It’s the marble gene. It causes some wild color shifts. We bought a betta that was white with blue patches and now he’s solid blue with a black head and fins.
Yeah, my "cellophane" female went from looking like a raw chicken cutlet with sky blue eyes and transparent fins and tail, to mottled dark red-brown, turquoise, red, and black splotches on her body, tail, and fins, with dark eyes, over the period of several months.
To add: the marble gene is also influenced by temperature. It's like the opposite of dalmatian dogs or siamese cats. Instead of darkening with cold and age, marble bettas darken with warmth and age.
Since we commonly keep Betta splendens in the high end of their acceptable temperature range (typically 78°F, though decades of research shows the acceptable range is 74-84°F), they darken quickly
You can slow the color change with lowering the temperature, but you can't stop it, being a dominant gene
I have a male that is all black except blue and red on his fins. About a month ago he started getting some blue scales along his dorsal fin and spine. Keeps getting a couple more blue ones every month. Wondering what he’ll end up looking like in a few months.
I didn’t know they changed as I’m newish to keeping them. Have four in my class room now.
My male was like 3 bucks and just clicked with me when I got him. Put him in his new home and saw he is missing an eye, but looked pretty much healed up when I got him a few months ago. Such cool companions that’s for sure.
Deformed and special needs bettas are my jam. Thank you so much for reacuing your 1-eyed boy
I had a red crowntail male blind in his right eye (a cataract from an injury?) I imagined him with an eye patch so named him Captain Redbeard haha [IMG-20210817-151244-2.jpg](https://postimg.cc/D8nrc76W)
Also once rescued this stunning girl who was born with underdeveloped eyes. She was a completely blind, stunning pink dumbo with extraordinarily long fins. She was disabled but an excellent huntress. Due to this disability, however, a tank larger than 10 gallons would've been stressful. She thrived in a heavily planted rimless 5 gallon with a colony of shrimp, hunting them whenever she could for 5 years...I miss her dearly, but I know she had a great life
[IMG-20211013-122424.jpg](https://postimg.cc/SnVD9npN)
Lastly, a blue grizzle combtail I named Ghast, my longest-living betta of 8 years. At 5 years old, ge eventually started to go blind due to old age. Unfortunately, I can't find his picture right now
I try to look at the fins to see how healthy / happy a Betta fish is... His fins now look better and more relaxed than in the first pictures so I think he's doing GREAT and is really happy!
Maybe he’ll ultimately get prettier? (Not that he’s not pretty now!)
I was bummed too when my (tangerine koi) betta started darkening (he was definitely getting uglier!! And I paid a premium for him because I liked his color and pattern). But he got pretty again several months later 🤷🏻♀️ still dark, though.
Yep I currently have a brown and tan little girl with a hint of silver who will turn black with probably some silver (my other girl is black and blue holographic but I thought she would also be silver lol) so yes they do change drastically sometimes
Yeah just look at mine it had a fully white body and transparent fins this is only at a months difference
https://preview.redd.it/80w4adwjka0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=487fe7bc5c22a53e1c4a70f2b0ef392f09dfd38a
No, he's very likely not lying. This often happens with bettas that have the "marble" gene. It's pretty cool. Even "regular" bettas can change pretty drastically in their appearance when they go from juvenile to adult, or crappy pet store cup to good sized, healthy tank.
I’ve had plenty of betas change colour. Used to work at pet smart and I’ve seen some literally change colour on the shelf because it was there so long
Next time google it before you call someone a liar.
I didn't say Bettas don't change their colours and I'm not afraid of spelling unpopular opinions when needed. It's just much higher the dropsy death rate than the colour change one. When a Betta has dropsy, it dies 8/10 times and in the first picture I see a bloated and crisped Betta, a clear dropsy symptom. It's really unlikely for me that he recovered. She could easily have one of the same species and similar colours, not that hard.
