# Male Betta's color is fading?!



## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

My male Betta, Gorgar, has had a drastic drop in his brilliant red color over time and I am scared that it is a sign that his health is suffering. The color seems to be fading from the bottom-half of him and going upwards. Where his tail connects to his body, it looks like the fading is moving to his tail. 

He used to be such a rich red color and his scales seemed to have a purple sheen to them when the light hit him at the right angle. He was so beautiful and handsome. I have had him for about a year now, he was a gift from my boyfriend. My boyfriend guessed that the pet store maybe had him for a year. So maybe he is two years old, give or take?

After taking the picture of Gorgar today, I noticed that it looks like he has maybe a small handful of spots on his face and white along his bottom lip, on the inside. I'm not sure if what was on his lip was just his natural coloring or something else. I am a nervous Betta Mama so if something seems off to me, I do panic a little.

Generally Gorgar is a grumpy little boy. Whenever someone else comes into my room suddenly he starts flaring towards the door. I like to call him my little guard fishy. Yet if I have my face in front of the tank and start talking to Gorgar, he paddles over and swims around, seeming interested.

Below are three pictures, one of an example of what Gorgar looked like when I first saw him, one of him when he had his color and one that I took this morning with his color fading. Both pictures of Gorgar were taken with my cell phone, I tried to take better with my camera but they all came out blurry.









Example fish, image here for coloring. *NOT GORGAR.*









This is an example of how Gorgar looked before his color was fading. This was taken back in October 2013, being in my care for 8 months.









This is Gorgar now. I took this picture today, February 20, and you can see he has paled.​
*Housing* 

What size is your tank?
1 gallon​
What temperature is your tank?
Room temperature​
Does your tank have a filter?
No​
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
No​
Is your tank heated?
No​
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?
None, he's alone.​*Food*

What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
Dried blood-worms.​
How often do you feed your betta fish?
I feed him 1 worm every other day before I go to bed. I know if he eats or not as I watch him to make sure that he eats, so I don't worry. I will admit that sometimes I do forget but if I do, I feed him that night.​
*Maintenance*

How often do you perform a water change?
Whenever I start to notice that his water has a brown tint to it or brown spots forming along the sides of the tank.​
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
I clean out all of the water, so a 100% change.​
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?
None. I do not use soap, just use my fingers to scrub the sides where there is any build-up and I rub the glass beads on the bottom to get rid of any scum that I can.​
*Water Parameters:*

Have you tested your water?
No​

If so, what are the following parameters?
N/A​Ammonia: N/A
Nitrite: N/A
Nitrate: N/A
pH: N/A
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A​
*Symptoms and Treatment*

How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
Yes, his brilliant red is fading and he's turning white. It looks like he has maybe a small handful of spots on his face and white along his bottom lip, on the inside. I'm not sure if what was on his lip was just coloring or something else.​
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
His behavior hasn't seemed to change. He doesn't like to swim around a lot unless directly engaged. He likes to hide or snuggle with the floating plants at the top.​
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
A couple months ago, I was just hoping it would improve over time.​
Have you started treating your fish?
No. I'm not entirely sure what to do or what could be wrong. I'm afraid to introduce something that could harm him unless I am 100% sure I know what will happen.​
If so, how?
N/A​
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
A few months ago he was bloated on one side and mostly was floating on the surface and barely was able to dive down to submerge. After doing some research, consensus pointed to that it was a swim bladder infection. So then I didn't feed him for a few days right away. After I fed him every 2 days for about a week and then resumed the once a day routine. Obviously he has slimmed down since then and seems normal at least in that area.​
How old is your fish (approximately)?
I have had him for about a year now.​


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

if I was to make a guess as to what may be causing the color loss i would say it is likely his nutrition. Dried bloodworms while tasty are not the most nutrient rich betta food available and can lead to fading when used long term.
I suggest you swap him to a high quality pellet food like Omega.
Also his tank cleaning needs to be more regular, a 1 gallon is rather on the small side for a betta and needs around two cleans a week for the ammonia content not to reach dangerous levels, if the chemical levels climb too high they strip off the slime coat on the fish and can burn the skin and gills of the fish which is a main culprit of fading.
I highly recommend at some point you get him a bigger tank. 2.5G is considered about right for a single betta, he will swim more and so grow a strong healthy fin spread and you will only have to do one clean a week so bonus there!

