I just moved my new girl out of quarantine into the 40g community and there is one(1) white cloud minnow thats like 4 years old and is the last of his school. Each time she sees it she zips over, flutters her gill plates, and gets dramatic dark and light vertical stripes.
Is she flirting? Is she stupid?
https://v.redd.it/ovcy8g0e228g1
Posted by species64
2 Comments
Those are stress stripes. Likely seeing the white cloud as a threat and telling it to gtfo her space. White clouds are known to nip betta fins
My lady has these. They’re referred to as “breeding stripes”. They are vertical stripes that indicate a female is of breeding age/maturity. They can be especially vivid if the fish is excited, which could explain why they’re more noticeable when she’s pondering her new friend lol.