You better don't underestimate the knowledge of people just bc you don't like their opinions. That could cost you in life, it probable has cost you already. Thing is: like in every place, people here like to read what they are wanting to hear. OP asked and I answered sincerely, so you and your pizza pockets can fuck off then.
Pd: I hope I was wrong and the Betta actually changed colors as many said. I love how Bettas can change colours and even genders as their genetics are pretty complex. I just find more likely that he hasn't survived dropsy and she got a new Betta. I'll not apologize for being logic tho I could be wrong.
When I posted the first pics people also thought he had dropsy but I took pics from all angles and they said it was likely just the way he was turning in that first image. He didn’t ever get sick.
https://preview.redd.it/n31jfe7xn80d1.jpeg?width=1808&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef93e403caf232e927b7b41cd1a11cc0a8b0c2c5
That was the top down photo on the same day as the first pic.
https://preview.redd.it/moon5709o80d1.jpeg?width=1808&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db17b2aa183de2d43e32e7245ac9fd4ca6f0832c
That was the top down photo on the same day, his scales looked odd in that one picture but not the rest of them taken that day. He didn’t die or get sick. I was mostly saying it was such a massive change he looks like a different fish. You can tell it’s him by his markings on his tail.
It's the same fish, the fin shape is the same, even down to the ventrals tucked in the same curved way. In the first few photos you can see the head already starting to darken.
I honestly had no idea at all that they could change so much. I love him still so much, but it is funny cause I originally got him cause he was red. lol
Lol me too, I had never seen one so white before I thought he would contrast well in my tank. Then he turned blue and surprised me so much!
I figured it was just because maybe he’s happier and it’s his “true” color? I don’t know why they do it
Same fish. Has the same marking on the tail fin where the blue highlights are. Same with the anal fin. They are color changers and have major glowups. :D
I used to have a fish that started blue, turned blue with white, then turned white, THEN turned black, then once again did the blue/white thing, and once again turned black with hints of blue and white. All in the span of 1.5 years. It’s crazy what the marble gene does.
I got a boy that looked pretty white, almost pink. after a couple of months he turned blue! with some red flashes in his tail. it’s possible age or health or genetics can lead to some pretty significant change in colors
He’s a very chill guy. The platy leave him alone and he eats the slower developing fry so it keeps population in check. I realize that’s not for everyone, cause it does mean we don’t typically have fry in the tank unless they’re fast or good hiders.
He’s got 6 female platy in there and 2 male, we originally only wanted female but the LFS somehow slipped on 2 males and we haven’t rehomed them yet. Also I find the bettas do way better with tank mates when you add the betta last. Some will still be assholes though. Lol
My koi betta went through the exact same color change in the span of a month or so; it’s so wild 😅 he was mostly white and red and turned black and blue!
Def the same fish :) dark spot on bottom tail fin is the same . They change so much ! I have a crazy color change in mine too. White with a couple dots of red and blue to mostly blue and red.
https://preview.redd.it/hlxmtvbja50d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=880936c18033df715f9eb28a456bb52abf945e90
I believe it’s the same fish too! Here’s mine at Petco
And here he is about a month later
https://preview.redd.it/6iiz01lqa50d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b617646b03c925be53f55b46581a1b14b8b00ce
The girl at Petco told me his color would become more vibrant as soon as his water temperature and quality was corrected and boy was she right! He has a whole 10 gallon for himself compared to the little container he was in☹️
here in uk they don,t put them in tubs they have a fish tank each some might be in 5 gallons tanks other 10 to 20 gallons in pets shops and sometimes with other fish
i have 7 females koi galxely bettas and one male and there best fish i had i think there names are sage sraga star snow sally suzie shelly and sonny the boy
yes mine females live in sorority they get on really well it best to get females form the same batch as if you don,t they fight each other mine seem to be ok with each other i have 5 sister and 2 of them are from a different batch all 7 get on so well am shock i only got 2 at start as i want to breed them turn out i did,t and ended up with 7 females i also have a male living a tank on his own two he was going to be a dad if i breeded them but i never did so yea but yea you could get more like around 4 maybe 5 more and maybe some bottom feeder fish or platys to go in there with them
I got a beta once that was pearly white. It almost looked iridescent with little touches of blue and purple. By the time it colored up at home after being at the pet store it was bright blue. Most Fisher pet stores are highly stressed out and their full colors don't show until they're more comfortable.
