Betta fish SUDDENLY losing color

[ypopal]

I’ve had this betta for maybe 3-4 years now. I kept him in a betta bowl for most his life unfortunately. He was always healthy and made frequent bubble nests. After moving him to a 5 gallon with perfect parameters and weekly water changes he got sick. His bones poked out of his back fins and I quarantined him and have extra treatment. His was slow at the time and stayed in one spot. Ever since he healed he’s been very active and healthy.

Fast forward to today, maybe a month since he’s healed and in one day he went from perfect to this terrible color.

Water temperatures - ideal range
Parameters - perfect
Tank size - 10 Gallon
Tank mates - small school of guppies and a golden mystery snail
Water changes occur weekly

What is this? How can I fix it? How does it happen?

Would love answers asap!

 

[NannaLou]

Just my thoughts, I hope someone with more experience can give more scientific advice, but I would think a combination of age, and having got to the limits of his tolerance/stress with the small school of guppies…

 

[Rubyqueen]

It might be that the betta is not getting the correct diet for his age. You say he is housed with the guppies so its possible that he is eating their food which is not rich enough in protein for him. Try adding finely crushed brine shrimp and daphnia and bloodworms, either live or frozen, to his tank. I also feed my betta a product called betta gold.

 

[ypopal]

It might be that the betta is not getting the correct diet for his age. You say he is housed with the guppies so its possible that he is eating their food which is not rich enough in protein for him. Try adding finely crushed brine shrimp and daphnia and bloodworms, either live or frozen, to his tank. I also feed my betta a product called betta gold.

Thanks. I’d like to add that this happened over like a night or two . Is that common?

 

[Back in the fold]

My guess is that he misses his old home. The change to new digs was a stress to him. Kind of like when you repot a houseplant. Sometimes they don't like it. Then too he is getting old. Could be any number of reasons for it. Still a nice looking Betta.

 

[Naughts]

How active is he?

 

[ypopal]

How active is he?

Eating is good
Activity is good
Everything is good except the bones on his front fins are sticking out and there are parts of his back fins that are see-through and other parts that are purple. I wouldn't think the purple is bad if it wasn't surrounding the transparent parts

 

[Naughts]

Eating is good
Activity is good
Everything is good except the bones on his front fins are sticking out and there are parts of his back fins that are see-through and other parts that are purple. I wouldn't think the purple is bad if it wasn't surrounding the transparent parts

Just sounds like fin rot. Treat with aquarium salt for two weeks at a rate of 1 tablespoon for the 5 gallons. When you do a water change replace the salt removed (eg. Change 2.5 gallons, add back half a tablespoon of aquarium salt).
Fin rot in betta is usually from poor water Conditions. Please post the actual numbers for each test as "ideal" and "perfect" are subjective. Also please post your maintenance routine in case it needs tweaking.

 

[gilpi]

I've done a lot of reading and studying bettas though I never owned one, from what I read they have a shorter lifespan than most other fish, somewhere in the 4-5 years average in captivity, please someone correct me if I'm wrong. Perhaps the discoloration can be the fish not being able to handle some sort of stress in his older years? Many become agitated when their space is invaded, I would say they are loners.

 

[itiwhetu]

What are the parameters of the tank? Do you have floating plants and other plants for protection?

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

Parameters - perfect

what exactly is "perfect"?
I see you have guppies and a senior betta so... Water hardness?
No easy way to say it, but betta fish will lose color with age. And let's not hide the fact that this betta has surpassed the lifespan of most betta fish.

 

[DragonScales+Doubletails]

whoops, I forgot to say to the forum! (ignoring the fact you've been active on TFF for almost a month)