Betta Fish Turning White? Why + What to do
Betta fish are loved mainly because of their vibrant colors, including deeper reds, oranges, blues, and yellows. When suddenly you notice some color loss, you have to focus on the root cause. The main reasons a betta fish turns white could be fake aquarium plants, unfavorable environment, high water Ph levels, and even high ammonia. Let’s look at each cause and the solution for each.
Why is my Betta Fish Turning White?
We have the main reasons why your betta is turning white into a dull color as follows.
1. Lack of Real Plants
Live plants in your aquarium are great for your betta fish. They help purify and clean the fish bowl’s water while providing a natural and beautiful betta fish setting. Also, some betta species like the Splendens are found in rice paddies with thick vegetation. This means they thrive better in actual marine areas.
2. Stress
The other reason betta turns white is stress. Their leaving space could have unfavorable properties such as low-quality water, fish bullies, rotting foods, and much more. All these aspects contribute to stress that leads to color fading.
3. Poor Water Quality
The presence of too high nitrates or ammonia can be dangerous to your betta fish. Typically, ammonia poisoning comes by when a fish bowl’s Ph levels are high. Not only offsetting the normal nitrogen cycle but making your betta lose color.
Poor water quality can damage your fish’s gill and sometimes lead to death. Always ensure the water quality is conducive for your pet to avoid these problems.
4. New Environment
Have you just bought a new betta? This might cause color fade because the fish needs to adapt to recent environmental changes. The area might need adjustments, such as water PH levels, temperature, and even quality.
5. Poor Diet
Another contributing factor to betta fish color loss is a poor diet. Feeding your fish with too high or too low proteins is dangerous to them. Moreover, it’s not ideal to fail to chop up the huge chunks of meals, including frozen bloodworms, to make feeding much more manageable.
Note that it’s ideal to get expert advice from a fish professional on the perfect diet for a betta fish. Plus, the many fish food varieties in the market give you a wide range of choices that suit your pet.
6. Tank Bullies
Often betta fish Bhat are bullied will begin losing their colorful profile. This leads to too much stress, and their vibrancy becomes darker. We understand it isn’t obvious when this happens, especially if the previous day they were peaceful. A fish bullies another regardless of temperament, size, and even species.
7. Inadequate Light
A betta fish can turn grey because of poor lighting. If the room has no lighting system, you might notice some dullness and whiteness on your fish. Some color changes are too intense, making the fish appear almost see-through.
8. An Underlying Illness
Some common causes of loss of fish colors apart from those mentioned earlier include odd swimming behavior, white spots, bloating, grey fins, and flashing. The latter means the betta rubs itself against an ornament, object, or gravel. If these are not the cause of your fish turning white, you might need to treat your pet for an illness.
What to do When a Betta Fish is Turning White
1. Add Real Plants
Use natural plants in your betta fish aquariums. They act as hiding places while offering enough water purification. What’s more, the flora better the tank’s feel into a more natural and entertaining space for the fish.
Remember that live plants offer more oxygen to clear out any ammonia, harboring beneficial bacteria. And even the vegetation reduces algae problems to provide a natural and conducive fish environment.
2. Change the Environment
If you notice that stress is the primary cause of your betta fish losing its rich color, we have some solutions. Firstly, consider the environment and if it has all the requirements. Always consult a fish expert if unsure of what the fishbowl needs.
Secondly, remove any rotting food that has been there for over an hour. Not only to prevent murky-looking water but also to encourage your betta to feed correctly.
Thirdly, monitor your fish behavior before and after these changes. You will have a better idea concerning the dull-looking profile and improve the solutions.
3. Eliminate /Reduce Ammonia Levels
How can you reduce ammonia levels in your fish tank? Don’t panic after using a test kit and confirming that the ammonia rates are high, don’t panic. Just follow these steps to eliminate this issue.
Change the water: Ensure you change the tank’s water at least 50 percent of it. This lets you swap out the ammonia water with a lesser ammonia-filled one. Similarly, you’re clearing out any dirt buildup caused by fish waste.
Introduce cycled filters: When you add another filter, the bacteria eat ammonia while lowering the levels. This is ideal for someone with multiple tanks to make the process much easier.
4. Change the Water
Sudden water changes for your betta can lead to fading and stress. If you have just bought your fish from the pet store, consider the correct water levels, including temperature and quality. In case of high nitrates levels, perform a 25 percent water change.
There’s no need to use fancy tools when changing the water. Use a simple gravel vacuum or jug for the water change. Then, repeat this process every day as you test the water until it reaches a safe chemical level.
5. Introduce a Balanced Diet
It would be best to strive to give your betta a healthy living environment to keep it healthy and colorful. A balanced diet comes in handy, especially meals with adequate proteins like freeze-dried daphnia and betta pellets. Moreover, to make the betta healthier, mix in some live worms and prevent over-feeding.
6. Separate the Fish
The easiest solution to prevent fish attacks and fights is separating them. Buy another fishbowl and let each have personal space as fishes are very defensive towards their species. Ensure the species are intended to coexist with each other. For instance, Betta and Cichlids thrive best on their own, while the smaller freshwater species like guppies work better in groups.
7. Add a Light Source
Turn on a light source like a lamp next to the tank and ensure you leave it on for a few hours. This will greatly affect the fish because of the direct correlation between the level of light exposure and the intensity of color. What’s more, the light causes a more intense and lively color than rooms with no light sources.
Tip: If providing a light source doesn’t help as much, you can feed your fish with safe color-enhancing foods. Most of these meals are easily accessible in pet food sections, including spirulina, herring, salmon, and brine shrimp. They promote good health and coloration in betta fish thanks to high protein levels and carotenoid pigments.
8. Confirm if its Illness causing the color change
Betta fish illnesses are subdivided into three; bacterial, parasitic, and fungal. Ensure you pinpoint the root cause of the problem to prevent death. For example, a new fish into the tank can cause parasitic ailments, while poor quality water can lead to bacterial sicknesses. After full recovery, the good news is that your betta fish color will start getting brighter.
Conclusion
When your betta fish starts turning white, it can get frustrating. You imagine all those colorful reds, deeper blues, reds, and oranges just fading away. Fortunately, we have provided simple solutions to help regain a betta fish initial look. Go through and find a solution that will return your fish to its former glory.