Deportment

[Myron Tay]

quote:Originally posted by Choy_jinhui

how come ur 2.5months old can flare so nicely but mine can't??? wat are the factors that affect the flaring???


I believe your questions pertain to the deportment of the fish as defined by IBC. Deportment is defined as the behavioral attributes of the fish. I believe that you are referring to the general behaviour (or deportment) of the fish rather than the flaring ability.

First off, it is important to recognise that you should provide your fish with conditions that would allow your fish to thrive, rather than merely survive. We have had some discussions on this on the following thread:

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1531&whichpage=1

Assuming that the conditions that would allow bettas to thrive are already in place, we are then left with the traits that the fish inherited from its parents. Just like human beings, different bettas derive some traits from their parents. Hence, selective breeding for an excellent deportment would result in fish with the desired deportment.

As for the ideal deportment, I believe Dr Hsu has alluded to this previously on the following thread:

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1566

I reproduce his thoughts below:

"flare maximally (all fins extended) and then do a slow "cruise" in front of the other male, with just a slight shimmering of the fins - like a battleship cruising...slow, steady and deadly!"

[Choy_jinhui]

ohh ok thx.... i will try to improve the water quality...... thx[ag][ag]

[Myron Tay]

Good deportment as defined in the IBC General Standards, available here: http://www.ibcbettas.org/StadBylawsForms/revised%20Chapter%205%20effective%2007-09-2004.pdf

"Good deportment, often thought of as flaring, is an important trait for Betta splendens because, not only does it indicate vigor, it also allows other features, such as color, to be shown off to advantage. Though of a relatively small value, poor deportment can have disastrous consequences for the other components of evaluation. Poor deportment often gives the impression that the Betta a

[Chet Uy]

I just would like to ask, if you could improve the deportment of your betta? is this possible?

[Chet Uy]

I just would like to ask, if you could improve the deportment of your betta? is this possible?

[sylwester]

In most cases you can improve a Betta ego. Mirrors and other fish will help as long as you make sure he's not scared. When scared you should start up with smaller fish and shorter duration.

Good health, good food and water quality is of course inportant. A sick Betta might just want to hide in most cases.

One thing I have noticed is that deportment might be reduced if they get to flare at the same fish every time. Just like in the wild they might learn to accept that they have neighbours. Letting them flare to different fish helps if that is the case.

[sylwester]

In most cases you can improve a Betta ego. Mirrors and other fish will help as long as you make sure he's not scared. When scared you should start up with smaller fish and shorter duration.

Good health, good food and water quality is of course inportant. A sick Betta might just want to hide in most cases.

One thing I have noticed is that deportment might be reduced if they get to flare at the same fish every time. Just like in the wild they might learn to accept that they have neighbours. Letting them flare to different fish helps if that is the case.

[Myron Tay]

Genetics obviously play a very important role in this too.

[Myron Tay]

Genetics obviously play a very important role in this too.

[terence tan]

is it true that paler colors, example, opaque, grizzled white, are less aggressive and flare less?

[Myron Tay]

Terence

My understanding is that the opaque factor grows to cover even the eyes. When that happens in the older fish, the bettas are effectively blind. As a result, they lose their aggressiveness. Maybe this is a factor?

[terence tan]

ic, i have a relatively young marble(grizzled white+blue) hm, not very keen to flare. anyways to build up its confidence? :)

[Myron Tay]

Another factor could be that you are using the wrong flaring partner. Different bettas react to other bettas differently. More on the following thread: http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1240

[terence tan]

alrighty, thanks myron~

[Myron Tay]

No problem, Terence. Keep us posted on what you discover.

[terence tan]

have posted what i have observed over the past week, in another thread
its more detailed
:)
thanks

http://www.bettaclub.org.sg/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=853

[Myron Tay]

Can bettas be trained to improve their deportment?

Some discussions here: http://www.arofanatics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=188076

Contribution from Lyon on the above thread:

"Aggressiveness can be enhanced by placing it in a small dark place with ketapang leaves for up to 1 week. Fighter players call it Sabbath."

Comments?