Flaring

Question
Hi Jaymie,

I have recently been reading about flaring, and it seems to be a very controversial topic in terms of providing a betta with mirror time.

I personally find my betta, Artemis will nip his fins from stress if  his reflection can be seen in the side of the tank, so I do not make any of my bettas flare at all.

However, I have been hearing that it is in fact beneficial?

I was wondering if you would be able to provide some information about flaring, and your opinion on it as an experienced betta keeper?

Thanks

Answer
Alexander,
The male Betta is a solitary fish and can become depressed and bored. I have 16 male Betta's all in their own 5 gallon tanks with heater. They are side by side with a thin piece of wood in between them. Every afternoon, I remove the boards so that my boys can see each other. Sometimes they flare and sometimes they don't but they look forward to this time. They have even figured out when it is almost time, by "pacing" back and forth in anticipation of their exercise. I leave the partitions out for about 15 minutes every day. If your Betta is nipping at his fins, try putting the mirror up and turning off his light. Sometimes, he actually sees 2 other Betta's. One in the mirror and the other in the aquarium glass.