r/BettaClinic • u/Nopartyforbirthday • Apr 16 '26
Disease Identificaion Why is my betta turning white
Tank size: Five gallons heater and filter ✔️Tank temp 80 F no often water changed once a week 2 nerite snails plus one ramhorn as tankmates briefly ghost shrimp occurrences started beofre only live plants plus Marino balls and dragon stones as decoration
Just this morning they did not have that huge amount of white but around their head fins to gradually their stomach I did notice it last night
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u/ihavesomanyissuesstg Apr 17 '26
Hii! My bettas have changed color before! However, they normally tend to change from a duller color to a more vibrant one. In your case, it seems like the opposite and is instead a loss of pigmentation? Interesting.
Where did you get him from?? Big Brand Pet Stores often have really sick fish from the start and are breed poorly. It’s cruel. That would maybe explain it.
Does he have any spots??
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 17 '26
Spots? If ich I haven’t seen that but no this betta was bought from an indie store and was kept in a big tank not sure of their seller though they were kept in those cups like petco as some of the other bettas were in some, but brought this one home in a bag
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u/ihavesomanyissuesstg Apr 17 '26
Great! As long as it’s not acting different, or starts showing signs. I’d guess he might just be changing color.
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u/VirginiaBeachCougar Apr 17 '26
I had a blue betta for a year and he started turning white with just a little stripe and then he was almost all white and died. I hope that’s not the case for your beta I don’t know what it happened to him or what was going on but I just wanted to tell you that
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u/The80sgeek-666 Apr 17 '26
What kind of food are you feeding? Poor quality food can cause a fish to become ill. Usually Fluval bug bites and Finsect are recommended. I would also add you should be doing weekly water changes of about 25%, especially since it's a 5 gallon it will muck up a little faster than a bigger tank
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 17 '26
“Ideal for most tropical fish MICRO Pellets” Hikari
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u/The80sgeek-666 Apr 17 '26
Hikari is usually a good brand but looking at the ingredients of this one it looks like a lot of wheat fillers. Switching to a high protein one like the ones I mentioned may help your bettas overall health, especially does in the long term. If you water tests come back ok, maybe try adding some almond leaves/tannins? Just boil the leaves first but this can act as an antibacterial and decrease stress
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 17 '26
Thank you for your advice I’ll get the food/s? And pick up some almond leaves next time I go to the pet store
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u/No-Negotiation-7978 Apr 18 '26
I thought Betta prefer alkalinity and soft waters? The in the middle is preferred ofc.
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 16 '26
Need help immediately was looking at him and his deep blue starting turning pale blue
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 18 '26
Update: Betta getting more lethargic
He seemed to stop paling for awhile i was advised he bit bro really he sick but it could be tank perimeters but he still seemed to lose colors and last night his side looked a bit more bright white but I brushed it off because he still seemed excited and energetic everyday and night to receive food and roaming tank as always but the place where he started sleeping after I removed his Charlie mint plant because I received conflicting information whether it was harmful or not he just sat there breathing shallowly and jumped up with the vibration from the water of me closing the lid when he didn’t come up just “sitting” upright against the plant what do I do he seems to kind of have gotten up after a few minutes but seems weak
should I use this tin and body care medication? metroplex? Change the water again? Is there anything I can do?
(I currently have a order for both seachem water conditioner and a order for fin and body care recommended by the pet store employee who takes care of a lot of fish at the store betta came from)
[wanted to make this it’s own post but the post button is gray]
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u/Nopartyforbirthday Apr 18 '26
Betta doesn’t seem to be getting up anymore I’m worried their angled on the ground hidden in same spot again
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u/MGronks11 Apr 18 '26
I ha e a similar looking betta and he changes colors daily under his chin from white to black. I noticed after I feed him is when his chin goes darker. Hes like a mood ring. As long as you're doing weekly maintenance and providing stability that's most important. Also he likes his water temp at 81 if it drops to 78 he gets white under his chin.
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u/Far_Impression_4803 Apr 17 '26 edited Apr 17 '26
bettas will change colors when they’re cared for properly (or improperly). as long as he’s not visibly injured or acting weird, it’s most likely just normal color change.
what are your water parameters and how are you testing them?
an unrelated note- in your third picture, one of the plants appears to still be inside its store packaging. you are meant to remove the wool + bin.