1. Why Is My Betta Fish Losing Color?
When a betta fish starts losing color, there are a few top culprits to eliminate first: Water parameters and water quality, and stress (although sometimes they are one and the same). There are also instances in which it’s natural for your betta to lose color: Be aware that some changes in coloration are completely normal for bettas, but it’s good to eliminate the more scary possible causes first. We’ll run through all of the most common reasons so you can figure out what’s going on with your fish.
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1.1 Stress
If you notice your betta fish is losing its color and turning white, it can be an indicator of stress. Stress is one of the MAJOR causes of betta fish turning white. Figuring out what exactly is the stressor can be tricky, though, because several things could cause it. If the tank water quality is poor, or there are fluctuations in temperature or water pH, incompatible mates, improper or poor diet, and the wrong size of a fish tank can all stress out your sensitive betta fish. Even too much noise around the aquarium could do it.
Work your way down the list below and use process of elimination to determine the most likely causes. Sometimes a combination approach works best, too: Eliminating a few potential stressors might help fix the problem.
1.2 Insufficient Live Plants
This one might sound a little weird, but bear with me.
Betta fish’s natural environment is full of plants. They evolved in areas that have very still, heavily planted waters, like ponds and marshes. Any fish will do best in a tank that mirrors their natural environment, because it’s less stressful for them. Betta fish are no different.
Betta fish like to live among dense plants. Plants provide shelter, boosting health by reducing the fish’s stress and absorbing ammonia and nitrates (toxic gases known for affecting fish’s health and betta’s colors – more on that in the next section).
If you don’t provide them with a comfortable amount of live plants, you may notice your betta fish turning white.
1.3 Poor Water Quality or Too-Small Tank
Remember how I mentioned ammonia and nitrate? Ammonia and nitrite levels should be kept at 0 ppm (to avoid ammonia poisoning) and nitrates should be less than 40 ppm. Anything above that is considered poor water quality, which can have a hugely negative impact on your fish and even kill them.
Dirty water and/or water with ammonia or nitrates can all affect the coloring of your fish, causing fading.
Needless to say, aquariums with poor tank conditions should not be ignored. Nor should water parameters fluctuations. Swings and changes in temperature and pH could be risky for the life of your aquarium fish, as it causes significant stress. Betta fish need aquarium water with a temperature between 76°F to 82°F and a pH of 6-7.5.
Another big issue is that bettas are often kept in tanks that are too small for them, which causes stress and a shortened lifespan. They really need a 10 gallon tank to thrive. 5 gallons can sometimes work, but it’s not ideal.
1.4 Old Age
As humans go through several changes in life, so do bettas. A betta lives for about two to five years, and when they arrive at old age, they start losing color.
At this age (between 3-5), if you have already tested your water and are maintaining excellent water quality and diet, but you see your betta losing color, then understand that it may very well be the result of the betta’s old age.
1.5 Insufficient Filtering
Unfortunately, with the popularity of the betta fish has come mistreatment. Many people simply don’t know that betta fish can’t be kept in tiny bowls or tiny tanks without all the things that every other aquarium fish needs. Betta fish DO need a filter, and without one, they will suffer and eventually die an early death.
Not having a filter in the tank can absolutely cause changes in coloration, as it’s very stressful for the fish.
The flip side of this is that if you put a filter in the betta’s tank that has too strong of a flow, this too can can stress. They need very slow flowing waters, so a gentle sponge filter is the best for them.
A common misconception is that they don’t need a filter because they have a labyrinth organ, which allows them to breathe from the surface. But the thing is, a filter does more than just oxygenate the water. It also cleans it. Poor water quality causes the rise of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites which will be dangerous for the fish, and can lead to early death by damaging its gills, betta’s skin, betta’s body or organs.
All these factors affect the quality of water and as a result, your betta will lose its bright colors.
1.6 Bad Diet
This sounds harsh, and maybe it’s better said as: Less-than-ideal diet. Maybe you’re feeding your betta fish well, but just not providing enough variety. Feeding fish flakes only is not a good idea; Not only does it not bring out the best coloration, but it can also cause digestive and bloating issues.
Betta fish will lose their color when you’re not providing them with high-quality food and a varied diet (nicely cut salmon, insect larvae, brine shrimp, live or frozen bloodworms, and daphnia), and freeze-dried foods with the required proteins and nutrients your fish needs to look its best.