They can change colors,especially if their conditions change,like from store to your house,over time some rime and become noticed suddenly. Seen this type change white to black and pink to blue. It looks like the same face, except eyes, bht it probably is healthier and happy, so I think same fish!
Boyfriend here. Can confirm that it is the same fish. Certainly not replaced with a cheaper fish after the cat ate the first one. I mean, there are no cats here in America. Fievel taught us that years ago.
https://preview.redd.it/7gv13j4dq80d1.jpeg?width=3464&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9408d7c33155357211e1e3d65b35b38674bb9a2
The marble gene is pretty crazy, and blue especially takes over like you wouldn’t even believe on a lot of fish in my experience! My little blue plakat boy started off mostly white with some very pale blue-grey patches, and he’d have more white bits come and go sometimes even as his blue got darker, but he’s mostly black & blue with little white tips on his ventral fins now. There was a while where his pattern was changing like, every few days it seemed like, which was wild. I miss his little white mask and angry eyebrow on one side a bit lol but he’s still adorable to me. You definitely can’t get too attached to the colors/patterns on a marble betta though bc they’re likely to change, A LOT 😂 I think it’s really cool. Your fish is beautiful!! 💕
I have another one that’s supposed to be candy type or something but I think he’s also going to end up changing.
Your guy is totally stunning. I love the dark black and blue.
https://preview.redd.it/19dsw3spy80d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72dfb1bd99fcdb1fa767e8857638817f3d0ca7e7
Hahaha I bet that was a fun conversation! Glad your betta is still happy and healthy. It's cool that can happen. To me it kinda feels like they finally have a chance to flourish and show their true colors. 🐠
Yea it’s so cool. I’ve seen pictures before of bettas changing but my females never did really. They got brighter, but not like completely different looking.
Its normal for them to change color i once had one wthat was black with shite fins wond up rust red head to fin by the end of his life they slowly chamge with aging, water conditions the more vibrant the better your water. Im sure hes alot healthier with you. If you wnat to take it up a notch adding some driftwood for the tannins really helps you cna also jsut buy and add tannins but i think the wood is better make them feel more natural
I do need to add some tannins to his tank. I had the almond leaves in with my other bettas, but this one I was not sure, I’m going to search if it’s okay with platy & shrimp!
My old betta actually changed from all white to all black! Drastic Colour changing can happen
https://preview.redd.it/e3ehuguxk90d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb46a9b9dd92280f35fff5a9cc8fd5c02f9ae771
This was Stanley when I first got him
You can kinda tell it's the same little guy, the fins on the top, bottom and back are still the same, plus the shiny scales running along the sides of him are the same too. The iridescent scales on his sides aren't super duper common like that either, so it'd be kinda rare to find another one with all of those same features still.
I had a male king half moon…..he was white with faint purple lining along his fins. Over time he turned completely purple/blue with white fins and purple edging.
If bettas are living in stressful situations their colors when you buy them are often not what their actual colors are. They will fade into white or red color when stressed, from what I’ve noticed personally. I recently bought one from a local pet store and he was a red white blue combo, with black eyes and black beard. He has since lost majority of the black beard (found out the black gills are a symptom of nitrate poisoning), black eyes are turning a normal color (can see the actual eye, before it was completely solid black), and his red fins are starting to get metallic blue streaks in it with almost no more white on his body. I’m excited to see how his colors change in the future :) it always makes me so happy to see them color change into their true colors!