Now as to the spots- did they look iridescent or like something was stuck to his face? If the latter were they fuzzy or flat? is he flashing (rubbing or running into things) a lot or does he not seem to care?


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> if I was to make a guess as to what may be causing the color loss i would say it is likely his nutrition. Dried bloodworms while tasty are not the most nutrient rich betta food available and can lead to fading when used long term.
> I suggest you swap him to a high quality pellet food like Omega.
> Also his tank cleaning needs to be more regular, a 1 gallon is rather on the small side for a betta and needs around two cleans a week for the ammonia content not to reach dangerous levels, if the chemical levels climb too high they strip off the slime coat on the fish and can burn the skin and gills of the fish which is a main culprit of fading.
> I highly recommend at some point you get him a bigger tank. 2.5G is considered about right for a single betta, he will swim more and so grow a strong healthy fin spread and you will only have to do one clean a week so bonus there!
> ...


I will consider looking into a new food source then. I read on other threads that dried bloodworms is basically like junk food for Bettas. My boyfriend said that they were a good choice as they are pure protein. Is that true? Just curious, wanting more opinions.

Is there anyway that his color could come back after time? I have no problem changing the water more often, but how much of a (%) change should I do?

I just took a look at him, he wasn't happy, started flaring right away at me. The spots look like they are flat, maybe part of his skin/coloring? Nothing looks raised and he doesn't seem to care. The only things that he would have to rub/run into would be tha tank walls and the plants that are at the top.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

They are mostly protein yes, the freeze drying process makes them taste very good to a betta fish but sadly remove a lot of nutrients, this loss is a slow thing and steadily decreases until the symptoms start popping up a long time later on.

His color can surely return, unless this is a real color change (possible, bettas don't always stay the same). However since he appears to be a solid red changing isn't all that common than if he was say a marble. As his nutrient stores return so too should his color.

Tank cleaning should be at the least a full one and a half one each week in that size tank. Preferably two full.

I'm glad to see he isnt rubbing, I suggest for now you go on as if they are part of his scale covering, however if you see the spots migrating or spreading over his body it may be ich or something similar. If he starts flashing on things that is also a telltale sign something is bothering him.

An odd question here though, are you able to get a top down view of your boy? I was hoping to get a good look at his body shape- just a precaution.


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> They are mostly protein yes, the freeze drying process makes them taste very good to a betta fish but sadly remove a lot of nutrients, this loss is a slow thing and steadily decreases until the symptoms start popping up a long time later on.
> 
> His color can surely return, unless this is a real color change (possible, bettas don't always stay the same). However since he appears to be a solid red changing isn't all that common than if he was say a marble. As his nutrient stores return so too should his color.
> 
> ...


So maybe after buying some Omega food, alternate his diet? 4 days of Omega on Sun, Tues, Thurs and Sat and 3 days of dried bloodworms on Mon, Wed and Fri? What would you suggest?

So 2 changes per week. What days would you suggest?

Yes, I got a top-down view of him. Again, not too detailed because it is from my cell phone. I tried my best.










Sorry for so many questions, I'm a nervous Betta Mama.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

I feel that diet is fair, some on this site say that freeze dried food shouldn't be used but in my personal experience I haven't seen too much problems from it. Just be sure to give him a fasting day if his belly starts looking bloated.

Also your boy is a tiny bit on the skinny side so you can likely increase his serving size, especially if you are adding a fasting day to the weekly schedule. he isnt badly skinny, just erring on the skinny side of normal (if they look kinda like a tadpole from the top they need some more food on their bones- hes not a tadpole, he's a fat belly with a snake tail attached). 
Their stomach is about the size of their eyeball so feed accordingly.

I tend to do my fasting day the day after frozen food day because they make a mess and get a bigger serving size than normal anyway. Pick the two days of the week you are guaranteed to be home and have time about three days apart. I do mine on sunday nights for instance because who goes out on sundays?


