So this is how my betta looked when I first got him, about seven months ago:
He's a Crown Tail, and was always a sort of pastel light blue and pink. But he's got these dark spots on his body, around his gills, and at the tips of his fins.
Over the time that I've had him, those places have gotten a bit blacker (I can't get my camera to take a clear picture). His bottom fins have grown longer. He's been eating more. I tried to see if his other fins were shorter, so I put a mirror up to him, but he didn't even flare. He hid. And then when he was hiding, he flared his gills but not his fins. The one time I've done this before (when I read on some site that it boosts their confidence or something, which I don't really get), he totally flared (and then swam away, he's a bit of a coward). I caught him spitting up some food, but he ate another bloodworm right after. Is he sick?
Housing
What size is your tank? Two and a half gallons.
What temperature is your tank? 79, I think.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? I think the filter uses an air pump.
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Bloodworms.
How often do you feed your betta fish? A pinch twice a day. (about 5 worms... is this too much?)
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every four weeks.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? About 10-15%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Nutrafin Cycle (Biological Aquarium Supplement) and Nutrafin Aqua Plus (Tap water conditioner)
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Mentioned above. My brother thought maybe he's getting darker because I fed him food with color enhancers the first week I got him, when I was trying to get him to eat. I've fed him bloodworms ever since.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He still loves food, but he's spit some out.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? This is sort of an ongoing concern.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Nope.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Got him seven months ago at PetSmart.
He's a Crown Tail, and was always a sort of pastel light blue and pink. But he's got these dark spots on his body, around his gills, and at the tips of his fins.
Over the time that I've had him, those places have gotten a bit blacker (I can't get my camera to take a clear picture). His bottom fins have grown longer. He's been eating more. I tried to see if his other fins were shorter, so I put a mirror up to him, but he didn't even flare. He hid. And then when he was hiding, he flared his gills but not his fins. The one time I've done this before (when I read on some site that it boosts their confidence or something, which I don't really get), he totally flared (and then swam away, he's a bit of a coward). I caught him spitting up some food, but he ate another bloodworm right after. Is he sick?
Housing
What size is your tank? Two and a half gallons.
What temperature is your tank? 79, I think.
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? I think the filter uses an air pump.
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None.
Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Bloodworms.
How often do you feed your betta fish? A pinch twice a day. (about 5 worms... is this too much?)
Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? every four weeks.
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? About 10-15%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Nutrafin Cycle (Biological Aquarium Supplement) and Nutrafin Aqua Plus (Tap water conditioner)
Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Mentioned above. My brother thought maybe he's getting darker because I fed him food with color enhancers the first week I got him, when I was trying to get him to eat. I've fed him bloodworms ever since.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? He still loves food, but he's spit some out.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? This is sort of an ongoing concern.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Nope.
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No.
How old is your fish (approximately)? Got him seven months ago at PetSmart.