Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm getting a bit concerned about my 4-year-old betta. He's been slowing down over the past few months, but other than that, he seems fine - eating, pooping, the whole deal. I even caught him making a bubble nest not too long ago, which was a nice surprise. His tank's a 6-gallon planted one with a heater, and I've been keeping an eye on the water quality - all the ammonia and ammonium levels are 0, so that's good. What's got me wondering, though, is his belly's turned white. He's a white/pink betta in geneflake, and as he's aged, his belly's gone from a mix of colors to solid white. No signs of stress, but I'm starting to wonder if something's going on - maybe a tumor?

I've had a few veiltail betta fish that made it to 3-4 years, which is pretty average for their lifespan. I've heard some can live up to 5 years, so it's possible your guy is just aging. If that's the case, kudos to you for taking great care of him. As for the color change, I've noticed it's not uncommon for betta fish to change color as they get older.

Glad to hear the specialist had a similar take, hope your guy makes it to that 5-year mark, sounds like you've done a great job with him.

I've seen it before, betta's changing colors isn't uncommon. He's eating, swimming fine, seems like you're doing a great job taking care of him, so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I recently lost my oldest betta, and it's got me thinking about the aging process in these little guys. Mine had turned paler on the bottom, but it was the huge lump that really gave away the tumor. As long as your betta is eating and swimming normally, I wouldn't stress too much about the color change. I've lost two to old age, and they both started slowing down about six months before they passed. They'd just hang out on plants, their colors would fade, and their fins and tails would start to fray. It's kinda like us humans, we just lose that sparkle as we get older.