Our Beta Fish

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Karen Fields,

Hi my sister and I just got our own individual Beta fish.  Both are Siamese Fighting Fish Both male and bought them at a local Petco.  We are worried about our fish.  When we got our fish we got two Beta kits.  We just put them under 60 watt light for heat.  My fish when I bought it was mostly green and orange.  Now it is like brownish.  But the most concered we should is my sisters fish.  her fish was a pale pink fish with red and blue fins.  Then her fish went from a pale pink to a purple and is now pale pink again.  But all her fish does most of the time is float near the surface and sit there and sometimes blows bubbles.  My guess is that her fish is attempting to make a bubble nest, or just blowing bubbles for no reason.  Should we be woried.  Please tell us anything you know about this as soon as posible.  Thank you very much.

mike   
Answer -
Hi M&K!~or shall I call you simply "Mike"? ;)

~First Congratulations on two brand new bettas! Bettas are such beautiful and interesting fish.

~Those color changes on both bettas you are seeing is most likely the betta's natural tendency to change their color slightly depending on their mood. Many fish change color from time to time including many cichlids, including the popular Oscar cichlid. Sometimes fish including bettas wil fade in their color when they are stressed by bad water quality or temperature changes.

It's best when any of your bettas change color like fade in their pigment greatly and act listless and sit very still, that you change their water and BE VERY SURE to add plenty of good quality water de-chlorinator.  I found that the best way to change a betta's water, whether in a betta kit or a bowl, is to first use an empty--well washed out (just plain water-never use chemicals of any kind) water bottle or gallon milk jug....Then you can fill the bottle or jug up with plain tap water---add plenty of good quality water conditioner, shake the bottle to mix it all up and set it next to your bettas home----do this the night before you plan to change their water so the new water can sit for hours to enable the conditioner to take full effect and very importantly, let the temperature equalize the same as the bowl-or container. Do you keep the 60 watt light on at night as well? If so this technique may not be good to use as of course the 60 watts will keep the container much warmer than the bottled water.  The best thing to do is buy a aquarium thermometer to check the temperature of both the bottled and the betta's water. In my experience, a bit warmer water is fine, like 2 degrees or less, but colder water can be risky and will stress your bettas.

~You didn't say exactly how your sister's betta was floating but if he was on his side on the top- it could be either constipation or a slight swim bladder problem. If he is staying upright and in normal postition at the top, but acting completely listless, then he might have dirty water, or water that has a concentration of ammonia by the betta's respiration and droppings. Please change the water immediately!
*~Blowing bubbles is completely normal for bettas. When Bettas began blowing bubbles to make a nest. It is a sign they are happy and at their healthiest. :)

~ A good, varied diet with plenty of protein, a warm water temperature, and consistant twice a week water changes, is absolutely essential for keeping bettas happy and healthy for their full lifespan of up to 3 years!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this letter,
I wish you and your sister both the very best and hope that you discover the beauty and interesting behavior of your new bettas and soon become lifetime aquarists yourselves!

*If you have anymore questions about anything, just email me again and I will be more than happy to help you all out!~ :-)

Take care, Mike----or M&K, and happy fishkeeping!
Karen~



Hey thanks for the info you have been a great help, I'm injoy watching my fish its exciting to see them swim.  I only used the light to keep them warm on a cold day.  But i don't leave it on at night.  But when ever the tank water feels cold I'll put the light on.  I got my Beta just about two days ago.  So I tried to feed my Beta those little pellets but it did not eat them of course this was the day after I got them.  We were not sure if they were feed at the pet store that day so we feed them and they did not eat the pellets.  Today I found the pellets at the bottom and it was like the fish did not know that the food was there.  So just before I began to respond to your awnser i put a Nutrafin flake in and then the next time I looked it was still there.  Unlike my sisiters fish who she claims she could not find her fishes pellet food.  Would this mean my fish was feed later in the petshop than my sisters and will my Beta eat the food of the bottom?  Also my fish is about 2 1/2 inches.  Could you determan the age by this lenght?  If you are not sure that is okay.  But if you know how to determan the age please tell me i would apreciate it.  Thanks for the congrats and you can call me mike.  Well we are changing 50% of the water tomarrow.  Well I'll be vhecking my email.

see ya :-) i also know the skill of smiles!!
thanks again
         
Mike  

Answer
Hey Mike! I SOOOO glad I was helpful to you! I enjoy helping people with their fish problems all I can!!

~Your problem with trying to get your betta to eat is really quite common with new bettas. They often will not eat the food you offer them probably because they were fed something completely different in the petstore. Bettas can be picky a lot. It will take him awhile to eventually accept the new food you are trying to feed, he won't starve right away so don't worry too much about him skipping meals for a couple of days. Just keep putting a few pellets in, give him a couple of minutes and make sure that he sees them on the top. And if he doesn't eat them, you can use a small spoon that is washed to make sure there is no soap residue and you can spoon the wasted food out. This will be kind of frustrating but be patient and give him time. Most bettas won't eat food off the bottom and it's best that you get it out so it won't decompose and pollute his water. He could also still be adjusting to his new home and not quite ready to accept food yet. You might want to try feeding some freeze dried worms you should be able to find at your local petstore. Bettas go crazy over live food- or freeze dried and this will often tempt difficult ones to eat. Also be sure his water isn't cold. As I have said before, please get a aquarium Thermometor as soon as you can to check his temperature and make sure it is O.K. Ideally Betta's water should be around 75-80 degrees--or around 23-26 for C reading. They will do O.K at cooler temps but it is not ideal for them.

~Betta Age~
Although knowing a betta's age can be difficult, I can say that on average most bettas for sale at the petstore are usually 6 months old. According to his size, I estimate that your betta is probably around 6 months to a year old.
With good care, some bettas can live older than 4 years! :)

I hope I was of some help to you once again! Remember you can email me back all you want! I don't mind! I would love to hear how you and your sister's bettas are doing!

Your very Welcome for everything! I'm glad my knowledge was helpful to you! :-) ;-) ^^) <'>>>< ><<<">

Take care, Mike, and happy fishkeeping as always!
~Looking foreword to hearing from you soon!~
Karen~