Question about Veil tails

Do Veil tail betta boys seem to have less of a flare than the other varieties? Jagger is a very healthy BIG boy but I have never seen him really flare up like my other boys...

Just curious.....

 

many bettas have different personality. I'm guessing Jagger is a mellow betta? probably the reason he doesn't usually flare up. Have you ever played w/ your betta(s)? If not, use the back of a ballpoint pen (the ones with the plastic casing and colored end) and slowly stick it in front of his nose from the outside of the bowl. If he follows it, he'll probably flare up. If you do this regularily, he may develop a better relationship with you and flare up more often without the pen.

 

many bettas have different personality. I'm guessing Jagger is a mellow betta? probably the reason he doesn't usually flare up. Have you ever played w/ your betta(s)? If not, use the back of a ballpoint pen (the ones with the plastic casing and colored end) and slowly stick it in front of his nose from the outside of the bowl. If he follows it, he'll probably flare up. If you do this regularily, he may develop a better relationship with you and flare up more often without the pen.

Thank you for the input...I play with him everyday...He eats out of my fingers..He follows my finger around the tank.....It's more like his finnage is too heavy to flare...Not quite sure but he is anything but MELLOW lol

 

play with her betta's?? I bet she has a carrying case and clothes she puts on them for days of the week! LOL shes betta queen of the shoe

 

love ya gf!!!!!!

 

My boy all equally flare...now Mr. Peach use to flare at everything. Jasper was a flarer too. I hardly see Casper flare, unless I use the mirror to get him to flare.

 

Hey Shawnee....

Why did you let my secret out! lol This darn spoiled brat drove home in Loretta Lynns Lincoln!

Allie, I use the mirror every day...I call it their excercise program......5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes at night..Steve told me I have officially flip my lid lolol

 

I agree with steve!!!! now u fit in perfect with the rest of us LOL

seeeeeeeee I told ya she has outfits for everday of the week! this is tuesdays torent!

 

hahahahahahahha!!! That is comical!!!

 

I am laughing so hard I have tears over here!

 

I think we need a "kegarator " nite very soooooooooon!

 

I think we need a "kegarator " nite very soooooooooon!

No time like the present! (burp)

 

Flash has gotten where he flares at the mirror even before he sees his reflection. I can show him the edge of the mirror and he will flare. I think he has gotten the point where he knows that it is a game and that there isn't any other betta.

 

<--hands karen a towel!

 

I have 4 males at the mo......

Sky.....Tatty finnage,butch.....flares at own reflection OR if I try to drop in a pellet before he has finished chewing!!!

Flame..... HE IS STUNNING.!!!!!!!! THE longest finnage, red blue and Gold. He goes to bed in his monument around 8pm..... he likes to play peek...a..boo in his plants

Marmalade ( marmy) seeks attention!! Is the clown. Plays with food so you laugh then does it more!! Bit a chunk of tail!!

Kizmet that died was a dream! came to you at the call of his name. Can't dwell on him or I'll cry. ( Delta tail in end...bought as a baby VT femail)

And then there is Spot. He is a beautiful velvet red, such a dream, such a gent and SSSOOOO SSSOOOO mellow, I have NEVER seen a full flare from him!!! I may see a part one but then I get the oh it's you look and that's it. HE is so gentle! melts your heart!!!

Flame/Spot and Marm are DEF veil tails. I think Sky is BUT he came to me with such bad fin rot and regrowth aside still tatty who knows!!!

 

I am personally very timid about using the mirror with a betta. It is hard on their heart to allow them to do that much flaring. It is a danger mode they go into. It is not something they do for fun or exercise. This is the reason that I am careful to keep them from being able to see each other too much. At one point I had a regular piece of paneling to keep the two tanks in my den seperated from each other but now they do not even notice each other so I do not have to use it that much.

Flaring is hard on them as they only do it when they feel threatened for some reason. If it is a momentary thing or they just get startled, it will not harm them but to make them do it for extended periods is just not a good idea.

I heard one member call it like putting them on constant alert and letting them think that someone is breaking into their home to hurt them. How long could we be in that state without being overwhelmed?

