# The Happy Dance



## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

I just caught Felix flaring at my teapot of all things. He's just really flare-crazy tonight, I don't know what's gotten into him.

And, of course, when I take it away, he does the happy dance.

The happy dance is very involved. It starts with his zipping back and forth across the front of the tank at least twice, then looping in front of his thermometer and circling up between its suction cup and the bottom of the filter, then back and forth across the tank again. Repeat until he's satisfied with having expressed his exuberance, then he stops and spreads out his fins in contentment or goes to rest on top of the thermometer's suction cup.

That's the "I scared away my enemy" happy dance. He also has a slightly different dance for catching his food in the filter's current. He even spent a whole day whizzing around when I first put him in his tank. Not tank surfing in particular, just zipping around everywhere with his fins at full sail.

Now he's... dude, I don't even know what he's flaring at now. The corner of his tank? The exposed bit of desk where the teapot is sitting? Can he, like, see his reflection or something? I don't know. I think I just picked (or was picked by) a weird fish.

Anyway. Do any of yours have crazy, elaborate happy dances? I know people have mentioned that their fish dance for them, but this guy's just got a whole routine memorized or something.


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## aselvarial (Feb 21, 2014)

Apollo, the fish I've had the longest, has a happy dance. As do Osiris and Ares. Ares is my most flare happy. He flares at EVERYTHING. Even his rocks. However, Osiris is the one with the complicated "i have scared away the mirror" dance. Which is ironic since he won't even FLARE at the mirror. But, once the mirror is removed, he flares, and swims around the entire perimeter of the tank, at a height just above his heater. He'll swim the entire perimeter, and then swim back and forth right in front of me, with his beard pulled back in, but his fins all flared up. I have to stay for the ENTIRE dance, or he gets very upset and will just keep swimming around flaring at everything until I have walked back over so he can show me his flare. Once he has shown me his flare after the perimeter sweep, he calmly swims away. 

Lir, my smallest betta, charges at the mirror. And then when it is removed, he repeatedly charges at the spot the mirror WAS. I guess just in case the fish might have gone invisible.


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## Piyoteru (Apr 17, 2014)

Sometimes after a short mirror session, my betta will dart around his tank with fins all nice and spread as if he was strutting his stuff, though with no beard spread. He'll do a little wiggle whilst floating still, dart and show fins and repeat. If he's really feeling it, he'll blow a bubble nest right afterwards.

He seems so satisfied when he does this, but he doesn't do it often.


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## myexplodingcat (Apr 9, 2014)

aselvarial said:


> Apollo, the fish I've had the longest, has a happy dance. As do Osiris and Ares. Ares is my most flare happy. He flares at EVERYTHING. Even his rocks. However, Osiris is the one with the complicated "i have scared away the mirror" dance. Which is ironic since he won't even FLARE at the mirror. But, once the mirror is removed, he flares, and swims around the entire perimeter of the tank, at a height just above his heater. He'll swim the entire perimeter, and then swim back and forth right in front of me, with his beard pulled back in, but his fins all flared up. I have to stay for the ENTIRE dance, or he gets very upset and will just keep swimming around flaring at everything until I have walked back over so he can show me his flare. Once he has shown me his flare after the perimeter sweep, he calmly swims away.
> 
> Lir, my smallest betta, charges at the mirror. And then when it is removed, he repeatedly charges at the spot the mirror WAS. I guess just in case the fish might have gone invisible.


That is hilarious. XD

Bettas are adorable. The other fish I've kept over the years always seemed kind of brainless, but bettas aren't.


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## Polkadot (Feb 10, 2013)

They really are cute! All my little boys dance too,they especially like it when I whistle at them,it makes them do the wiggly dance. :mrgreen: My new little boy Elf has just discovered the thermometer and beause he's so little I think he can see his reflection in the top of it and he has been touching it with his mouth,which looks like he;s kissing it.he looks so sweet & funny when he does it! :BIGkissy:


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