Gill Observation. Should I Be Concerned?

[Channti]

My betta (named Alpha II after Alpha I got a severe case of ick and then died during treatment) is fairly new to my tank.

Going to be completely honest, I'm new-ish to Betta-keeping, but not to fish keeping. Alpha II flares at _everything_. If it moves, it requires flaring at, and if it doesn't move, it requires flaring at. Heck, he even flares at his pellets before he eats them (Much to the amusement of myself and my room-mate).

He's living in a 5 gallon tank, all by himself (planning to add some corys and a med-sized fish to-be-determined during my next few trips to the LFS). The tank is filtered with an Elite Stingray 5, and heated with an Elite heater to a temperature of 78-80 degrees. I've got a lot of long-leafed (fake) plants for him to hide in, and a natural-looking wood-cave that Alpha I loved but Alpha II hasn't discovered yet. The tank is being treated with Bettafix (for minor fin issues from the LFS cup-of-death), is cycled, and is treated weekly with AquaPlus, Cycle, Waste Control (All Nutrafin products) at water changes.

Alpha II has been in my tank for 4 days now.

When betta's flare, you know how they puff out the black-layer of their gills? Well Alpha II puffs it out, but when he retracts it, it retracts fully on the right side, and only partially on the left side, as if the left side is still flaring while the right side returns to normal. When he is breathing, the left Gill seems to move faster than the right as well.

Is this something to be concerned about?
Is there anything I should/could do for him?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I'm not sure about the gills closing at different times, but regarding the flaring in general, this could be caused by him still adjusting to his new home. He probably will calm down. FWIW, the only time my male betta flared was right after I moved him from his 2-gallon bowl to his tank. He swam right up to me, looked at me, flared, then swam off and ignored me for a few days. He is a fish who is always watching and interacting with me, but it was that move to a new tank that caused a slight ruffle in his feathers. After those first few days, he turned back to "normal" and swims and watches me again.

Quick question: How is the current flow with your filter? Is there any water movement that could be making your betta annoyed?

 

[Channti]

There is a small current, but only on the left corner of the tank. I've aimed the flow of the filter at the wall of the tank to try to decrease the current and plan to break it further with a plant of some kind after my next trip to the LFS. Alpha II (like Alpha I) likes to lay on top of the filter (because it vibrates from the motor) and let his fins flow in the current, but the current doesn't seem to bother him all that much.

 

[GuppyGoddess]

He sounds so cute! What a personality!

 

[Channti]

He sounds so cute! What a personality!

Watching him flare at his food is interesting. I feed him at night, just before the tank lights go off (as that was when he was fed at the LFS. I'm friends with the LFS managers, and they encouraged me to keep his routine as normal to what he was used to as possible).

The pellets float around the surface in a circle thanks to the filter flow. He goes all predator on the pellets, holding his fins in close around his body until he approaches the pellet, and then flaring at it before swallowing it. It's _very_ cute.

When he isn't flaring at his reflection or laying on top of his filter (enjoying the vibrating sensation), he sits on top of the suction-cupped thermometer (which is in the far left corner at the front of the tank near my laptop) and watches me.

He's definitely alert & has personality. I took a straw from a koolaid Jammer juice-container, and drew "circles' on the side of the tank, and he was following the straw like a cat follows a laser pointer. I should get a picture of him up here... he's gorgeous. Pink/Purple/Blue (with the majority of him being a magenta colour).

 

[GuppyGoddess]

Funny. Mine attacks his food too. What I started doing is wetting my finger and then sticking a pellet to the end of it and now he'll jump slightly out of the water and try and attack the pellet from my finger! Even though it's cute, it's risky putting my hands/arm in the tank as he now tries to bite me thinking I have food for him. My female does the same also. When I set up some new stuff in her tank, she bit me twice on my arm! lol

I'll have to try the straw trick out. Bettas are so cool! Much more interesting than my guppies.