There are many Betta fish species, and they come in a wide variety of colors and scale patterns. The males are more stunning because they have large flowing fins. Females are less aggressive, but their fins are shorter. Pigment cells determine the betta colors.
The number one way is by feeding them with the right color-enhancing foods. Salmon, Herring, Spirulina, and Brine Shrimp are great examples. Betta fish need protein to keep their bright colors. Your aquarium lights will also help keep them colorful.
There are three primary pigment colors; red, yellow, and black. Betta fish come in different shades of blue, red, black, white, clear, and much more. Some betta fish are even a two-tone. Their bodies are one color, such as red, and they fade into a different color to the tip of their fins.
Carotenoids are what enhances the color of your Betta fish. You can find frozen foods at pet stores that contain a fair amount of carotenoids. Crustaceans contain carotenoids, and brine shrimp is a type of crustacean. They are also easy to grow and are always disease-free.
Copepods and daphnia are also crustaceans. Spirulina is a type of food found in a wide variety of aquarium products like fish flakes. It promotes colorations and health.
When it comes to enhancing your betta color and keeping them more colorful, no one food will do it. Your betta fish prefer a variety of foods. Like humans, they do not want to eat the same thing three times a day, every day. Give them some flakes in the morning, a brine shrimp in the afternoon, and flakes again at night. Giving them a variety of foods will also keep them happy, stress-free, and healthy.
Is Betta Fish Naturally Colorful?
Most of them are some sort of blue or red color. There are a large number of colors to be found. But I have mainly seen the reds and blues in the pet store and an occasional almost opaque color. But you can find Betta fish in every color in the rainbow. Blues, reds, yellows, oranges, and whites.
Wild betta fish are dull. They are grayish-green and have shorter fins. Through selective and careful breeding, a large number of colors have developed. So, no, betta fish are not naturally colorful. Breeding creates different colors, patterns, and even fin size.
The modern fancy betta also called a betta splendor, is the most popular of the betta species. Since the contemporary betta’s domestication, you can find them in almost every color you can imagine. You can even find betta fish that look metallic in color. There are over 20,000 varieties of bettas if you combine all of the fin types and vibrant colors.
As stated earlier, pigments are what determines the betta’s color. There are three primary pigments, with yellow being the least visible to the human eye but the deepest displayed in the betta fish.
Depending on the other colors the betta fish possess will determine how the pigment color comes across. If there are lighter or no other colors, the yellow pigment will be a gold color and bright.
They will almost appear transparent. Most of the betta that has the red pigment is bright, cherry red, and may have streaks of other colors on their bodies and fins.
Why Is My Betta Fish Losing Their Color?
When we have freshwater fish, we need to do all we can to keep them happy and healthy. The proper fish food, water temperature, pH, filtration, and plenty of room to swim around comfortably will keep them very happy and healthy.
As long as your fish are adequately taken care of, they will swim around and remain active. They will also maintain their color and their appetite. So what causes unhappiness, loss of appetite, and less activity? The number one reason; sickness.
Your betta could be losing its color because it is sick, injured, getting older, or stressed. Betta can also lose color because of the marble gene. If your betta is turning white, it could be caused by Ich, anchor worms, fin rot, or columnaris.
If you clean your tank once a week, keep an eye on the pH levels, the temperature of the water, and that your filter is working properly it is harder for your fish to become sick.
Stress is one of the biggest stressors for any fish in a freshwater aquarium. It makes your fish act abnormal. They do not swim around as much, they don’t eat, and their color can begin to fade. Betta fish will get stressed if they are not fed a proper diet if their water isn’t at the right temperature and if their tank is not clean. Betta fish live for approximately 5 years.
As they begin to age, their color begins to fade. Some betta fish start losing their color between 2 and 3 years old.
When they lose color because of age, there is not much you can do. If your fish has the marble gene, then their colors are going to change many times over their 5 years of life. So unless you know for sure they are sick or stressed, there is probably nothing wrong with your marble betta.
What Is The Rarest Color Of Betta Fish?
