how come sometimes it looks like my beta?

Question

fish has a beard and other times he doesnt.?

Answer 1

Male bettas can flare their opercular flaps (gill covers) as a display. When facing off against another male, they want to appear as large and as intimidating as possible, and when viewed head on, flaring the operculum makes them look big.

Male bettas have several flaps that make up the operculum, and the series of them (flared) looks textured, like a beard. I hope this is what you're looking for -- if not, I'll try again!

Answer 2

That 'beard' that you are talking about is a means of protection against other bettas. It makes it look bigger and stronger, possibly scaring off other bettas. However, usually it will end up in a fight if they are put in the same tank. That flap can be triggered by putting a mirror in front of the tank, and is actually quite good for its health if you do it for five minutes a day. It is important not to overdo it though as the fish will get tired and stressed out.

Answer 3

Lucid's answer is great.

To add to that, even if there aren't other bettas around or mirrors to reflect himself, male bettas just flare up sometimes. I have one big guy named Bubba that flares at me every time I walk into the room. He gets over himself after like 10 seconds.

Just make sure there isn't anything around him that is making him flare up constantly, because it can stress him out and thus make him sick. If he's doing this, try to identify what he's flaring up at and remove it from his sight. It's all right for him to flare up sometimes, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 4

it's a fin they fluff up sometimes nothing to fret over

Answer 5

do you have another one next to him? even if you dont, he might be flaring because he is threatened or angry.

Answer 6

puberty