Female Lost Colour...

[Blubble37]

Hi All... My Female Betta Fang has lost her colour since i bought her home.

When she was at the shop she was a deep burgandy with blue-red tipped fins.

now she looks more like a humbug. Her fins arent as colourfull and they keep changing colour and her body is black and white banded.

Can anyone tell me why this is and if she will get her colour back at all?

I dont have a shop picture - but i can take one of her now if you want...

Regards

Rob

 

[SchottayB]

How long have you had it for? Maybe it's stressed due to transport etc. May take a while to settle in to the new home, I had this with my tetra they lost a lot of colour for a few days, but now look fine.

 

[fuzzynicki]

Definitely sounds like stress. If you've only just got her then it may well take her a few days to settle in. Just keep an eye on her, but try not to worry too much.

 

[Blubble37]

yeah, i only just got her this morning so that is probably stress. I just wondered why her fins seem tyo change colour at will - or is that her mood?

She has already got to know the molly and is sharing the boat and bogwood so

 

[lilfishie]

definately sounds like stress stripes to me, give her a few days and she will get her colour back

 

[Blubble37]

thanks guys... she is beginning to get her fin colour back now but is still sulky. she loves food though!

 

[Blubble37]

She Has lost her stripes!!!!!

She stilll goes stripy but never goes quite as stripy so i guess she is just settling in nicely!

 

[Whisper]

thanks guys... she is beginning to get her fin colour back now but is still sulky. she loves food though!

Yep. The biggest differene between the males and females that I have observed is the females seem to put a much higher value on food on average.

It was stress. Did you measure the pH of the water she was in before you put her in her new home to insure they are the same? You must slowly adapt her to the new pH level if they are not the same. Not doing this will cause a great deal of stress and could sicken the fish, weaken the immune system and make her sick 2 weeks from now, or even kill the fish if the pH differences are large.

Stress results in a weakened immune system and that sometimes results in the fish getting sick 2 weeks after the stressfull event.

You probably know all this but I'm only offering it because I have encountered so many people that have fish yet haven't got a clue about water chemistry and how important that is to their survival.

 

[Blubble37]

PH at the store? they dont tell you that TBH and IMO they will tell you to poke it if you ask to test te water there anyway. I did my usual and acclimated her slowly, very slowly indeeed. So she should be ok.

It was about 2 weeks ago that i got her and she is settling in a bit.