Veiltails tend to have a lot of finnage like the Rosetails and Halfmoons and you will find that the more finnage the fish has the less likely they are to do a lot of flaring at full flare anyway. It is heavy and they get enough with just trying to maintain their energy swimming through the water with all that trailing behind without getting all wound up and spreading it out to catch the water and throw them about with it all extended. They learn that they can swim better with the finnage down. The fish with a great deal of finnage and heavy backsides can even break the rays to their fins and not be able to flare at all. I happened to own at least one fish whose finnage was so heavy that it broke his rays and while he was still a very lovely fish, he never flared and I believe he could not have done even if he had wanted to. As the Veiltails get older they also put on more finnage so the fins you see on the little guys at the store are nothing compared to what you could have when they become full grown.

Rose

P.S. I am not scolding just expressing an opinion.

 

I would recommend not using the mirror, they are really cute swimming around all tough, but there's always a chance of brain damage from extended flaring.

I love the outfit..

Teddy Bear has an incredible flare, but he's so mellow that only seeing KairI will get him to flare. Sora never flared, but Mickey will flare at pretty much nothing even. The flaring gills are pretty similar but it really is just a matter of personality how much they flare.

 

I would never even imagine making my betta flare, its like getting your dad ready to punch a guy you never even dated (is that a teenage discription or what ) It just seems cruel to me.

 

play with her betta's?? I bet she has a carrying case and clothes she puts on them for days of the week! LOL shes betta queen of the shoe

 

Mic is the only Betta I have who flares a lot and he's a CT. He's very peaceful with his cories, but he does like to flare at just about everything else. He flares at the gravel vacuum, the algae scraper, and the algae disc I drop in for the cories (he flares then chases it and bumps it around a few times before coming to see if I have any "real" food) He also loves to chase my finger around the surface of the water and try to nip at it.

Toby (veil tail) rarely flares and neither did Ianto when I had him. I suppose their fins are probably just too heavy to bother with a full flare.

 

LOL.. Mic sounds so much like our Mickey. Don't you just love the little tough guy! ;D

Our 2 males that have heavy fins (Rocky & Teddy Bear) don't really flare and both are very mellow boys. But Teddy Bear will go into a FULL flare when he sees Kairi.

Mic is the only Betta I have who flares a lot and he's a CT. He's very peaceful with his cories, but he does like to flare at just about everything else. He flares at the gravel vacuum, the algae scraper, and the algae disc I drop in for the cories (he flares then chases it and bumps it around a few times before coming to see if I have any "real" food) He also loves to chase my finger around the surface of the water and try to nip at it.

Toby (veil tail) rarely flares and neither did Ianto when I had him. I suppose their fins are probably just too heavy to bother with a full flare.

 

I don't see it as cruel and I would NEVER do anything to harm my boys...I guess after reading more about it I will end their excercise program...I will however have to break the mirror out for photo sessions

Just for the record..Will, has never seen himself lol....There is no way to set a mirror up on his tank....He flares at my Apple snails He is so old and fragile I wouldn't even condiser it...

 

I take a rather middle view on this issue. I do not think it is particularly cruel to occasionally encourage them to flare, it is something they do too readily on their own to be that harmful (like a dog barking). But I think that doing it for extended periods can stress the fish out, I would consider 5 minutes as probably too long although I may have exceeded that myself during a couple photo sessions. I would compare it to playing with a dog and getting it worked up where it is growling and excited. This isn't hurting the dog, but if you got him worked up like this for too long it would have side effects. I have also heard that the flaring is actually good for them for various unsubstantiated reasons, but I don't but any faith in either (although there is such a thing as "healthy" stress). But all our views are simply opinions since there is little science and a lot of myth surrounding bettas. I would not encourage a sick or old betta to flare any more than I would would encourage an old man to go play a game of football.

 

Now I did not say any of you were cruel or anything like it. I just stated my opinion and you of course are all welcome to yours. I just know from previous personal experience that it is possible to overdo it. Yes, I did used to do it too but not since I nearly killed one of my guys by overdoing it. Every betta has a different tolerance the same as they all have different personalities and while I have to know mine, you all need to know and be aware of the tolerances of your own bettas. That is all I am saying, be careful if you choose to do it.

It is very obvious if they are overstressed, you will not have to wonder about it so I guess as long as they do not react badly you have not overstressed them, but once it is done it is done that is the problem.

Rose

 

Yea, I wouldn't say it's cruel but it's safer to not encourage extended flaring. And we did give our first Betta "flaring exercise" too, until we read about the potential of extended flaring.