# Feeding White Bettas



## atteb (Nov 12, 2010)

I would like to know if there are any brands of pellets that one should avoid feeding white bettas?

I feed the Hikari Bio Gold and latley I have also beenfeeding the Aueon Betta Pellets.

I have noticed that my cellophane has some pink tinge to him since feeding this food and maybe its just me but it does list "krill" in there but to what extent I don't know.

I just want to make sure I don't get that pink tinge on my solid white betta boy that I just treasure. I know the Hikari does not do that but if anyone has experiece with this please pass on all info.

I also feed frozen glassworms, brineshrimp and bloodworms in their diets too.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I could be wrong...I've never had an all white betta, but I don't think they should be fed any differently than other bettas.


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## ShyDog (Oct 15, 2011)

tpocicat said:


> I could be wrong...I've never had an all white betta, but I don't think they should be fed any differently than other bettas.


The reason for the inquiry is that some foods contain caratonoids that produce color in animals. (such as flamingos being pink).


OP: I'm not sure but blood worms and some betta pellets are mostly brown in color, and that might help also, if he does start to become tinged, it is reversible if you change the diet, since your betta cannot produce that specific type of pigment (fat based).


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

I do have experience with fish changing colors. Snowy was white when I first brought him (thus his name) but now he's green. I can't think of any fish food that doesn't have "color enhancement" advertised on the label. You may want to make your fish's diet 100% natural if you are really worried about preservatives. You can also make fish pellets yourself if you PM OldFishLady for a pellet recipe.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

My little white one now has blue fins. lol


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## Littlebittyfish (Jan 5, 2011)

I would feed frozen and live foods as well as a high protein pellet such as new life spectrum...I would stay away froma ything that says color enhancing...Though none of this will prevent marbling if your betta has a marble gene...I had a betta who was almost all white...now he is completely black...a few months later now and he is staring to show orange...i dunno where the orange has come from! haha It is neat how they color up.


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

i really doubt what you feed them will cause them to change color if you have a variety of foods to create balance food shouldn't change a bettas color .. unless you only feed him 1 type of food forever .. kinda like if you eat 10 lbs of carrots a day for a month you will turn orange .. hehe ^_^ .. bettas color it's hard coded in their genes .. unless your sure of the mommy and daddy betta .. it's very hard to say or control if your betta will change color or not. 

bettas have 4 color layers .. (taken from darkmoon17's betta breeding guide http://darkmoon17.deviantart.com/journal/Choosing-the-Right-Betta-for-Breeding-230561860)

1. Iridescent layer (top layer):  This layer is also known as the blue layer and controls the amount of blue pigments. The iridocytes, which are the blue/green cells in this layer contain the following traits:  
- Iridescent colors  
- Spread iridocytes  
- Non-blue

2. Black layer:  The layer black layer contains melanophores or black cells which control the amount of black pigment in this layer. They contain the following traits:  
- Cambodian 
 - Blond/Bright  
- Melano  

3. Red layer  The red layer contains erythrophores or red cells which control the amount of red pigment in this layer. They contain the following traits:  
- Extended red  
- Reduced red  
- Non-red  
- Variegated fins  

4. Yellow layer (bottom layer)  The yellow layer contains xanthophores or yellow cells. So, far no genes have identified that control the yellow layer of pigmentation. 
  - The absence of the red layer, black layer and iridescent/blue layer. 

he later explains white/opaque bettas:

Opaque white:  An opaque whites have complete white colored body and fins, with a bit of a powdery appearance. The eyes should be black with a white border. An opaque whites is actually a “Cambodian/spread iridocyte steel blue opaque non-red”.   They are very complex and desired.

i know how you feel though .. i'm also obsessed with pure white bettas ^_^ .. having 3 .. 1 that changed .. 2 still white .. but if he changed color .. would u love him less? ..


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## ShyDog (Oct 15, 2011)

Nope My Valcor went Pinkish on me  still love'm


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

hehe *giggles* real men wear pink !!


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## atteb (Nov 12, 2010)

I won't love him any less but gosh I was hoping he would stay white. Today I took a really close look and seen that there is black showing on one fin and still some on the underbelly fin but none so far on the body itself...:-? Gosh I hope he stays white, he does have a blue irridesence to him in the right light on his tail I can live with that but this black.... nooooooooo please let him stay white.


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## HatsuneMiku (Jul 29, 2011)

*crosses fingers with you* .. i hope he will stay white for you too


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## atteb (Nov 12, 2010)

Thanks, they are very very slight none on the body thank goodness so here is keeping fingers crossed


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## indjo (Jun 6, 2010)

I don't think food can change color. It may strengthen what ever color pigment (color enhancement) but wont change it.

Whites (opaque - paper white) is rather tricky though - as stated above it's actually a complex genetic code. Sometimes dark colors or slight irid appear later - this is why pure white (incl. beard and pectoral fins) is desired. Color enhancement food will strengthen what ever color genes it has - incl. white. If it has hidden color genes, they will show. .... (I don't use pellets. I use shrimps for color enhancements)

Most color change on whites that I know of is due to too much light - sunlight. IDK why or how sunlight changes the color but that's what I and many friends experienced. BUT not giving much light will not guarantee they won't change if they have the genes they will show at an older age. Sunlight IMO makes the change faster/sooner.

Marbles are a different story. They will change color regardless how you care for them. Usually they become pale then (sometimes) change again. I have one that started as copper and changed to flesh, then pearl white/platinum, and now is a mixture of white and copper (it may still be changing).

Cellophane/fleshy color will sometimes look pink (since flesh is rather pink) - true pink is still rare. It's not that it changed but that's just color enhancement. It's like green sometimes changes into turquoise (or what ever you call them) when fed color enhancement. IMO it's more of a tone, not the color itself ..... hope that make sense.

I don't mean to sound negative, just wanted to give you an idea of what you're facing when you're dealing with white. I can't explain why (haven't worked with whites that much) but it's inevitable.


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