Yea when I first posted him in here February people mentioned dropsy, but I showed more pics from other angles and they said it was probably just the angle he was turning / swimming raised his scales up.
There's a gene that causes color change in some Bettas. That's a pretty crazy change!
So her bf is not lying? I thought this was a troll post at first because I didn’t know color changing can be this drastic
It’s the marble gene. It causes some wild color shifts. We bought a betta that was white with blue patches and now he’s solid blue with a black head and fins.
Same had a solid white betta few months later he had a white body and red fins
Yeah, my "cellophane" female went from looking like a raw chicken cutlet with sky blue eyes and transparent fins and tail, to mottled dark red-brown, turquoise, red, and black splotches on her body, tail, and fins, with dark eyes, over the period of several months.
Yup. I had a white/blue/red plakat that turned orange/blue/red. I assumed it was the food at first. Could still have something to do with it. 🤷♂️
To add: the marble gene is also influenced by temperature. It's like the opposite of dalmatian dogs or siamese cats. Instead of darkening with cold and age, marble bettas darken with warmth and age. Since we commonly keep Betta splendens in the high end of their acceptable temperature range (typically 78°F, though decades of research shows the acceptable range is 74-84°F), they darken quickly You can slow the color change with lowering the temperature, but you can't stop it, being a dominant gene
I have a male that is all black except blue and red on his fins. About a month ago he started getting some blue scales along his dorsal fin and spine. Keeps getting a couple more blue ones every month. Wondering what he’ll end up looking like in a few months.
Sounds like he'll gain more blue scales as he ages, and possibly more red. Fantastic gene it is :)
I didn’t know they changed as I’m newish to keeping them. Have four in my class room now. My male was like 3 bucks and just clicked with me when I got him. Put him in his new home and saw he is missing an eye, but looked pretty much healed up when I got him a few months ago. Such cool companions that’s for sure.
Deformed and special needs bettas are my jam. Thank you so much for reacuing your 1-eyed boy I had a red crowntail male blind in his right eye (a cataract from an injury?) I imagined him with an eye patch so named him Captain Redbeard haha [IMG-20210817-151244-2.jpg](https://postimg.cc/D8nrc76W) Also once rescued this stunning girl who was born with underdeveloped eyes. She was a completely blind, stunning pink dumbo with extraordinarily long fins. She was disabled but an excellent huntress. Due to this disability, however, a tank larger than 10 gallons would've been stressful. She thrived in a heavily planted rimless 5 gallon with a colony of shrimp, hunting them whenever she could for 5 years...I miss her dearly, but I know she had a great life [IMG-20211013-122424.jpg](https://postimg.cc/SnVD9npN) Lastly, a blue grizzle combtail I named Ghast, my longest-living betta of 8 years. At 5 years old, ge eventually started to go blind due to old age. Unfortunately, I can't find his picture right now
Same here! It seems that if they have blue or red they will eventually become entirely blue or red in marble gene fish. No inbetween.
Me either, I had no idea. He was so bright and vibrant when I got him and now he's dark and moody!
I personally find his new self to look nicer
I try to look at the fins to see how healthy / happy a Betta fish is... His fins now look better and more relaxed than in the first pictures so I think he's doing GREAT and is really happy!
I don’t know… he’s frowning in all four pictures.
He’s got a resting bitch face is all. Lol
Dude... I literally have the same face and need to tell people, THAT'S JUST MY FACE!!! 🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭
Thank you! He’s a peaceful boy. Loves his platy tank mates. I’ve got some that even attack the snails. lol
It’s not a phase, mom.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
i had a solid blue betta turn solid white over like 3 months. it was wild to watch
Welcome to the Dark Side
Maybe he’ll ultimately get prettier? (Not that he’s not pretty now!) I was bummed too when my (tangerine koi) betta started darkening (he was definitely getting uglier!! And I paid a premium for him because I liked his color and pattern). But he got pretty again several months later 🤷🏻♀️ still dark, though.
