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Betta Basking

2K views 20 replies 8 participants last post by  Betta132 
#1 ·
My Betta lays like this all the time. He just watches the world go by above. I think he is lazy.
 
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#4 ·
Just wanted to verify you have a heater in the tank? Bettas are less active in cooler waters. They prefer 78-82F. My guys (and gal) lounge occasionally but for the most part they're out and about trying to get my attention or exploring/foraging.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I'm @76-78F. So it could be that the tank is a bit chilly for him. It depends on the level. 78 near the top, and 76 bottom. It's a 18 inch tall 55g, so there is the thermocline. But he is a very full halfmoon, fuller/longer than others I've seen. Maybe that makes a difference too. He lays in leafs near the surface where it is warmer too. I put a saucer in the tank today and he bedded down in that quickly. I believe he needs to be in a more shallow tank because it really does look like he is laboring to pull that long cape up to the surface from the bottom. Another crazy thing he does is lay over where bubbles come up out of the coir and let them bounce him on his side. Super silly looking. I still haven't named him yet, but his antics are telling.
 
#10 · (Edited)
#14 ·
Bettas are surface breathers too. He's probably extremely tired from gulping air at the surface because of the long swim to the top. I mean, all other comments about that dragging cape of a fin are right, it's probably much like trying to swim in jeans and a t-shirt... Lol.
 
#15 ·
I just wanted to add one more thing. Laying around is a halfmoon thing. The fins and tail grow so long and heavy that they tend to scoot instead of glide when they swim. Balancing on things and laying down are preferred over exercise. That's why it is important to find ways to help them keep active. I found out that Finn loves to prance around in front of a mirror. He can only do so for a few minutes before he gets winded. Here is what he normally looks like.




 
#18 ·
I just wanted to add one more thing. Laying around is a halfmoon thing. The fins and tail grow so long and heavy that they tend to scoot instead of glide when they swim. Balancing on things and laying down are preferred over exercise. That's why it is important to find ways to help them keep active. I found out that Finn loves to prance around in front of a mirror. He can only do so for a few minutes before he gets winded. Here is what he normally looks like.
He's a gorgeous boy. Is he red or orange? Super Beauty.
 
#16 ·
My guess is just like any other animal, they have a personal boundary limit and a territory limit. Ever watch a flock of birds land on a telephone line, every one of them is nearly exactly the same distance apart and they will let another bird know if they get to close. The size of the tank would matter the most in the amount of Betas one could keep in it. I had a 5 gallon tank with a divider, blue one on the left, red on the right. The blue one spent his day starring at the red one through the screen then one day found an opening. The red beta lasted all of 30 seconds.
 
#17 ·
B. splendens are bred to fight. If you put two of them in the middle of a lake together, they'll attack each other. It's apparently started to ease up somewhat in recent generations, but they are incredibly aggressive.
If you want a group of bettas, get the wild ones. They're still territorial, but within reason- you can actually keep a group if they have space to establish territories, and they won't murder each other.
 
#21 ·
I had B. Albimarginata, four of them in a 29g. It's usually better to have more males than females, as they're mouthbrooders and the females can exhaust the males out of eagerness to breed, but pairs work unless breeding behavior is seen. They sparred a bit to establish dominance, then didn't really care about each other aside from small spats if the males came across each other while in cranky moods. Lovely fish with simple colors and all the personality of B. Splendens.
I also did a bunch of research into other wild bettas. I'm by no means an expert, but the general consensus seems to be that wild betta groups are entirely possible, though success varies between species.
 
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