One year old betta turning grey how much time left?

Question

I bought him last Feb and they said he was young. Poor fella is turning grey how much longer till he dies?

Answer 1

That color change can happen even in a middle aged healthy betta. That is not really an indication of old age as some would have you to think, but an accumulation in opaque color plates in the bettas skin and scales. Some are simply born with not of these plates than others. In fact, some show near compete coverage before they are mature. The International Betta Congress (IBC) has entire show classes dedicated to the opaque betta.

Answer 2

It's very unlikely to be old age. Bettas are capable of living 5 or even 10 years if properly cared for, and I can't imagine a petstore having an elderly betta out for sale. If he's turning grey, it might be a natural change for his coloring, or more likely a disease of some sort. If you're not testing his water for ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, etc you should be, as they are the cause of most diseases and if you keep them in check you are much less likely to lose your fish to illness. Regular water changes, once a week for regular unplanted tanks and daily or every other day for unfiltered bowls/vases, are usually enough to keep the water clean.

Answer 3

depends. does he have any other symptoms? is he housed properly?

is he in a bowl or vase? if so moving him to a heated filtered tank for at least 2.5gallons would most likely improve his health greatly. keep the water temp at about 78°F to 80°F and add some stress coat. feed him something hearty like blood worms for a few days. bettas if cared for properly can live up to ten years, although even properly cared for bettas usually live for only 8yrs.

if he's already in a filtered, heated tank then he may not have been young when you bought him. however he could also be getting a disease, watch closely for other symptoms.