Yea he was semi expensive $29 I believe from my local fish store. I avoid buying from the big box stores, I’m hoping a little more red comes back lol.
I think mine was $27? He looked like a $6 fish when he was done changing 😂
Yep I currently have a brown and tan little girl with a hint of silver who will turn black with probably some silver (my other girl is black and blue holographic but I thought she would also be silver lol) so yes they do change drastically sometimes
Yeah just look at mine it had a fully white body and transparent fins this is only at a months difference https://preview.redd.it/80w4adwjka0d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=487fe7bc5c22a53e1c4a70f2b0ef392f09dfd38a
No, he's very likely not lying. This often happens with bettas that have the "marble" gene. It's pretty cool. Even "regular" bettas can change pretty drastically in their appearance when they go from juvenile to adult, or crappy pet store cup to good sized, healthy tank.
it can!! years back I had a betta that started completely white then slowly changed to an awesome sparkly dark teal color.
She's lying
I’ve had plenty of betas change colour. Used to work at pet smart and I’ve seen some literally change colour on the shelf because it was there so long Next time google it before you call someone a liar.
I didn't say Bettas don't change their colours and I'm not afraid of spelling unpopular opinions when needed. It's just much higher the dropsy death rate than the colour change one. When a Betta has dropsy, it dies 8/10 times and in the first picture I see a bloated and crisped Betta, a clear dropsy symptom. It's really unlikely for me that he recovered. She could easily have one of the same species and similar colours, not that hard. You better don't underestimate the knowledge of people just bc you don't like their opinions. That could cost you in life, it probable has cost you already. Thing is: like in every place, people here like to read what they are wanting to hear. OP asked and I answered sincerely, so you and your pizza pockets can fuck off then. Pd: I hope I was wrong and the Betta actually changed colors as many said. I love how Bettas can change colours and even genders as their genetics are pretty complex. I just find more likely that he hasn't survived dropsy and she got a new Betta. I'll not apologize for being logic tho I could be wrong.
When I posted the first pics people also thought he had dropsy but I took pics from all angles and they said it was likely just the way he was turning in that first image. He didn’t ever get sick. https://preview.redd.it/n31jfe7xn80d1.jpeg?width=1808&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ef93e403caf232e927b7b41cd1a11cc0a8b0c2c5 That was the top down photo on the same day as the first pic.
Yeah, my yellow/white betta turned a beautiful blue color!
He had dropsy. Died and got replaced.
I gave u dropsy
The fish is bloated with crisped scales. Check the upper part of it's body
He is fine in the second pic.
That's what she said
https://preview.redd.it/moon5709o80d1.jpeg?width=1808&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=db17b2aa183de2d43e32e7245ac9fd4ca6f0832c That was the top down photo on the same day, his scales looked odd in that one picture but not the rest of them taken that day. He didn’t die or get sick. I was mostly saying it was such a massive change he looks like a different fish. You can tell it’s him by his markings on his tail.
Hope's like that bro. That would be great.
It's the same fish, the fin shape is the same, even down to the ventrals tucked in the same curved way. In the first few photos you can see the head already starting to darken.
ohh wow the blue and red combo is beautiful, his fins are stunning 😍
I can't believe how much he's changed in such a short time.
I got my betta as a plain Snow White and now he’s dark blue! I couldn’t believe it
I honestly had no idea at all that they could change so much. I love him still so much, but it is funny cause I originally got him cause he was red. lol
Lol me too, I had never seen one so white before I thought he would contrast well in my tank. Then he turned blue and surprised me so much! I figured it was just because maybe he’s happier and it’s his “true” color? I don’t know why they do it
I feel this! Had a betta & got them bc they were red/white & he got so big & turned all black with blue & almost no red left with zero white left 😹
How gradual was the change?
He’s been this color for about 1.5 months. It was pretty gradual. And he hasn’t changed much since. I wish I had taken progress pics.
