red streak on betta?

Question

my betta is black and blue and when i recently put some tetra in it did the whole flair up and look like its on steroids bit plus it looked as if it had a red streak on each of the little dangly fins on the front, he's calmed down now and the fins are back to black. were those streaks indicative of anything?

Answer 1

Often there is a touch of red coloration left in any color of pet shop betta. Sometimes this red is too small or too light to see unless the betta is really displaying his colors. That was the case when you added the new fish. While he was flaring, he also brought out his best colors, including that touch of red.

MM

Answer 2

This is a characteristic of bettas. What you saw was called "flaring." Most male bettas, and even females, will flare when they see eachother, another male or female, or even other fish. Don't worry, this isn't indicitive of anything bad. Just keep an eye on the fish to make sure there isn't any fin nipping. I hope you didn't get any Serpae tetras, aka Red Minor, as they are known fin nippers.