# Transparent betta - Eclipse!



## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Meet Eclipse. Came from a local Walmart where he was living miserably in a filthy cup with an inch of water. His unusual color immediately caught my eye. He's essentially transparent, with a few dots of black pigment here and there. Eyes are reflective silver. Fins are also iridescent, giving off a sort of pinkish glitter that can't be seen in the photos. He's definitely the most interesting-looking betta I've ever had the pleasure of owning.










Aside from an incident yesterday where he appeared to have a seizure (?? he's fine now, though), he's actually been doing great, not something I expected from a Walmart purchase. He spends his days swimming around proudly with tail expanded, attacking food viciously, and building bubble nests on the surface of his enclosure. He is oddly curious, coming over to inspect things that come near his tank. He's been a great pet so far. Hope you guys enjoy seeing him.


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## Fenghuang (Dec 28, 2012)

Oooh, it's a cellophane VT. I love cellos, although all of mine marbled. Never seen a cello VT, myself though. Great find!


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## DerangedUnicorn (Sep 5, 2013)

Ooooooh! He looks just like my old fish Whisp. He was completely see through as well. Except in the picture of him I have. The flash was on, so his iridescence went crazy. I miss my guy.  Even though, he did flare at me every time I came near his tank. I got him from Petco. 

I hope you're enjoying your new fish buddy. I love the name. He's very pretty.


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## mazakai (Sep 5, 2015)

Beautiful!  I love cellophanes--I have one too! (I think!)


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks for the comments. And fantastic photos!

Here's another photo set. Eclipse enjoys carrying his pellets around during feeding. Here you can see he dropped it in the gravel and started trying to dig it out. Then got distracted at wondering what car keys are. 


View attachment 650274



He's getting some live plants soon. Given his curious nature, it'll be interesting to see how he reacts to having something new in his environment to interact with.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

What a cutie! I've had to cut pellets in half with new fish before. I can't tell if he's carrying his around to keep you from eating it or because it's too big to fit in his mouth for eating. Such a curious little guy!


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Sadist said:


> What a cutie! I've had to cut pellets in half with new fish before. I can't tell if he's carrying his around to keep you from eating it or because it's too big to fit in his mouth for eating. Such a curious little guy!


That's certainly a possibility. While hard to tell from the photo, he's actually pretty small for what I assume is an adult fish. The pellets might just be too big. I'll try cutting them down. Thanks for the tip!


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Oh wow he is stunning! What a find!!! Walmart bettas are near to my heart so thank you for rescuing him! What a lucky guy to find a great home. He is really beautiful.


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## tiffanylucky (Nov 6, 2013)

My late female tiffy would do the same thing. It was adorable when she would flare at her reflection well carrying her food.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Eclipse is looking a lot different than the last time I posted. Won't be surprised if he eventually turns completely black. 

I'd be pleased if his body turned black, but the fins retained the spotted black/white pattern. Guess we'll see what happens.

His name turned out to be quite ironic; black scales are now "eclipsing" his cellophane coloration, with no sign of slowing down!


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Aha he's a marble in disguise apparently  he's lovely nonetheless x


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Seren27 said:


> Aha he's a marble in disguise apparently  he's lovely nonetheless x


Thanks! The color change has been fascinating to watch. He looks wildly different than when he was first purchased. It worried me a bit at first. When your normally transparent fish is suddenly turning black, it can be a little disturbing. 

The color shift has been pretty rapid too. The black is spreading more towards his head in the last week. I think it will completely cover his body soon. The fins seem to be changing the slowest.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

Even more beautiful! Love seeing the changes


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## feistygirl (Dec 18, 2015)

He's beautiful. His color change is interesting. Must be a good sign - that he's settling in and adapting very well to his new home.  Thanks for sharing his pictures with us on here.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Eclipse has a leaf pad, but refuses to use it. Instead, he wedges himself behind the heater and sleeps on top of the suction cup. Animals are so ungrateful.


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## pinkcupid765 (Aug 14, 2011)

Wow, he's colored up so well! Haha, looks like a happy little boy sleeping on his suction cup like that :lol:


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## nixie (Nov 21, 2013)

Wow nice find he is beautiful


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks to the amazing Seren27, Eclipse now has several live plants and 3 huge Marimo balls. Thank you so much. Eclipse loves them, and so do I!










Eclipse has turned almost 100% black now. Only a few flecks of white remain on his fins and underbelly. His head is still cellophane. No idea if it will change though the color is still slowly spreading in that direction.


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## themamaj (May 11, 2015)

You couldn't have picked a more perfect name for him! What incredible changes he has had. Keep us posted with updates. I have enjoyed following him.


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## DZIM (Oct 20, 2015)

Thanks everybody. I'll post more pics of Eclipse in a few weeks if he's shown more progress. Think his head is going to stay cello, though. The rest of his body colored up rapidly, but it seems to have stopped spreading right behind the gills. Very interesting.


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## Bobioden (Dec 23, 2015)

What a transformation. He is a beauty.


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

My Mr. Fish was a piebald marble, too! How fun!


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## hellobird (Nov 11, 2015)

I love how fitting his name turned out to be! Ahah what a cutie!


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## shamomo (Jan 14, 2016)

Woooo~ cello! Nice~ unexpected from Walmarts. Lucky find dude!


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## razzhasbettas (Dec 22, 2015)

Wow, what a beautiful boy! Yeah, the ones that are really pale and transparent on the shelves often get some marbling once they have proper care. He's obviously v happy!


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