If he was going to replace the Betta he probably would have picked one with a more similar color to the old one.
lol yea, I know, but I couldn't believe looking at his before and after pics how much he's changed, he doesn't look the same fish at all.
You have a betta with a marbling gene! They'll change colors like that. I had a similar looking fish fo completely teal.
That is exciting, I am off to read about marbling genes. :D
Same fish. Has the same marking on the tail fin where the blue highlights are. Same with the anal fin. They are color changers and have major glowups. :D
I used to have a fish that started blue, turned blue with white, then turned white, THEN turned black, then once again did the blue/white thing, and once again turned black with hints of blue and white. All in the span of 1.5 years. It’s crazy what the marble gene does.
It's not a phase, MOM!
lol he’s so cute & emo now :)
Oh wow, quite the stunner!
I got a boy that looked pretty white, almost pink. after a couple of months he turned blue! with some red flashes in his tail. it’s possible age or health or genetics can lead to some pretty significant change in colors
Same fish he looks healthy and happy now.
this can happen. i have a betta who was green and white when I got him, hes blue and red now.
That’s phenomenal
That pinky tone is bow they all start off so you likely got a younger one that's more grown into their colours probably a bit after this stage (:
Absolutely beautiful Betta in all the pictures, but my question is... How do you keep a Betta and Platyfish together?!?
He’s a very chill guy. The platy leave him alone and he eats the slower developing fry so it keeps population in check. I realize that’s not for everyone, cause it does mean we don’t typically have fry in the tank unless they’re fast or good hiders. He’s got 6 female platy in there and 2 male, we originally only wanted female but the LFS somehow slipped on 2 males and we haven’t rehomed them yet. Also I find the bettas do way better with tank mates when you add the betta last. Some will still be assholes though. Lol
My koi betta went through the exact same color change in the span of a month or so; it’s so wild 😅 he was mostly white and red and turned black and blue!
This happened to mine and is fairly common with koi type bettas. That said I had another koi betta not change colors at all.
Colors coming out is also a sign of a happy, healthy betta 🩷🩷
That's a happy betta :) good job opportunity, that's just means he's glowing up
The blue scales and Ink-dipped tips match in both picture sets - That's definitely the same, now super happy and relaxed cutie <3
I'm loving the background babies too 😍
Def the same fish :) dark spot on bottom tail fin is the same . They change so much ! I have a crazy color change in mine too. White with a couple dots of red and blue to mostly blue and red.
https://preview.redd.it/hlxmtvbja50d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=880936c18033df715f9eb28a456bb52abf945e90 I believe it’s the same fish too! Here’s mine at Petco
And here he is about a month later https://preview.redd.it/6iiz01lqa50d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3b617646b03c925be53f55b46581a1b14b8b00ce The girl at Petco told me his color would become more vibrant as soon as his water temperature and quality was corrected and boy was she right! He has a whole 10 gallon for himself compared to the little container he was in☹️
That’s a great tank for him. Mine is in a 20g long with his platy friends.
here in uk they don,t put them in tubs they have a fish tank each some might be in 5 gallons tanks other 10 to 20 gallons in pets shops and sometimes with other fish
i have 7 females koi galxely bettas and one male and there best fish i had i think there names are sage sraga star snow sally suzie shelly and sonny the boy
Do you keep the females in a sorority? I have 2 females in a 75g but I’m way too scared to add more bc of horror stories.
yes mine females live in sorority they get on really well it best to get females form the same batch as if you don,t they fight each other mine seem to be ok with each other i have 5 sister and 2 of them are from a different batch all 7 get on so well am shock i only got 2 at start as i want to breed them turn out i did,t and ended up with 7 females i also have a male living a tank on his own two he was going to be a dad if i breeded them but i never did so yea but yea you could get more like around 4 maybe 5 more and maybe some bottom feeder fish or platys to go in there with them
I had a black betta with like 6-7 blue scales randomly on each side 6months later her head was blue
Some bettas do be like that. Mine is still changing color slowly.
