Why is my Betta Fish Turning White?

Why is my Betta Fish Turning White?
Betta Fish are known to be hard and easy to care for fish. However, that does not mean that diseases cannot affect them.
If you found your Betta Fish turning white, then there is a high chance of fungal infections.
All aquarium fish are more susceptible to fungal infections and the Betta Fish species is not an exception.
Most fungal infection can be easily treated with the Seachem ParaGuard medication, which you can purchase from Amazon.
In fact, fungal infection is the most common disease that you will have to deal with in your aquarium. Fortunately, you can take a few steps to protect the fish from infections, treat them and to identify the infection.
To know whether your Betta Fish is infected, you should look for both behavioral and physical symptoms. Nevertheless, the best identifying aspect is the fungus that you will see on your fish.
Fish affected by the common fungal infections will feature fuzzy white growth patches, particularly on the flanks and the head. Some of the fish might become lethargic – become less active than they usually are.
The other common symptoms of fungal infections include low appetite of the Betta Fish, and in some rare cases, the discoloration can happen. You should keep in mind that these two symptoms might indicate the presence of many other fish diseases.
Therefore, if they do not coincide with the change of color to white, it can be hard to claim that you are dealing with fungal infections.
Treating fungus disease in Betta Fish
Once you diagnose your Betta fish with fungal infections, you will have to clear up the infection soonest. Unless the infection is severe or has remained untreated for a long time, your fish will survive it easily.
Attend the offending culprit, which more likely is dirty water, first. Be careful when doing the water change and cleaning your tank if the Betta Fish are already sick. A water change process can stress them or kill them if they are sick.
Change 1/3 of the tank water two times a week until the water is fresh and chlorine free. Also, visit the local fish or pet store and purchase some anti-fungal drops. That will help clear up infections rapidly and kill any fungus that might be lurking in your aquarium tank.
Common Reasons for Betta Fungus Diseases
The commonest cause of infections in home aquarium tanks is poor tank water conditions and poor nutrition. A dirty living environment arises due to poor cleaning of the tank and overfeeding of the fish.
Bettas are more sensitive to overfeeding and any extra food you provide will sink to the bottom, dissolve and create toxic compounds that the fish will have to deal with.
Overeating will weaken their immune system and make them more prone to various infections.
Avoid Fungus Disease in Betta Fish
To reduce the susceptibility of your Betta Fish to fungal infections, you just need to maintain proper aquarium tank hygiene. A better way of avoiding fungal infections involves maintaining a clean environment by changing the water on a regular basis.
Avoid changing all the water at once because that can lead to severe problems. Consider changing the water on a bi-weekly basis and stick to 1/3 water change at a time. That way, you will be able to keep your tank clean.
Proper feeding of Bettas will also prevent fungal infections. Betta Fish are carnivores and you will have to provide them with smaller amounts of specially formulated food.
They also require live food but you can go for the frozen versions if you do not have the money to buy living foods such as bloodworms and bug larvae.
Keeping your Betta Fish Healthy
By keeping your Betta Fish happy and healthy, you will reduce their stress level. As a serious aquarist, you should understand the importance of safeguarding your pet and ensuring a long lifespan.
If you are alert and quick in addressing the physical and behavioral changes in your fish, you will prove that their well-being is a top priority.
The signs of health, relaxed and happy fish include strong vibrant colors, fins that are held one, feeds readily and active swimming movements.
On the other hand, sick or stressed fish will show several signs such as faded muted color, clamped fins (fins held closer to the body), stress stripes (prominent in females), poor appetite and ignoring newly introduced foods, lethargy, darting and hiding.
When your Betta Fish is bombarded with stressors constantly, they will end up losing their vibrant color and stress stripes will start appearing on the body. They are usually horizontal light and dark colored stripes.
Stressed Bettas will also have very poor appetites and they will be swimming right past the introduced food. To solve this issue, you will have to protect them from the common stressors.
Pathogenic microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi thrive in poor quality water. By changing the water frequently, you should use the right medication and conduct regular water tests.
And because Bettas enjoy swimming throughout the tank, the strong currents an aquarium tank filter produces will not affect them. Go for the adjustable aquarium tank filters and ensure that they are on the low-flow setting.
When it comes to nutrition, you should know that Bettas have a great appetite. They are carnivores, which mean that you have to provide them with protein-rich diets for them to thrive.
By varying their diet, you will boost their appetite. In fact, they will appear to consume more food because they consume everything introduced to the aquarium tank.
They developed the instinct when living in the wild, where meals timetables do not exist. But because the size of their stomach is the same size as the eyes, overfeeding them will lead to health complications.
Failure to introduce constant enrichment and variety in the tank will make the Bettas bored and unhappy. To keep them happy, you just need to add more aquatic plants and tank decorations that will provide adequate hiding places such as floating mirrors, toys and betta hammocks.
You can also teach them some tricks such as jumping, taking the food from your finger. Keep your tank clean, remove stressors, and provide them with the right nutrition for proper health. Monitor the changes in behavior, appearance and personality.
Why is my Betta Fish Getting Pale?
Betta Fish change their color to pale when sick. By monitoring the color of your fish, you will be able to catch diseases before they kill your fish.
Fungal and bacterial infections are the known health complications that can cause your fish to develop a pale color. Depending on the illness, you are likely to identify some of the signs and symptoms.
In other words, you should not rely on the color changes alone to decide on the step to take.
As you expect people to go grey as they age, the change of color in fish is also common as they age. Therefore, if you walk to your aquarium tank and find that the gills are turning grey, you should know that it might not be a disease.
Consider the overall age of the fish. If the fish is over five years old, the conditions of the aquarium tank might not be to blame. Bettas also have what is known as marble coloration. They are notorious for changing their colors in their lifetime.
Why is my Betta Fish Face Turning White?
If you notice that the face of your Betta Fish is turning white, then that is a sign of anxiety or shock. Mostly, that will happen after a water change and the fish will take a “running swim”.
The Bettas will know that something is wrong with the water. But if the white looks more like very tiny grains of salt, then the problem could be ich. If it has the shape of cotton, then it is fungi. Otherwise, it can be fin rot.
Change the water, add aquarium salt or use the appropriate medication. If the white face is a result of a water change, the fish will need time to recover from the shock – possibly 2 days.
Why is my Betta Fish Not Eating?
There are several reasons why you Betta Fish might refuse to eat. However, the commonest reason is that the tank conditions might be bad.
You might be offering the wrong type of food, maintaining improper temperature, or feeding the fish too much. The tank might also be unclean or the fish might be sick.
Maintain the temperature somewhere between 78 degrees and 80 degrees F (25-26.5 degrees Celsius). The temperature should never drop below 74 degrees F (23 degrees Celsius) because it would be too cold for the Betta Fish or rise beyond 86 degrees F (30 degrees Celsius) because it would be too hot. The temperature variation can harm your fish or stress them.
Provide the fish with protein-rich, meaty food. Pre-packaged meals such as brine shrimp, live bloodworms and specially formulated pellets will meet the nutritional requirements of your Bettas.
Feed them twice in a day because their stomach is the size of an eyeball and provide them with just enough food. And because parasites like ich and microscopic bacteria can affect the appetite of your Bettas, you will have to maintain the right tank conditions.
Hi. My betta, Heisenberg, has a light patch on the left side of his body. He’s not lethargic and he is eating. But what is this patch and how can I treat it?
It might be a fungal infection or it could be the start of a tumor. You can use ParaGuard for treating most fungal disease. If it is a tumor, it can’t be treated.
Hey my Betta has a big white spot at his gill….just one spot but big…it is fungal infection?