Oh No! HELP PLEASE!

[Leaky Buckets]

Hi, I read this forum so that I can better care for my Betta named Leaky Buckets. I got him from Walmart about a month ago, he was in a leaking plastic container and wasnt in good shape. I took him home and have been giving him the best care I know how, thanks to this great site!

Anyway, he lives in a 10 gallon tank, w/ a heater and filter. I change his water once a week. So far he's been doing really well...eating, being active, curious, etc. Lately his face has been getting gray. It has always been gray, but today I think it looks worse! I fed him this morning and he was fine but tonight I gave him a few bloodworms and he didnt seem interested in eating them. Eventually, about 15 mins later, he ate them. He's just been swimming around randomly in his tank...but he doesnt seem to be his regular self.

I've been treating his water w/ Aquarisol from time to time and I once added a tablespoon of aquarium salt to his water as a preventative. His fins look in good shape, its just his face that worries me. Please help me take care of this problem, if it is a problem, before anything happens to him.

[strayner]

Does it the gray area look stringy or fuzzy at all?
Also, what is the ammonia level in your tank?

[Leaky Buckets]

No, the gray stuff is not stringy or fuzzy. I dont know the ammonia level in his tank, but I changed his water this weekend. I usually change it weekly.

[kelly528]

That's really weird... your setup is exceptional! Can you get a sample of your water? If you bring it to any fish store they should test it for a small fee if not free. What is the temperature? Can you get any pictures?

[BurnishedOchre]

Hmm... I would normally say that the grey facial coloration sounds like any normal color shift when a betta gets a little stressed, from what I've seen with Desmoda anyway, but the extra details you have provided makes it seem a little more suspicious. Like Kelly528 said, the tank setup sounds pretty pristine - I would follow their advice since I am still very new to this. :) I thought I would just give my view of the situation in any case. Good luck and I hope that either your fish is okay or that he doesn't have anything potentially serious!

[Leaky Buckets]

Well, his face is still gray, but Leaky Buckets is back to his normal self. I'll try to get some decent pictures to show his face. The water is 78 degrees. If he's stressed, I dont know what could cause it.

[LaniBaby]

did you leave him in the dark for any extended periods of time? bettas tend to lose coloration when there isn't a light around for awhile, even over night. bluey's face is black but sometimes in the morning it's grey and also after i move him around for tank maintenance, he gets stressed and it pales.

[Leaky Buckets]

That's really interesting...I did have him against a wall away from the direct sunlight, but I moved him to a location near the window where light shines for most of the day. It hasnt seemed to make a difference though. Maybe his gray face is normal for him. He's had it ever since I got him (over a month ago) but it seemed worse that night. Anyway, Im just glad he's back to normal! Thanks for all your input!