color changing betas

Question
i just bought to betas from a local pet store one male and one split tale female both a very dark blue buy the time we came home the male beta still same color but the female went almost clear we she get the pretty color she had back and why does she do that?

Answer
Hi Sandy;

She is probably stressed from getting a new home. Some fish react very strongly and others seem to take it in stride. Keep her tank water warm and keep the area quiet so she can recover. Bettas need to be in water that is 76f or above so if it's too cool they will get pale too.

If you have the male and female together in the same tank, separate them. Her loss of color could be from fear of the male. They cannot live together all the time. If you can't separate them right away, give her plenty of hiding places. The male could nip her fins and really hurt her if you don't. They are put together only for the act of spawning after a conditioning period. The conditioning period involves feeding foods such as worms and shrimp and keeping both their water very clean and warm, 80f to 82f. The male makes a "bubble nest" and the female grows eggs inside her during conditioning too. Here is a cool web page about it with photos;

http://mermaiden.net/Betta/breeding_tips.php

I hope all goes well...

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins