Photo of Phoenix submitted by SS
Q: SS wrote,
Hi Christie,
As somebody new to bettas, I just wanted to say that your site is one of the best built, most comprehensible and user-friendly that I’ve found! Keep up the good work!
I have a (hopefully) quick question for you about what appears to be ‘gulping’ by my betta. I haven’t had him very long (it’s my first one) and I don’t have a very good grasp of what is “normal” betta
behavior. (Thanks to your site, I found out the bubbles he was blowing in the corner was a nest!) Every now and again, I see him open his mouth reeeaaaally wide and (apparently) gulp water into his mouth. This isn’t done at the surface to breathe or when eating; just swimming around the tank… Do you know why he does this, and is it indicative of anything abnormal in my new little fishy?I’ve attached a photo of Phoenix, my CT betta, just chillin at the bottom of his tank; I’m such a proud new betta mommy. 😉
A: Thank you for the kind words about the site. It really means a lot.
I looked at your photo of Phoenix and wow, what a beautiful betta. His color is lovely and so vibrant and his fins are well expanded like they should be on a healthy fish. Very nice!
The gulping you describe is totally normal betta behavior. They often gulp air at the surface and will similarly gulp underwater, though less often. Some betta enthusiasts will refer to it as yawning or something similar to a yawn. We aren’t 100% certain why they do this but the general belief is that they are flushing their gills. You may notice when he gulps the water that he opens his gills at the same time.
As I mentioned, this is quite common with Bettas but still it is an occasional behavior. If your betta is flushing his gills very frequently, this could be a signal that he isn’t getting the oxygen he should. This could occur from a physical injury to his gills or labyrinth organ, exposure to ammonia, nitrite poisoning, or if he isn’t given access to the surface for air.
Chances are Phoenix is just fine and flushing his gills normally. If you are concerned that he is over-flushing, start by testing his water for ammonia and nitrite.
View Comments (14)
I was just wondering how often a Betta gulps air? As in, what would normal be so that I would know if it isn’t normal?
Thanks!
Okay, so I got a Double Tail betta at the petstore yesterday and followed all the instructions of how to introduce him to his new environment without putting too much stress on him. He seems to love his new home, however, I’m a little concerned about his attraction to the filter. He likes to swim down inside of it and hide, I’m worried that it might be harmful to him but he swims right back out without a problem. Should I just take it as his favorite place to hide or…what should I do?
My my goldfish and my two Bettas did and do the same thing. I don’t think it is harmful but I do think it gives them a nice space to get away from the lights and action if the tank. Hope your having a good day, Hannah
Actually, while this isn't behavior that would indicate an illness, I've read that bettas go behind the filter when they are stressed by it, as a sign that they don't like the current it's producing. See if you can lower the water current on your filter! Your betta may also just need time to adjust to the current if it's already on a low setting.
Same, my filter was high flow, I turned it into low flow. And it stopped
My betta fish, Rusty, does the same thing. Yawning underwater. Someone mentioned, it could be boredom.
I have the Aqueon 2.5 mini betta tank sold at Petsmart which provides ample surface for him to breathe. I am going to do a water change to see if this quells this behavior. If a more experience betta fish owner wants to reply to me; feel free to do so.
Hey I bought my second betta two days ago hes nothing like the first one I got he hides all the time scared of my fingers aha and doesnt like going to the top when I feed him and I also see him gulp under water he looks healthy and my tank is clean…
Bettas will "yawn" to flush their gills they draw water in through their mouth and flush it out through gills. Had a Betta once with Mycobacteria (gills clog with thick mucous) who constantly tried to flush out mucous. As for attraction to the filter this is normal, Bettas are curious by nature and most enjoy the current gives them a " water massage". My new Betta sits in front of the current stream taking it all in wiggling away in contentment.
I've had my boy for about a week and I think he's actually yawning when he gets tired. He's very good about his routine, he'll go over to his leaf for bed time before I've even turned off the light and then settle in when I do.
Hi,
I've had my male crowntail for nearly two weeks, and I'm still adjusting to his behavior. Sometimes he makes "blub blub" faces (like he's "kissing" at the glass) and sometimes he yawns - but when he yawns, he desn't actually flare his gills. I've seen him do it when he flares his whole body, but he doesn't flare when he yawns. Should I be worried?
Hi! I'm new to having fish too and I'm still adjusting to how to properly care for my betta. He is a Delta and his name is Gojasu! I live in a dorm and have him in a vase that hold 3/4 of a gallon and have just him and a live plant and some round glass pebbles at the bottom. I got him 2 days ago almost 3 and he seems to be doing good. I read that when you have them in small spaces you have to change the water more regularly due to nitrates but then I read that when you have a live plant with them, the plant helps reduce the nitrates. I was thinking of changing his water weekly, would that be good enough?
Also I am feeding him the Tetra brand "Betta Small Pellets" but I think they're too big so i cut one with a needle and gave it to him and he ate half of it. He doesn't eat much I believe I give him maybe 3 pellets per day is that enough?
Hi Krystal,
Bettas require a minimum of 3 gallons(bigger is betta), so you'll need a tank to keep your betta healthy. You'll also need a heater unless the betta lives where the temperature never drops below 76°F. About your feeding schedule, it's normal for your betta to not eat well for a few days. For your plant, (if it's aquatic) you'll need fertilizer and co2 supplements. Happy fishkeeping!
Hi! I bought two betta fish about a week ago. I ended up with two because they were sitting in dirty water on a Walmart shelf. I know having two in the same tank isn't ideal. We use a divider in a heated, filtered, 10 gallon tank that we loaded with plants and hiding spots but they can see one another. They haven't been big eaters since we got them. Turquoise's cup was filled with his own waste, Sapphire's cup had something white and fuzzy floating in his water but nothing was on him, however the water was very dirty. At first I thought Sapphire had dropsy but after a couple days he straightened up and did well. Now Turquoise has a weird string of slime with something brown in it hanging from a front fin where there is a small tear in his fin. Sapphire has no tears or slime(his side is below the filter) he sits on the bottom and doesn't eat much but looks fine, Turquoise however stays at the top and neither fish are active or showing sign of a good appetite. There are no white spots or any other sign of sickness and I did a water change yesterday but if anything things look worse. I think I need a medication but I am unsure as to what to treat them with. Any advise is welcomed! Thanks, Misty
I just got a Black Orchid Betta. I’m a first time Betta owner. It’s almost time to change his water. But what I’m concerned about is when I go to change the water. I’m afraid its going to be too cold. And I don’t have a thermometer to check the water temp. So how do I check the water without a thermometer