# Female Betta's Color Has Been Fading - HELP!!



## andrewr2488 (Sep 20, 2009)

Ok, I have had this female betta for just over a year. She was not very colorful to begin with, But as of the past 3-4 months her color has started fading on her fins.. She has a brownish dull colored body but that is her normal body color. My main concern is that her fins used to be a light red and are becoming transparent and dull looking.. any suggestions? I'm sure she doesnt have any diseases, She has no real traits of any of the diseases I've seen. Just dull in color. I had been keeping her in a 1.7g hex aquarium, changing her water once every 4-5 days. About a week ago I decided to make use of an old 10 gallon aquarium in my garage and bought new white gravel, and stuck her in with a few fake plants and a decoration. I'm going to add some live bamboo and some asian themed decorations..


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

She could just be aging.


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## Rain Drop (Jul 4, 2009)

I agree, she could be getting oldish...
also, when you get the bamboo, just make sure there are no leaves submersed in the water.


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## giypsy (Sep 23, 2009)

What kind of filter are you using? Did you test the water for ph, ammonia & that sort of thing? I would suspect stress first; however also agree that age could be a factor.


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## giypsy (Sep 23, 2009)

Further thoughts:
If temp is below 74, try raising it graudally to 78-79.
You can test the plastic plants easily enough; dry them, run them across dry pantyhose, if the hose snags, replace the plastic plants with silk or better yet, real plants.
Clear, intact fins are a recessive trait, cellophane.


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## andrewr2488 (Sep 20, 2009)

The water temp is currently 76F. I'm going to add just a few live plants, a slate rock cave, and some height variations to the gravel. I'm currently feeding her Aqua Culture Betta Pellets, which says it enhances color. I'm thinking about switching her to hikari gold. I'm buying her a aqueon 10g power filter, and if neccessary a small small heater


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## andrewr2488 (Sep 20, 2009)

My pH level is 7.4, Ammonia is at 0


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## giypsy (Sep 23, 2009)

Ok, good stuff. You're doing everything right so far.
I would keep the current betta food & alternate
them, fast one day per week.
Oh, one more thing, the tank isn't near a window with 
direct sunlight, is it?
I have read that exposure to sunlight for too long tends to 
darken fish color. No big surprise there. 
believe the recommended exposure
time was 4 hrs, no direct sunlight.
Keep us posted.


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## andrewr2488 (Sep 20, 2009)

Well, Bought her a tetra whisper 10 power filter. i have the lip of the water spout about 1/4" about the water. suction seems just a wee strong i caught her pinned up against the suction a minute ago, but when she saw me come closer she got off. no way of adjusting... anything i can do?


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## giypsy (Sep 23, 2009)

This 10g has no hood, I'm assuming? The only real reason to have a hood
is to accommodate lights, cut down on evaporation 
& prevent jumping out of the tank.
The reason I ask is that if at all possible, the outflow should be 
touching the water to disperse current. Bettas come from 
slow moving water, not usually rivers.

You can make a DIY baffle out of a water bottle; 
cut the top & bottom off, slit down the body of 
the bottle as if it were standing up, affix one side 
of the slit to the top of the filter & let the other side 
of the slit curl around under the water outflow. 
As for the intake suction, the best you can do is affix 
a piece of pantyhose over the intake. It will not cut down 
on suction but it will protect fins & tail. Or you can slip a 
piece of sponge over the intake, effectively accomplishing 
the same goal.

To discourage your fish from hanging out back there, 
I would screen it in with plants &/or driftwood, et cetera. 
If you want to go the extra mile, some stainless steel mesh 
or plastic canvas, with moss sewn onto it & placed as 
a corner baffle will do the job as well, in which case 
you would not need the pantyhose/sponge
Keep us posted!


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