What is the normal coloring for a female betta fish?

Question

I just got a female betta from Walmart. She has not eaten in the 5 days that I have had her. I have tried freeze dried and flake food. She nibbled slightly on the freeze dried but not the flake and only spit out the freeze dried.

She has a grayish white strip down her head and has been lingering at the top of the water. The problem is that I think she's been sick since I've had her so I don't know normal coloring for her. I just gave her ick cure 2 days ago and she is now darting around the enclosure. I put her in an open bag in the tank so the water temperature could be regulated and so she would not infect the other fish. I have a male betta in the tank. She has vertical "mating" stripes on her sides now and is doing nose dives at the bottom of the bag trying to get out I think.

Should I be patient and wait for the medication to work or should I start freaking out and try a different medication?

Does anyone know anything else that could be wrong except for ick?

Answer 1

There are a lot of potential things that could be wrong, but ich is only one. If she's got ich, she'll have small white spots that will make her look like she was sprinkled with salt. The medication for ich is very stressful for fish, and if it contains malachite green or formalin, these are both carcinogens (have been linked to higher rates of cancer) so they shouldn't be used if you haven't made a positive diagnosis of a condition it will treat. The same is true for any medication.

If she doesn't have the spots as I've described, you should put her in water without any medication. Make sure her temperature is warm enough, 75-80o is good. I'd also find a place for other than with the male, even if she's in a bag. Being that close will only stress her more if she is sick. If you want to mate them in the future, that's fine, but you don't want to put them together until she's eating, and you know she's healthy. WalMart bettas aren't kept in the best of conditions, so proper temperature, good food, and a quiet place to live may do her wonders in a few week.

The colors you're describing are common for a stressed female betta. If she's comfortable, you won't see the horizontal stripes, or they'll be very faint.

From my experience with bettas (and I've bred them several years ago) they prefer pellets or frozen foods to flake or freeze dried food.

Answer 2

If she is not wanting to mate yet sometimes this is common try getting a glass bowl and leaving her by herself for a couple of days she might have already mated,and sometimes they like to be left alone after this.If she gets better after you put her in a surrounding by herself,do not change her she may be pregnant,if this is the case keep her by herself the other fish will eat the babies.If she does not get better by herself,I would call a vet or do some Betta exploring on the net.Also try getting her to eat Betta pellets.Betta's can be all colors it is the tail that tells in this case.If the tail is long and sleek it is a male,if the tail is short and stubby it is a female.Wal-mart do not take good care of fish but if the fish looked fine in the tank before you bought it, it should look fine in yours.Also I would stop giving medication unless you are certain that she has ick,this could make her seem drugged and unlively I have studied this in school it is like a human taking pain pills.This could also be dangerous ,if she has mated.

Answer 3

Well some fighting is normal for betta sororities (some might be very passive and just run when theres a conflict). However you cannot really start a sorority with 3 females (usually the two top will bully the weakest to death), you need 5 (some say 4 but thats usually unstable).

Answer 4

If walmart isn't good to fish...shouldn't we buy them than and give them a good home?? I buy my beta's at wal-mart for the simple fact that they're cheap and i pity them. I just try to pick those that are the most active...anyway i did it that way for the female cause i had two before and they had both died within a week. This new one is exstreamly active and eats a lot...she was like that at the store as well. For the male beta i looked for the one that most active but i also looked for the one that was beautiful. What i'd suggest is get in there as fast as a new order of fish has arrived...that way they'll still be a bit more active and have probably been well cared for before they came there. I figured that out by mistake cause i happened to buy both my beta's just after they had been ordered in. This is my first year with beta's so i'm really a wonna be. :D BUT....that don't stop me for lovin' them!! Man!! they r one BEAUTIFUL fish!
I keep mine in a one gallon bowl btw and the female is in a little smaller goldfish bowl. the only decoration i have are a few clear stones...i discovered that they kinda 'light' up the bowl and make the water more clear than the 'original' coloured stones. Even though they are both active and seem content, i think the guys have me convinced to get a silk plant. Good luck! oh! and another thing, sometimes the pellets r too big so i crush them under my finger and sprinkle them in like flakes. :)

Answer 5

Like other people mentioned, the white could be normal coloring, mine has a similar white mark down its belly. You might not have noticed it in Walmart because of the poor lighting.

Give her her own tank, even a male and female betta mix is not a good one. For their comfort don't try and breed them.

If you want to breed fish for the experience, try tetras or guppies. (and with the guppies if you don't have a aproblem with the idea, you could then use the fry as feeder fish for you bettas or other fish. :) )

Answer 6

As bubbles said, female bettas come in a wide variety of colors and patterns so the white stripe on her head is probably just normal coloration.

I would say the lack of eating and strange behavior is related to her exposure to the male betta. She needs her own container away from the male to adjust and settle down. I would discontinue any medications unless you see signs of a specific disease and to me t doesn't sound as if she has a disease at all, just uncomfortable living conditions.

MM

Answer 7

there many different colors of female bettas. I dont think she's ill. IF YOU WISH TO MATE YOUR BETTAS YOU SHOULD SEPERATE THEM BY A DIVDER THE MALE WILL COURT THE FEMALE BY SWIMMING CLOSE TO PARTATION AND FLARING HIS FINS AND GILLS .tHEY MUST BE ABLE TOSEE EACH OTHER. tHE MALE WILLEVENUALLY BUILD A BUBBLE NEST .wHEN HE'S FINISHED introduce the female in with himto mate. aftervthe have mated and the nest is full . Then remove the female and male will raise then young.

Answer 8

Bettas can be all sorts of colors.

And please, do not ever buy fish from Wal-Mart!

They take horrible care of them, and they are practically dead when you buy them


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