Nuttawet
Fish Crazy
How long do i have to do betta flare routine, a second , a minute , a hour , a day?
How long do i have to do betta flare routine, a second , a minute , a hour , a day?
- Thread starter Nuttawet
- Start date
Do you mean training a betta to flare on command using a mirror?
Generally it’s not recommended to do it for more than a few seconds at a time, if at all.
The betta flares at its reflection thinking it is another male betta, it gets territorial and stressed, which is not healthy long term
Generally it’s not recommended to do it for more than a few seconds at a time, if at all.
The betta flares at its reflection thinking it is another male betta, it gets territorial and stressed, which is not healthy long term
I assume you are asking because you plan to breed? That is the only reason to do it and not all breeders recommend it, though many do. Those who do suggest mirror practice 5 - 10 minutes a day. But you'll get a lot of different opinions about this. If you are not breeding mirror practice is not recommended
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I'm a little concerned by your choice of words. "How do I have to"? You don't. There's no need. A lot of people do this but it is not a necessity.
It's odd that you are in ground zero for modified Betta splendens, and you can't get this information. Is regularly getting a Betta splendens to flare its fins a fighting training technique for gamblers?
Edit - I'm not suggesting this is what you are doing, but I'm wondering the need to do it originates with that unfortunate 'sport'.
It's odd that you are in ground zero for modified Betta splendens, and you can't get this information. Is regularly getting a Betta splendens to flare its fins a fighting training technique for gamblers?
Edit - I'm not suggesting this is what you are doing, but I'm wondering the need to do it originates with that unfortunate 'sport'.
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OP
OP
Nuttawet
Fish Crazy
No gamblers and no plan to breed just to make them get less stress and good health for them to exercise like in nature.
In nature male Betta splendens will have a territory that he defends against other males. If another male swims into his territory, he will flare at it and try to get it to leave the area. If the intruder is a smaller fish it will probably leave straight away and that is it. However, if the intruder is a big male and equal to the one that lives there, they will flare for a bit to try and intimidate the other fish and scare them away. If that doesn't work they will fight to the death or until one fish tries to get away. The fights are usually over in a few minutes but can go on for up to one hour. The longer the fight the more damage that occurs to both fish physically and from a chemical build up (lactic acid) in their muscles, and also in stress chemicals. This weakens the fish and shortens their lives. If they only flare and fight occasionally, they get plenty of time to recover, but if they fight regularly, they die early.
When I had natural Betta splendens they didn't flare at the mirror. I tried it to see with both my wild male and his offspring.
They also coexisted well, although that was a temporary peace until the idea of spawning hit them. I suspect a lot of the long finned domestic bettas developed not as ornamentals but as ornamental fighters, and a lot of line breeding was aimed at making them more aggressive. The gambling scene is very much alive not only in southeast Asia, but here as a cruel, underground vice. I was in a North American store once when plakats were being unpacked, and while I don't speak Cantonese, the men there weren't excited about the colours of the fish they'd received.
Using a mirror to awaken those instincts and get the Betta to show his fins is an old trick, and some believe it's good exercise. Maybe it is, as the overgrown, unnatural fins of a fancy betta can hold fungus and bacteria in their folds, and maybe an airing out (watering out?) helps. Mostly it's for us to see the fins though.
It's ironic that the number one pretty pet fish in the hobby owes its linebred fancy fins to it being fought to the death by gamblers who wanted a good show.
They also coexisted well, although that was a temporary peace until the idea of spawning hit them. I suspect a lot of the long finned domestic bettas developed not as ornamentals but as ornamental fighters, and a lot of line breeding was aimed at making them more aggressive. The gambling scene is very much alive not only in southeast Asia, but here as a cruel, underground vice. I was in a North American store once when plakats were being unpacked, and while I don't speak Cantonese, the men there weren't excited about the colours of the fish they'd received.
Using a mirror to awaken those instincts and get the Betta to show his fins is an old trick, and some believe it's good exercise. Maybe it is, as the overgrown, unnatural fins of a fancy betta can hold fungus and bacteria in their folds, and maybe an airing out (watering out?) helps. Mostly it's for us to see the fins though.
It's ironic that the number one pretty pet fish in the hobby owes its linebred fancy fins to it being fought to the death by gamblers who wanted a good show.
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