# White-tipped pelvic fins?



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Hi, so I was just looking at Dead Sunlight because I love him so much, and I noticed that the edges of his fins, espicially his pelvic fins, were going white!!! White is not his natural color, so I'm kinda worried about him... Please help!!!


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Ventral fins are normally tipped in white, its even part of the standard for many fish.


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Well, when I got him, he had no white-tipped fins. I also read that white-tipped fins are caused by a bacterial infection!!! (don't no if true or not, but got it on a good betta site). Other than that, he's the most perfect little betta in the world.


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Pictures would help. Its possible he's starting to get fungal fin rot. That looks like a fuzzy white fungus on the fin.


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

No, it's not fuzzy... The color of the tips of his pelvic fins are white!!! ( Where they should be purple).


----------



## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Many bettas' colors change over time. Some bettas possess what's known as marbling, or a jumping pigment gene that can cause dramatic full-body color changes. If there is no change in texture over the area and the fish's behavior has not changed, then I don't think anything is wrong. 

It is difficult to say whether your betta is marbling or not, but in case you or anyone else is interested, here is a good article on the subject by Victoria Parnell (Betty Splendens): http://bettysplendens.com/articles/page.imp?articleid=1114


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Well, I don't see big-time affects, (He's been like this for a while!!!) The tips and corners of his fins are just white... Is this "marbling" rare?


----------



## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Not at all. I have had several marbles, I own two right now. I suspect many more fish carry the marble gene than we realize, they just changed to their final color before they got to the pet store and have not changed again. Many eventually become solid colored.


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Cool, so can you kinda go "in-depth" about this marbling? How old were your bettas when they started to marble?


----------



## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

The article explains it fairly well. Most bettas change colors when they are young--some marble fry change colors multiple times before adolescence, which is extremely frustrating for breeders. I got my marbles from Petco, they were adults, but they were not fully grown. Most of them started out white with spots of blue or green which eventually took over the whole fish. One of the marbles I have now started out mostly white, but is now a black masked solid royal blue. A double tail I have used to be a green and white butterfly, but the white areas have gotten more and more green with a red wash.

Marbles often have a mottled or grizzled coloration that slowly changes. Which is why those "koi bettas" on aquabid are so funny to me--very expensive and yet in a few months those bettas won't look like they used to at all!

Some marbling is triggered by trauma--I've seen pictures of marble siblings who got into an accidental fight. They were both royal blues, and around the area where a wound had healed, the scales began to show a bright white pigment due to marbling. 

You should also consider the fact that when fish fins grow or regrow, the new growth often comes in white or clear. Your betta's fins may just have new growth on them.


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Whoa... Now that is just weird!!! It said that changes usually happen over a period of weeks, but Dead Sunlight had no major color changes-just white-tipped fins. Now the thing I don't understand is why Dead Sunlight isn't changing even though I've had him for a while...

P.S- He isn't very old


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Isn't he from a pet store? Its impossible to know how old he is unless you got him direct from a breeder. It could be marbling or it could just be damaged ventrals are growing back.


----------



## Dead Sunlight (Jun 14, 2010)

Maybe... Although I heard if they are damaged, once restored, they will return to their normal color... They're still white for two weeks now!!! There is a slight chance that he may be marbling, although I don't think because there are no visible changes in color... I'll post pictures... The thing is that I don't know how to!!! Can someone teach me? Is it possible to do through a Blackberry?


----------



## 1fish2fish (Sep 10, 2009)

Not always. Many times the fins will grow back white or even clear if the damage was significant. I have a tail biter who's tail grows back in clear because he has bitten it so much.


----------



## LucyLoofa (May 30, 2010)

1fish2fish said:


> Not always. Many times the fins will grow back white or even clear if the damage was significant. I have a tail biter who's tail grows back in clear because he has bitten it so much.


Mine was sick (maybe?) when I got him. He's healing from a serious fin rot incident.
His ventral tips were white to begin with (part of the reason his name is Patriot Red-coat the 8th) but when his caudle fin grew back in it was clear. I think 1f2f and Adastra are right. This is *probably* just fin growth. Whether he was previously sick or he is just growing older.
I think he's fine as long as it's not fuzzy or anything.
Just to make sure, though, keep his water very, very clean.


----------

