# Is it normal for their gills to puff up noticably when they're breathing?



## inkrealm (May 15, 2011)

I've tried finding threat\ds that show all the basics but I can't find them >< and since he's my first Betta I'm not sure how they should look overweight and underweight and healthy, or how typical breathing should be ><; 
I noticed today his gills puff out when he breathe son a regular bases, kinda like he has cheeks.. is this normal breathing or should it not be very noticeable when he breathes? his water should be pretty ridiculously clean and it is heated so surely it couldn't be parasites ><;
sorry and thanks ^-^;


edit: and it ISN'T flaring, ><;


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

If you mean like this, then it's normal

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8nua75vF_k

No it's not my video, I just searched on youtube


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## BlueHaven (Jul 17, 2010)

Mine gets flarey and moves his gills alot without actually flaring at times. 
I think it should be okay.


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## inkrealm (May 15, 2011)

thanks x3; 
I can't tell, his seems a little more exaggerated >.<;
but he's also blue so maybe it just stands out more ^-^; 
I guess I'll just have to watch him, he doesn't seem to need any more air from the surface than usual.... >< I think he just likes freaking me out XD; thanks for the video ^_^


BlueHaven-
thanks as well, I was a little scared because he likes to shove himself around a lot lately... He seems to do it lazily though and it's not constant, 
and he has those stupid vertical lines on his gills as well, but he's a blue VT best I can tell so that could easily just be a marking, 
as well as the silver "beard" which doesn't seem to come up as any illness signs, 
and his face is paling up and a little spotty, but it doesn't look like any of the illnesses per say and nothing moving and it just looks like pigment. his scales are REALLY obvious, but not pinecone
It's so frustrating because he was a cup betta, so I have no idea what his actual color is supposed to be <T^T> 
I know they can have spotty heads though, and like I said the water is hard core clean x-x 
and he eats fine and mostly acts fine, so ><; 

he jerked his head really weird a bit ago, kindof repeated twitching, but maybe he was just being finicky? he's also being kindof lazy now, but it is evening and he was active earlier..
his fins are also way whiter, but they have a really pretty blue shade on the edges and his body's still dark so I think it's his color coming in, since he was almost black when I got him. he has white spots where his pectoral fins connect too, like little silver disks, 
I think they're on the fin and not attached to or behind the gill though, best I can tell 


thanks both ^-^






EDIT: 
oh, hah, he just tried to attack his reflection, which he never does, and he was biting at a leaf, so I bet he's just cranky because today he doesn't get fed, I'll see how he is tomorrow when he's eating again ^-^


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