This is my first female, i'm so used to slower moving males always showing off their fins I guess than the speedy females who usually dont display too often.

 

[Netty]

It can be a sign of illness but if she's opening up at other times and is active and eating well then I don't think it's anything to worry about. It's just nice to see them open and on display more

 

[keithp]

It's just nice to see them open and on display more

Yeah, they can be just as nice to look at as the Males.