Some betta fish have a body that is one color and changes to another color as it moves through the fins. A turquoise-colored betta usually has a darker blue around the edges of its fins. All of the pet shops that I have ever been in, normally have some shade of red betta and blue betta fish.
The blue ones normally have a light purple stripe on their bodies and the reds I have seen have had an orange or yellow marking on their body.
The rarest betta fish color is purple. True purple, not a blue that changes or has markings, and not a blue that looks purple in color. A true purple betta fish. These are almost unheard of and if you do happen to find one it is more than likely going to be pretty expensive because they are so rare.
Many bettas will have some shade of purple in them and it will fade to a different color. Pale lavender and violet are more common, but not by much and they are still very hard to find and expensive to purchase.
Red betta and blue betta are the most common colors in the betta world. But as mentioned earlier, there are actually over 20,000 color combinations, scale patterns, and fin shapes and sizes.
All species of the betta fish can be any color that is found in the rainbow, plus more. They are one of the most brilliant colored fish to have in a freshwater aquarium.
Do Betta Fish Like Bright Colors?
Betta fish, like humans, can see colors. It is even said that they can see more colors than humans. However, if their tank light is off, their water is murky, or the light in the room they are in is dim it is harder for them to see colors. Humans have 3 cones in their eyes that allow us to see red, blue, and green. Betta fish can see over 300 colors, just as humans can, but they may also be able to see ultraviolet colors as well.
This question, unfortunately, is not a simple yes or no answer. There is no way to tell whether or not betta fish like bright colors. We can not get inside the betta’s brain to see exactly what they see or how they interpret colors. We do know, from experience and experiments, that betta fish get agitated in blue light.
Betta fish also seem to act a lot more aggressive towards other betta fish who are red in color. For the most part, it is believed that betta fish can see very well. But, because of the color absorption in the water, the farther from the betta an object is, the harder it is for them to distinguish the color.
If there is a red ball, for example, they can see the red color perfectly. But the farther away the object moves, the duller the red color gets for the betta fish. So, unfortunately, we do not know exactly what colors the betta fish likes or dislikes.
Does Betta Fish Prefer Light or Dark?
When we have a freshwater aquarium, we want all aspects of the aquarium to mimic the natural environment of the fish that we house. From food to plants to the substrate you use.
You want your fresh water tank to mimic day and night as well. You do not want to leave your lights on 24/7 in the tank. This will confuse your fish as they will think it is always daytime.
The same goes for leaving the fish in the dark all the time. All they will do is rest. They will not swim, eat, or anything else. This is not healthy for your betta fish (or any other fish you have in your tank).
Betta fish, like all other fish, enjoy both night and day. When you turn the aquarium lights on, it signals daytime. The betta fish will slowly start moving around. The light urges them to begin getting active for the day. Turn the aquarium lights off when you go to bed at night, and they know that it is time to rest and relax. Betta fish need and prefer a schedule. They do not have a favorite as far as light or dark goes.
If you have your lights set on a timer, it keeps the betta fish on a more set schedule. You can program the lights to come on and go off in 12-hour intervals.
This gives them a clear routine and betta fish love a precise schedule. It keeps them healthy (by swimming), happy because it is mimicking their natural habitat, and they stay stress-free for the most part.
Conclusion
We have covered a lot of interesting information today about betta fish and their colors. We could go more in-depth and give you even more information, but there is no time today. Betta fish are great for a freshwater aquarium and they are beautiful to look at.
Remember, DO NOT put two male bettas together as they are territorial and can be extremely aggressive. A betta fish, alone, will be perfectly happy in a 5-gallon tank with places to rest and hide. It gives them enough room to roam around and swim without running into anything.
Choose your favorite color(s) of the rainbow and chances are, you will find a betta fish in that color or color combination. True purple betta fish, pale lavender, and violet-colored betta fish are extremely rare, hard to find, and expensive. Red and blue betta fish are the most popular colors in most pet stores, but you are able to find other colors.
You will just have to look and maybe even travel a little bit, to get a color other than blue or red. One last tip: male betta fish have the larger, longer flowing fins and female fins are shorter, yet can still flow.
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