Feeding bettas a large amount of food at a time (for example, frozen bloodworms) or food in big pieces could be dangerous because bettas will find it difficult to swallow and digest.
These diet issues can be responsible for the betta fish color loss.
1.7 A New Environment or Immature Tank
When you take a betta from an old tank to a new one, the fish will need time to adjust. They had previously established their territory in the old tank, and now they’ll have to get used to the new environment and establish new territory.
A new tank also means water that might have slight differences in chemistry, water quality, and water parameters. Your betta fish might lose color during its adjustment time in the new tank.
Most fish owners already know this but it’s important enough to repeat: You should not put fish in an uncycled aquarium (eg, an immature tank). Tanks that haven’t been cycled quickly develop ammonia; If you try to put your betta fish in it, the fish will experience ammonia poisoning, and will eventually die if left in that tank. If you haven’t cycled your tank, this is why you’ve found your betta fish turning white or losing color.
1.8 Incompatible Tank Mates
Choosing compatible aquarium mates = happy, healthy fish.
But if you place them with incompatible, aggressive and territorial mates, your fish will be extremely stressed. Bettas are very aggressive, territorial fish that should be kept alone or with a handful of carefully selected, unassuming cohabitants, such as the Kuhli loach.
Otherwise, the fighting, territorialism, and incompatibility will cause stress and even shock, both of which can affect coloring – As a result, you’ll see your betta fish losing color.
1.9 Insufficient Light
If you don’t provide enough and sufficient light to your betta fish you’ll see changing and losing color.
Insufficient lighting can cause a betta fish to lose color and even turn completely white, for very science-y reasons. Bettas have chromatophores cells in their “skin.” When these cells receive a sufficient amount of light, they enhance the vibrant colors of bettas.
In the absence of sufficient light, these cells are unable to produce enough pigment, resulting in fading color.
Sometimes the effect of insufficient light is so powerful that it completely takes away the fish’s color, leaving not a single colored spot on the fish’s body.
Keep in mind that fish need day and night cycles like humans do, so don’t leave a light on all night.
1.10 Illness (Fin Rot, Anchor Worm, Columnaris, Ich, Injuries)
There are several fish diseases that can cause color fading issues in betta fish:
1) If your betta is suffering from fin rot disease, you’ll probably see a clear color change. Fin rot is an aquarium bacterial infection, and it’s one of the most common ones. It’s very painful for the fish, and can be a result of poor water conditions, unfiltered water, and overstocking. Fin rot can affect the betta’s fins, and general coloration.
2) Anchor worms are another culprit: They’re parasitic worms that attach to the body of the betta fish. Anchor worms can cause issues with breathing, irritation, and lethargy in sick fish. Betta fish with anchor worms will often flash (start rubbing its body with the substrates or other objects) to get rid of the itching; They’re often lose color as well.
3) Most novice fishkeepers have heard of or even encountered ich; White spots on the fish’s body is a telltale indicator of this common pest. Ich is a parasitic infection that is very irritating for the fish, and you’ll often see betta fish losing color with ich.
4) Columnaris is a nasty bacterial infection that can cause rapid death if not treated quickly. If your betta fish is suffering from columnaris, you may see fin rot, white areas on the body, ulcers on the fins and skin, infected areas of the mouth, and discoloration.
Lastly, injuries do happen sometimes in aquariums, especially if you have any sharp objects, edges, or substrates.
Illnesses, diseases, parasites, and injuries can all be reasons for a betta losing color.
2. How to Make Your Betta More Colorful
This can be summed up pretty easily: Keep them healthy, keep the tank clean with stable water parameters, and feed them a nutrient-rich, varied diet. We’ll dive into these and a few other color-enhancing tips below.
2.1 Perform Regular Water Changes to Improve Water Quality
Regular partial water changes are mandatory as a fish keeper. How often and how much water you change should be determined by the water quality and parameters, but generally speaking, you should be changing anywhere from 15%-30% per week.
In cases of ammonia spikes, you may need to do between 50%-70% per day until it’s under control.
Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate will affect the health and color of your betta fish; If you detect them, you should instantly perform a partial water change. Continue testing your water quality until it’s within acceptable parameters.
Avoid sudden water changes because this causes stress and shock; Instead, go for smaller, more regular changes (as opposed to larger, infrequent ones).
Clean water = happy betta fish.
