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Betta Fish

Betta Fish: My betta changed colors???

Hello!

I have had my betta for about four to five months now, and he is a beautiful blue. I heard that when they get stressed they might fade in color and become pale. He was very blue for the first couple of months, then I started noticing some patches turning white. However, he is very lively, eats well (three to four pellets per day), and always swims up to me when he hears my voice.

I add plants regularly and rearrange things from time to time to keep him entertained.

I had to leave him at my friend’s house during fall break, and when I came back he had turned even more white. He is still acting completely normal, though.

Is he stressed and I failed to notice the signs? I want to make sure he is okay.

I added pictures from before and after.

Also, I will be moving to another state in January. It is a three hour drive, and I have been trying to find the best method to transport him safely. I would really appreciate any recommendations.

https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1pl115f

Posted by IcyDependent9125

5 Comments

  1. sakejignor on

    Tank looks pretty gnarly, id start with a water change and make sure the parameters and heating are fine. Poor guys probably sick and stressed.

  2. The80sgeek-666 on

    Like the other commenter said, this tank looks a bit unkept. Do you do water changes? What are your parameters? How many gallons is the tank? Do you have a heater and is he eating a high protein food? It could be color change but usually they turn dark not light. I would stay aware of his condition to see if he becomes more lethargic.

  3. Impossible_Spell7812 on

    You don’t really need to water change (really only helps aesthetics here). It will help to filter better and reduce food. I can’t tell the filter exactly, but I imagine it’s rated for a 5 gallon tank. Add another sponge filter with airstone rated to 3-5x the tank size. Keep the current one going. Never clean either other than the occasional swish in a bucket of water if it gets too clogged. If your filter media is at this capacity and I just can’t tell from the photos, look at the food. 

    Friends (and ourselves included) often overfeed fish. So, don’t feed him the next three days. Get yourself some dry fish food that’s at least 45ish% protein. That helps lots. Then only feed what he eats in 30 seconds. Some say 1-5 min but you have lots of stuff he can nibble on in that tank. If you have to go away again like that, just don’t feed at all. He’ll survive. 

    Then just leave the tank alone. I’m serious, just let the filters run and the fish be free and the lights do their light things and just don’t touch. No water changes, no nada. Bacterial blooms don’t really get solved by water changes since the issues is the lack of beneficial bacteria in the filter media to help cope with what was almost certainly overfeeding. It’ll take a few weeks to clear but when it does, you will have a really healthy tank! 

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