# Fins Turning White?



## Iziezi

I just noticed today that my Betta's front bottom fins are edged with solid white, like they've been painted, and just a few spots of white near his gills. I just adopted him less than a week ago from my cousin, Dobby is the first fish I've ever had. I don't know if this is Ich or something else. He's still active, eating well, blowing bubbles, has good color except for the white parts. My cousin gave him to me in a large 2 gallon vase, but I didn't have room for the vase and moved him into a 1/2 gallon jar. (After reading up on Betta care on these boards here, I'll try to get the vase back.) Also when I moved him, I used purified water in his new jar. I should switch back just to tap water?

Housing 
What size is your tank? *1/2 gallon, maybe?*
What temperature is your tank? *Room tempurature, no heater*
Does your tank have a filter? *No*
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? *rocks in the bottom?*
Is your tank heated? *no*
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? *none*

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? *BettaMin flakes*
How often do you feed your betta fish? *2x a day, sometimes 3x if he seems hungry*

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? *I've changed 50% once since I got him, changed the water 5 days ago. Again, after browsing here, I realize I need to do it more often.*
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? *50%*
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? *AquaSafe*

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia: *Don't know*
Nitrite: *Don't know*
Nitrate: *Don't know*
pH: *6.5*
Hardness: *Don't know*
Alkalinity: *Don't know*

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? *See above*
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? *See above*
When did you start noticing the symptoms? *See above*
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? *No*
Does your fish have any history of being ill? *Don't know*
How old is your fish (approximately)? *Don't know*


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## ashleyy

Its hard to determine without a picture. But he definitely needs a larger tank and needs a heater. Also when he is back in the bigger tank he is going to need 100% daily water changes for at least 10 days. Remember when doing a water change make sure you are gentle and you make the water temperature as close to the original water temperature as possible (you'll need an aquarium thermometer)

Also, yes, use tap water, just make sure you use a water conditioner to remove chlorine and other heavy metals. I found that the smaller bottles are easier when you have a smaller tank because the directions are given in drops per gallon, not teaspoon per 10 gallons (its just harder to measure)

Also, when water changing, I have some old water gallon jugs that I fill up with tap water the day before I water change(having the water sit for at least 24 hours will help reduce the amount of those little tiny bubbles that form on the glass and decor, which can also form inside the fish). And then I will add some hot tap water to raise the water temp. to the what the temp was before the water change. It will take some playing around with to match the temp. Then I will add him in the water. (I just scoop him out of his tank with a cup and pour him back in once the tank is set up again)

Hope this helps


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## Iziezi

*Picture*

Thanks for your reply, Ashley! 

The good news is, I found a gallon sized jar at the Goodwill; Dobby will be very happy in his new home. I'm going to check at the fish store for heaters...

Here is a picture of the white on his fins. What you can't see in this picture is the fin on his other side is white all the way along the back to the tip, too.


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## Adastra

It doesn't look like anything more than a normal color change to me. You do need to start thinking of a better solution for his tank, though. Most quality heaters are designed for use in tanks that are a minimum of 2 gallons in volume, so your goal should be to find something that is at _least_ that large so that it can be safely heated. Keep in mind that a 1G tank needs a 100% change every other day, a 2G tank needs one every 3 days, but tanks 3G and up can be filtered and cycled, and once they are cycled, all they need are weekly 30%-50% water changes. Much easier--the bigger the better, because maintenance will actually decrease with the size of the tank.

Many stores sell critter keeper style tanks for very little money. Another possibility you should consider are rubbermaid/sterilite plastic storage bins--these are safe to heat and are ideal for housing bettas. They are only about $3 for a 4 gallon container, so you can use one of these temporarily until you can save up and get the tank you really want--like a nice 5 gallon with a filter, or something. I highly recommend doing as much shopping as you can online, even with shipping, you will still save a ton of money. 

I use and recommend this site and this 25 watt adjustable heater: http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3743+11368&pcatid=11368


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## Iziezi

*~Thank You~*

Thank you, Adastra, for your reply! 

Phew! So glad to know the white isn't Ich or anything like that. I found another site about Betta diseases, and it was saying "stringy is Ich, cottony is something else, other white could be this, that, or the other, etc" Kind of freaked me out.

Thank you, also for the link to the tank supply site! I've been browsing it for some other items I need for Dobby also.

Have a great weekend!


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