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> I feel that diet is fair, some on this site say that freeze dried food shouldn't be used but in my personal experience I haven't seen too much problems from it. Just be sure to give him a fasting day if his belly starts looking bloated.
> 
> Also your boy is a tiny bit on the skinny side so you can likely increase his serving size, especially if you are adding a fasting day to the weekly schedule. he isnt badly skinny, just erring on the skinny side of normal (if they look kinda like a tadpole from the top they need some more food on their bones- hes not a tadpole, he's a fat belly with a snake tail attached).
> Their stomach is about the size of their eyeball so feed accordingly.
> ...


Oh no! ; n ; I was feeding him too much before, which made him bloated, and now I'm not feeding him enough! My poor baby! 

I'll do a cleaning on Sunday (50%) and Thursday (100%) then.

For food... if a fasting day is recommended, probably have that be on Saturday. So should I have more Omega days than the bloodworms?


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

Don't worry about him being skinny, one of my own boys looks very similar to that size simply because he has a small appetite. He isnt underweight, just smaller than many. 
I was more bringing it up because with you trying to build up his color again feeding him slightly more than usual is easy and I wanted to know if you could do so safely (hence why i asked for the pic). I wouldn't have felt safe recommending a larger diet if he was looking a bit overweight.

You have it yes, more omega days to bloodworms. Don't worry if your boy has a hissy fit and refuses his pellets for a while. They are manipulative little things and like their fast food, many fish know if they hang on long enough they'll get their favorites.


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> Don't worry about him being skinny, one of my own boys looks very similar to that size simply because he has a small appetite. He isnt underweight, just smaller than many.
> I was more bringing it up because with you trying to build up his color again feeding him slightly more than usual is easy and I wanted to know if you could do so safely (hence why i asked for the pic). I wouldn't have felt safe recommending a larger diet if he was looking a bit overweight.
> 
> You have it yes, more omega days to bloodworms. Don't worry if your boy has a hissy fit and refuses his pellets for a while. They are manipulative little things and like their fast food, many fish know if they hang on long enough they'll get their favorites.


So in order to make him gain (a little) weight, how many worms should I feed him? I knew that their tummies were about as big as their eye but with worms it is hard to gauge. At least it is for me.

Also when I get the Omega pellets, how many should I feed him for a serving?

So would 1 or 2 dried bloodworm days be good for him? I was thinking Monday/Friday or Monday and Friday be his treat days.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

Monday and friday sounds great, its far enough apart he cant play favorites with his food mid week and has to eat his veggies aka pellets.

You can always feed him one spare pellet separately from feeding time to help gain weight- for instance a breakfast pellet. This way his stomach doesn't bloat up from overfeeding yet he still gets more food overall. I cant really tell you how many of those pellets to use, I live in australia and the brands are different here. 
If you find it easier find a teaspoon or something and mark on it a spot for the size of his pellet serving, then shake out that amount of bloodworms onto the spoon to measure an approximate amount. I tend to just eyeball it because I am lazy like that, if I go overboard I just skip a meal (and they all plot my downfall in retaliation)


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> Monday and friday sounds great, its far enough apart he cant play favorites with his food mid week and has to eat his veggies aka pellets.
> 
> You can always feed him one spare pellet separately from feeding time to help gain weight- for instance a breakfast pellet. This way his stomach doesn't bloat up from overfeeding yet he still gets more food overall. I cant really tell you how many of those pellets to use, I live in australia and the brands are different here.
> If you find it easier find a teaspoon or something and mark on it a spot for the size of his pellet serving, then shake out that amount of bloodworms onto the spoon to measure an approximate amount. I tend to just eyeball it because I am lazy like that, if I go overboard I just skip a meal (and they all plot my downfall in retaliation)


I hope that it's not geeky of me to be writing all of this information down and setting alarms on my phone for his water changing/feeding times.

Specifically what type of Omega food pellet would you recommend? I'm looking on their website right now and there's a ton of types.

So the temperature of the water of the tank isn't a concern? Just double-checking before I go to the pet store tomorrow.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

Not geeky at all, I have alarms set myself or I would forget what day it is in an heartbeat.

Temp is important yes but I felt I wouldn't burden you with a billion recommendations all at once.
The problem is that a reliable adjustable heater for a gallon bowl is tricky to find, I believe a thread was going on not long ago in the tanks section about that very issue- you might find something affordable and reliable by reading through the debates there.