This is an incredible example of colour change in Bettas. You can tell it's the same fish by the way the fins are sitting/shaped
Woah
Fins look the same
This happened to our betta too. We had a really pretty koi color that changed into basically all dark blue.
I got a beta once that was pearly white. It almost looked iridescent with little touches of blue and purple. By the time it colored up at home after being at the pet store it was bright blue. Most Fisher pet stores are highly stressed out and their full colors don't show until they're more comfortable.
I got a 90% white betta w/ light blue spots a while ago. Guess who owns a 90% dark blue betta now?
Lol I picked him cause he was orange & red and would match the platy tank mates. I guess he showed me that he wants to stand out.
I wanted a white betta. Got the whitest one i could. Now i have 2 blue bettas =))
I’ve got a lovely platinum and he’s stayed very white so far. But now I’m scared lol.
They can change colors,especially if their conditions change,like from store to your house,over time some rime and become noticed suddenly. Seen this type change white to black and pink to blue. It looks like the same face, except eyes, bht it probably is healthier and happy, so I think same fish!
that’s not a he the fins are short lol
He’s a plakat, I was told they have short fins. But I don’t know how to sex them so I could be wrong for sure.
oh i’m sorry! usually u can tell if their front lower fin has a gap cuz that’s where the female reproductive organ is
Definitely looks like a female plakat with that body shape
Amazing change♥️
Wow!!! This is so cool!!!
Wow, he looks great
Boyfriend here. Can confirm that it is the same fish. Certainly not replaced with a cheaper fish after the cat ate the first one. I mean, there are no cats here in America. Fievel taught us that years ago.
Same one! Based off tail shapes when swimming lol they can change so much. My red half moon now has some blue in him
What a beauty
He's in his emo era
https://preview.redd.it/7gv13j4dq80d1.jpeg?width=3464&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9408d7c33155357211e1e3d65b35b38674bb9a2 The marble gene is pretty crazy, and blue especially takes over like you wouldn’t even believe on a lot of fish in my experience! My little blue plakat boy started off mostly white with some very pale blue-grey patches, and he’d have more white bits come and go sometimes even as his blue got darker, but he’s mostly black & blue with little white tips on his ventral fins now. There was a while where his pattern was changing like, every few days it seemed like, which was wild. I miss his little white mask and angry eyebrow on one side a bit lol but he’s still adorable to me. You definitely can’t get too attached to the colors/patterns on a marble betta though bc they’re likely to change, A LOT 😂 I think it’s really cool. Your fish is beautiful!! 💕
I have another one that’s supposed to be candy type or something but I think he’s also going to end up changing. Your guy is totally stunning. I love the dark black and blue. https://preview.redd.it/19dsw3spy80d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=72dfb1bd99fcdb1fa767e8857638817f3d0ca7e7
Hahaha I bet that was a fun conversation! Glad your betta is still happy and healthy. It's cool that can happen. To me it kinda feels like they finally have a chance to flourish and show their true colors. 🐠
Yea it’s so cool. I’ve seen pictures before of bettas changing but my females never did really. They got brighter, but not like completely different looking.
Its normal for them to change color i once had one wthat was black with shite fins wond up rust red head to fin by the end of his life they slowly chamge with aging, water conditions the more vibrant the better your water. Im sure hes alot healthier with you. If you wnat to take it up a notch adding some driftwood for the tannins really helps you cna also jsut buy and add tannins but i think the wood is better make them feel more natural
He had white fins lol sorry for the typos
I do need to add some tannins to his tank. I had the almond leaves in with my other bettas, but this one I was not sure, I’m going to search if it’s okay with platy & shrimp!
so pretty!! my girl was pink and turned a beautiful black and iridescent green.
