My betta fish keeps flaring at me?

Question

my betta fish likes to swim up to the tank and flare at me whenever i come home and greet him (although i guess he kind of stops flaring at me after i feed him, so i'm guessing he's just telling me he wants his food :P). he didn't used to do this before when i first got him (he'd kind of do like a little dance from side to side, if that makes any sense). Also, he's not blowing as many bubbles as he used to. he's been a lot less active lately and just kind of sits around the bottom of this bowl. Just wondering if this is normal behavior.

Answer 1

mine dances at me too!!! haha

its cute!

and i dont think its not-normal. he is just happy :)

Answer 2

Flaring is aggressivee behavior that Bettas normally do towards another male.  I have seen Bettas sit at the bottom of their little cups in the pet stores and they don't look exactly happy even for fish.

Here is a pretty good web site to get help and information on your Betta. I'm sure there are many more sources online you can look to as well. Good luck.

http://www.bettafishcenter.com/Betta-Beh...

Answer 3

Has there been a temperature change? Is he eating well? Is he old? Not really sure what's happening if there aren't many details.

Answer 4

Flair back at him don't let him get away with treating you like that jest kidding yea its normal behavior when he flares at you it is his way of looking bigger and mean because he thinks at first you might be  a threat it is there nature and you have a more aggressive little guy some aren't as feisty remember they are AKA Chinese fighting fish if you put two in the same tank they fight to the death usually that's why they tell you not to put two together  

Answer 5

probly cause he hate ur ase

its a sign of a fight

hehehe

Answer 6

beta means "beautiful warrior" their a very defensive species. It's kinda normal for your fish to want to kill something, let alone something that keeps it in a tank.

Answer 7

that's normal

Answer 8

Male and female Bettas flare or "puff out" their gill covers (opercula) in order to appear more impressive, either to intimidate other rivals or as an act of courtship. Females and males will display horizontal bars (unless they are too light a color for this to show) if stressed or frightened.

Your fish could just be showing off a macho persona.

which is just how they are, of course i think its funny how yours stops after you feed it, sort of like "okay, you win. i'm not THE man"

Hope this helps!

Answer 9

Awww, I love the "betta dance"!  I've trained my betta to dance with me on a special signal!  :)

Maybe yours has started flaring because he wants to impress you with how beautiful he is when his fins are all flared up?  Maybe he's figured out that you feed him every time he flares at you?  It's hard to say without knowing your betta better.  Maybe try just sitting there and talking to him for a while and not feeding him until he stops flaring.  Bettas are very intelligent, trainable fish.  You can probably train him out of it if you want to.   I don't think it's a bad sign though.  Just his way of recognizing you.  As for not blowing so many bubbles anymore, he's probably just getting beyond the age of wanting to build a bubblenest and mate.  One of mine builds bubblenests all the time and another never does.  I don't think it's anything to worry about.

Answer 10

maybe he wants a buddy to play with

Answer 11

I've had a lot of Betta's. This is normal for them. When they flare 1) They are happy and excited. 2) They are threatened and see a fish they want to fight. This is a different look. They look REALLY flared out and they look basically pissed off! 3) They see a female, again a different behavior if you really watch. So yeah, this is pretty normal. Hope this helps!

Answer 12

Its normal. Its fine that hes not blowing bubbles anymore hes probably just getting tired of it. My betta sleeps a lot but dances when its feeding time. He never flares at me though. Its normal. Your betta has quite a personality! =)