# What is fish flashing and other noob questions.



## erebus (Feb 7, 2017)

Hi all,

I'm completely new to keeping fish, got my first betta at the end of Feb and she lives in a planted 5.5 gal. She's very active/interactive, playful etc. I was wondering what fish flashing is because there is this thing she does where she quickly flips from side to side as she swims downward and does this repeatedly. I had a foam cover on the filter outflow because I read that the flow can be too much for a betta (tank is a spec v) but she looked unhappy when I did this because before she was continually surfing the current, so I took the foam off again and she seems happier. Do some betters like flow or will thus stress her out?

I'v attached a picture of her when we first got her (she was in a beaker), a recent pic and her aquarium set up.


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## Fisheye (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi Erebus,

That's a nice looking Betta you've got there! Glad to see you have a good size tank too.

Generally, when people describe flashing, they tend to mean that the fish is making bodily contact with something in the the tank, in efforts to dislodge a parasite or some irritant. Do check out some fish flashing videos on YouTube to see if that's what your fish is doing. If your fish is actually flashing then it's worth keeping an eye on her for signs of infestation.

As long as the current isn't impeding her reaching the surface to breath, or causing her fins to tear then what's the harm? I've kept all my Betta's in 10 gallon tanks with aquaclear 20's and they've been fine.

Enjoy your fish!

J


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