2.2 Add Live Plants
We’ve already talked about how dense vegetation is a part of the betta’s natural environment. Replicate this in the tank by adding lots of live plants; This will help create a tank environment in which your fish can thrive and feel comfortable.
Plants also help reduce ammonia levels and keep algae issues in check. All of these things contribute to the comfort and health of your fish, bringing out the best color.
2.3 Make Sure They Have a Heater And a Filter
If you’ve read this far, you know that bettas do need a filter. They also need a heater. As a tropical fish species, they also require a heated tank in order to maintain a temperature between 76°F to 82°F.
TIP: You can add a used filter to the fish tank because it has already established beneficial bacteria in it, which will help in lowering the ammonia levels.
2.4 Feed Color-Enhancing Food
It’s essential to feed your betta high-quality proteins and nutrients in order to bring out the most vibrant colors. Much like how you might feed Omega 3’s to bring out a dog’s coat sheen, feeding your betta color-enhancing food will make them glow and shine with their best colors – In addition to supporting their immune system.
Color-enhancing food includes cut salmon, insect larvae, brine shrimp, live or frozen bloodworms, and daphnia.
2.5 Treat Illness Promptly
This one’s pretty self-explanatory. If your fish is sick, treat it. The tricky part is that there are some parasites you can’t see with the naked eye. If you have eliminated absolutely all other possibilities, then it’s worth giving your betta fish a salt treatment just in case, and see if you notice any improvement.
If your betta fish lives with any other tank inhabitants and shows signs of suffering from fin rot, anchor worm, ich or columnaris, or any other malady, then separate your betta fish immediately in a hospital tank. A first-step treatment is to use freshwater aquarium salt (1 tablespoon per 5-gallon tank) to help fight infections and help the fish protect itself against parasites.
In case of fin rot, medicines like malachite green, phenoxyethanol or methylene blue are typically used.
To remove anchor worms from the body of the betta, you’ll need to pull them out physically with the help of tweezers. After that, give a bath of potassium permanganate to your betta. This is also a measure that can be used to treat ich.
To treat columnaris, contact a fish vet; They may use proper medication like oxytetracycline, kanamycin, terramycin and nitrofurazone.
2.6 Add Tannins to The Tank
Catappa Leaf Photo by ©2008 Christoph Diewald via CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Tannins are a compound that occurs naturally in plants, in leaves and bark. Tannins can help reduce pH and keep hard water in check, and have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties – All good things for the coloration of your betta. Most aquarists use driftwood (boiled first) or dried aquarium catappa leaves to get a tannins boost. Just be sure to test your water over time to see how the new addition affects the water.
2.7 Keep Compatible Tank Mates
Bettas, for the most part, should live alone. There are very few other fish that they can do well with, and trying to force them to live with anyone else will cause stress and affect coloration. Stick with safe bets like cory catfish, Kuhli loaches, and snails.
2.8 Maintain Stable Water Parameters
It’s super important to control fluctuations in temperature and water pH, because it has a significant impact on the health of your betta fish. Remember that a healthy betta fish has vibrant colors.
2.9 Don’t Overstock Your Tank
By now, you get that stress affects coloration. And what’s more stressful than being packed in a room with too many people for too long? It’s no different for fish. Avoid overstocking or too-small tanks, for vibrant color. Bettas do best in 10 gallons per fish.
3. FAQs
3.1 How To Treat Fungal Infections In Betta Fish?
For the treatment of bacterial or fungal infection in betta, quarantine your betta fish if it lives with any other fish/invertebrates, and try a salt dip first.
Methylene blue and freshwater aquarium salt (1 tablespoon aquarium salt per 5-gallon tank) are both good treatments for fungal infections in betta.
3.2 Why Is Your Betta Turning Black?
Some color change is totally normal for betta. First, you should rule out ammonia poisoning or any illness. Otherwise, sometimes betta fish do turn black over time, especially if they are getting older.
3.3 How Can You Improve Betta Colors And How Long Do Bettas Take to Regain Color?
You can improve or regain betta coloration by giving them color-enhancing food, lessening their stress, and providing them with the healthiest environment possible.
It varies from situation to situation, and recovery too. Sometimes your betta recovers soon and gets color back in a few days, but sometimes it takes months.
3.4 What About Marble Betta Color Change?
If your marble bettas change color and you’ve already ruled out illness, disease, parasites, water quality or parameters, or other stressors, this may be due to age. It’s slightly more common for marble bettas to lose color than others.
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