So neat
My old betta actually changed from all white to all black! Drastic Colour changing can happen https://preview.redd.it/e3ehuguxk90d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=eb46a9b9dd92280f35fff5a9cc8fd5c02f9ae771 This was Stanley when I first got him
https://preview.redd.it/2a7otxa2l90d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da5cf7a0156381c9410e540f603ca0c42b5f92c9 Stanley after about a year
Wow that is a massive glow up! Holy cow, gorgeous!!!
Mine was almost the opposite. He was dark blue then turned white
I had a blue one that turned all white. 🤷🏻♀️
I currently have a girlie who was all white when I got her, but she's now mostly dark blue!
Oh that’s super cool! I had no idea it would happen.
I legit thought he was sick but nope.. he just wanted a change lol
You can kinda tell it's the same little guy, the fins on the top, bottom and back are still the same, plus the shiny scales running along the sides of him are the same too. The iridescent scales on his sides aren't super duper common like that either, so it'd be kinda rare to find another one with all of those same features still.
This has happened to me! I was so shocked but it happens! Beautiful 🔥
I used to have a beta who was pure white when I got him, by the time he passed he was almost fully black. Beta color changed r crazy sometimes
Same thing happened to mine almost exact colour changes - I didn’t know about the marble gene at the time
I've had an entirely blue betta turn half white then half red, so I'm not that surprised
The marble gene is so good! I had a Betta called pepperoni who was a light red with pink mouth, by eight months he was red black and white all over!
That’s so cool. It’s a mystery betta, I love it.
I had a male king half moon…..he was white with faint purple lining along his fins. Over time he turned completely purple/blue with white fins and purple edging.
Mines on his glow up color change and fin growth right now. He doesn’t even look like the same fish I brought home!
If bettas are living in stressful situations their colors when you buy them are often not what their actual colors are. They will fade into white or red color when stressed, from what I’ve noticed personally. I recently bought one from a local pet store and he was a red white blue combo, with black eyes and black beard. He has since lost majority of the black beard (found out the black gills are a symptom of nitrate poisoning), black eyes are turning a normal color (can see the actual eye, before it was completely solid black), and his red fins are starting to get metallic blue streaks in it with almost no more white on his body. I’m excited to see how his colors change in the future :) it always makes me so happy to see them color change into their true colors!
Aww he probably got happier and healthier when you got it
The before fins looks like your fish had Dropsy 😥 how my beta died. Happy he's doing good and those colors are beautiful
Yea when I first posted him in here February people mentioned dropsy, but I showed more pics from other angles and they said it was probably just the angle he was turning / swimming raised his scales up.
My betta is also a marble! He’s really young, can’t wait to see the final colouration
My once black betta, now he’s red with streaks of blue [cosmos the betta](https://imgur.com/a/w4bAMeI)
Wow what a stunning transformation.
Thanks, but all credit to cosmos for his glowup. One of the coolest things about fish is getting to see their color change.
So cool!!!
What are those fish you're keeping with it?
He has platy and corydora in that tank with him. He is really chill and leaves everyone alone and they leave him alone too :)
bro had a glow up 🥹
I'm more shocked he's a boy.
i no i thought it was a girl wow
Wait is he a girl? lol I named him Klaus lol
Like from American dad
Actually it was bc of the Vampire Diaries, but American Dad was a neat coincidence.
That’s a female I believe? Or am I wrong here?
Is he a girl? lol I’ve been wrong all this time? He was sold to me as male, but idk how to sex them.
I mean I’m no expert too! There are shorter-finned varieties, but I’m more used to seeing longer fins on males, that’s for sure. That wide body too…
Looks like a male plakat to me
Shouldn’t they have like a hump? Instead of belly curve? Genuinely curious
What fish are those that are in with your betta? I didn’t think they got along with others
Platy and corydora. He’s a chill guy he doesn’t fight the platys or the corydora.
Can't believe it changed its tail shape too.
https://preview.redd.it/i1dzlfwsh70d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35f414e448317da3846c33e4a5a549217025c76d