You are what U eat

[Katchan]

I purchased a little bristlenosed for my 10 gallon tank a few weeks ago, I was there as the LFS was still aclimitising them (so I had to wait forever before I could take it home). Anyways I noticed that instead of the dark brown with yellow/white spots our other B/N's are these were mid brown/orange with orange spots, so I asked the guy why and he said the breeder has started to use alot of pumpkin for feed. This really gave the vision of you are what you eat

Katchan

 

[SPLiSH]

That's cute!

But the main ingredient in my betta pellets is 'fish meal'... that means my betta will morph into a.. dare I say it? FISH! Muhaha!

)

Ahem, yes... sorry for that little random outburst there. Back on topic: my old apple snail originally had a pale yellow shell when I bought him at the LFS, but after two weeks of eating pumpkin he was a rich, golden colour. He annoyed my betta so I took him back, and when I did so he LFS employees asked how I'd got his colour so deep.

 

[OohFeeshy]

I've always wondered if diet affects fish colour. EG, if you took a white betta and fed it black food, would it turn black?

 

[GSD]

of topic here but i didnt know bristlenose could live in a 10gal!!!!lol

 

[Katchan]

Some people always have to pick

My little 4cm BN is more than happy in a 10gallon, and if I do have to move it I have to 40 gallons that could happily use it, so

Katchan

 

[GSD]

ok i was only saying...............

 

[Synirr]

I've always wondered if diet affects fish colour. EG, if you took a white betta and fed it black food, would it turn black?

It does to some extent, but no, feeding a white betta black food will not make him turn black. Only certain pigments, like the beta-carotene found in pumpkins, for example, are stored in the skin. Certain other nutrients found in foods can make a fish's colours brighter, though

As I understand it, animals convert beta-carotene to vitamin A in their bodies as they need it, and if they are eating more carotene than their body needs to convert to vitamin A, the excess builds up and is visible as a change in skin tone. Skin tone returns to normal when the animal is no longer consuming excess amounts of beta-carotene, so if you were to purchase one of the orange-ish BNs, it wouldn't stay that way unless you used a lot of pumpkin or carrot in its diet. Edit: or other foods with high carotene content...