Could the water be too cold? Did you float him, and acclimate him to the new water, before adding him? I don't think I heard of a fish being afraid of their reflection to the point that they lose vibrancy. I would look more at environmental conditions.

 

No I didn't float him but I'm always so careful with temperature(I have a thermostat in the tank and make sure the new water matches the old)Have I done something wrong here?Do you still need to float them even though the temp is exactly the same as it was before the change?
He went funny again last night but this morning all but his head had regained it's color and he seems to be acting normal enough(it's very early in the morning and still dark so he's never that "crazy busy" active as he is later in the day)
Hopefully he'll be o.k and he was just done with the AQ salt.Fingers crossed.

 

Should always float them. The chemistry is different in the water too. Keep him in a ziplock baggie and every 5 minutes or so add some new tank water to what he's sitting in from his dirty water. After about 15 minutes or so you can add him to the new water.

It seems like a waste of time, and that's what turned my boyfriend from Lakitu (we got him together to care for together).

Do you have a heater in his tank? Some bettas are very sensitive to cold water bc they are tropical fish I hope he's okay though.
Aq salt is used only for skin fungus, fin rot, velvet.. Bacteria killing agent. I wouldn't use it for his color changing.

 

Is it possible you forgot water conditioner, or the water chemistry is different?

As far as temperature, I never float anymore. I have a 45 gallon reserve can that I store my clean water in, straight from the r/o unit and treated, with a heater in there that keeps the water around 78. I never float or acclimate, just change the water directly.

Tell us exactly how you're changing your water.

 

I change my water by taking him out(I check the temp of the water before I do) then remove the water with a gravel siphon.Then I replace the water straight from the tap and add small amounts of boiled water till the temperature is the same as it was before cleaning.I add stress coat and make sure that it's mixed in really well and then put him back.Is the boiled water a problem? I mix it in really well so that there's no temperature pockets in the tank.
Am I doing this wrong?

 

When it comes to 100% water changes, I've noticed 3 types of fish. 1 type makes every territory it's territory so it isn't phased by a tank swap at all. My late fish Spicy goes into this categoery. He would claim a dessert as his home if you let him. Then you have the second type of fish that is freaked at first, but gets used to it. Almost all my other fish go into this category since they got used to it over time. I would give it a month or so and see if your fish is less stressed by water changes over time. Then there are the fish like Luigi who never get used to it and freak during every single tank transfer. I have never owned a betta fish who hates QT tanks as much as Luigi. That fish freaked when I brought him home from the pet store because he didn't want to leave the cup he claimed as territory. I have no idea why Luigi would die defending a puddle before he would claim new territory in a lake. After all this time with bettas, I simply write some fish off as wierd.

One trick I tried with Luigi was to decorate the smaller tank as much as possible with gravel and a ton of the small betta plants for hiding. Since it was 1/2 gallon I could fit about 4 of those tiny silk plants in there. If that doesn't work either, then you can wrap the QT tank up in a towel so the fish is a bit calmer in the dark. If that doesn't work either, then your fish will just have to freak out for his own sake. You aren't doing anything wrong with the water changes. I would suggest a heater for your tank to keep the temperature stable, but everything else sounds fine.

Your fish can't understand that you are moving him for his own good so he freaks out. Unless he's as off the chart as Luigi, he shouldn't become ill or sickly because you keep his tank clean. I've heard of some fish who get so stressed during water changes they lose their color and develop stress stripes. Based on what you describe, your fish is like Snowy who needed 3 months to adjust to the water change routine. Once he adjusts, he should be less of a drama queen about it. If he never adjusts(like Luigi after 2 years DX), then you may want to consider setting up a cycled tanked since a cycled tank only needs particle water changes. For now, just wait and see. No matter how perfectly a 100% water change is done it is still stressful to fish.

 

as long as the boiled water isn't poured in with the fish in it (which you aren't doing) and mixed well (which you are) it should be fine.

I think the whole thing is probably stressful for him, nothing you're doing. If you could, I'd upgrade to a 2.5 or 5 gallon tank, and then you don't have to take him out or do 100% water changes and he might not get so stressed.

 

I agree, it is probably stress. My Spartan I never have to acclimate him, he is content if he is ever moved (rarely). For even my 1 gallons, because I have a jumper (Shiloh) and a freak-out (Reggie) I use an air tube to get the stuff off the bottom and have the water level drop to about an inch then add water in. It works, less stress... If you have to do 100% water changes... do you use a net to get him out to another body of water? I use a cup or a small bowl. The small bowl for some of my diva bettas is better than the cup, but a net is more stressful than anything else I have ever used - for any fish.