I am unsure as to the pellet type. I believe some called their food of choice omega one... a quick search has shown me there is an Omega one betta buffet pellet food, so I am assuming they meant this type specifically.


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> Not geeky at all, I have alarms set myself or I would forget what day it is in an heartbeat.
> 
> Temp is important yes but I felt I wouldn't burden you with a billion recommendations all at once.
> The problem is that a reliable adjustable heater for a gallon bowl is tricky to find, I believe a thread was going on not long ago in the tanks section about that very issue- you might find something affordable and reliable by reading through the debates there.
> ...


I'm assuming that this is the type: http://www.omegasea.net/products/nutrition/betta-buffet-pellet

I'll look up heaters for 1 gallon tanks and hopefully something will come up that my local pet store will have and is also affordable.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

That's the one. I hope you manage to get something suitable for you, any problems don't hesitate to ask, we are all crazy fish people here!


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

Taeanna said:


> That's the one. I hope you manage to get something suitable for you, any problems don't hesitate to ask, we are all crazy fish people here!


What temperature is ideal for Bettas?


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## 0ut0fsight4443 (Feb 5, 2014)

We have a submergible heater that keeps the tank to 78 degrees, but they can go up into the low 80's without an issue. My current betta likes the bloodworms more then the pellets but he still gets the pellets for the nutrition factors. Our old betta, as he aged, did change colors a bit, but never faded to a pale white. His chin for the last year that he lived was a light grayish purple color, we figured because he was on his fourth year, and getting old. The more your fish flares the more stressful of a life he is living. Which also can cause a shorter life span. But they are bettas and flare for fun sometimes. I agree, if you start giving him pellets his nutrition will bring back some color, however it might not be immediate, but overtime. 

Wishing you luck for a bright red friend to return.


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

0ut0fsight4443 said:


> We have a submergible heater that keeps the tank to 78 degrees, but they can go up into the low 80's without an issue. My current betta likes the bloodworms more then the pellets but he still gets the pellets for the nutrition factors. Our old betta, as he aged, did change colors a bit, but never faded to a pale white. His chin for the last year that he lived was a light grayish purple color, we figured because he was on his fourth year, and getting old. The more your fish flares the more stressful of a life he is living. Which also can cause a shorter life span. But they are bettas and flare for fun sometimes. I agree, if you start giving him pellets his nutrition will bring back some color, however it might not be immediate, but overtime.
> 
> Wishing you luck for a bright red friend to return.


With submersible heaters, is there danger at all for the betta's to be burnt or caught on them?

The only times that Gorgar flares at me is if he's being moved around when I change his water. Then occasionally he will flare at me when I take the lid off of the top of the tank to feed him.


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## 0ut0fsight4443 (Feb 5, 2014)

Mine doesn't really stick around the heater and we live on the top floor of an apartment complex so we get all the heat from the people under us, so much so that I open the bedroom window even in the -30's to get some heat out of our apartment. The heater is really just to keep the tank consistent in temps as without it, our apartment gets really hot on cold, cold days, and it helps when we are away to maintain the temp. However I also keep him in a 25 gallon tank, which without a heater temps very too much for my liking.


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

Glass heaters don't burn unless they are seriously malfunctioning so dont worry about it burning him, they work on a safe level of temp diffusion to slowly heat the water.

The ideal temp range is 78/80F and most heaters have that setting since its dead centre of the usual tropical fish rating


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## Valentino14 (Feb 12, 2014)

My baby betta literally tucks himself in behind his heater every night... it's a pretty good one- let me know if you want a recommendation and ill send ya the link. 25 watts adjustable


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## beautiful Betta (Sep 19, 2013)

That would be me who is one of the ones, who recommends binning the freeze dried food, why, they are full air and that air causes havoc to a betta's digestive system, can cause bloating and swim bladder issues, which cause them to float or sink like a brick. I would throw them out and replace with prober frozen ones. Much better all round.

Also I would like to know what water conditioner or what method you use when re filling your tank with water?


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## Mama Gorgar (Feb 20, 2014)

On March 4th, Gorgar sadly passed away. He will be deeply missed.


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## Lights106 (May 16, 2013)

Oh I am so sorry.  May he SIP


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