Who Gives A Fish Forums

UPDATE: Angel's doing fantastic, our training's progressing really well - we're just taking things one step at a time, but he's picking it up quickly. When I tap the glass, he swims right up - not every time, but he's getting the hang of it. I even made him a custom feeding ring temporarily until the one I ordered online arrives, and now when I tap the glass, he heads straight for the ring because that's where the food is. It's amazing how smart betta fish are - this is really helping him out, especially since he's half blind.

QUESTION: I've noticed a slight change in Angel recently, and I've been going back through old pics and vids to make sure I'm not imagining things. Angel's tail seems to be changing color a bit - it's got a slightly reddish tint now. When I first brought him home, he was completely white, and now he's changing. Is this normal? I just want to make sure Angel's doing okay, so if you guys have any insight, please share. I'll post some pics below of what he looked like when I first got him vs now, so you can take a look.

Angel is looking great. I wouldn't be overly concerned about the color change, my experience with rescued betta fish is that they can change colors, especially if they've had a rough start. To be on the safe side, I'd recommend testing the water for ammonia and nitrite levels, but if his gills aren't showing any redness, I wouldn't think ammonia burns are a major concern.

I think the colour change is probably just natural, it seems to be going through his body and fins as well, not just the tail. If you've checked the water and everything's fine - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH all within safe ranges - then it's likely just a natural colouration thing.

As for the feeding ring, honestly, you don't need to buy one. I just use a bit of airline, an airline joiner to make a loop, and then an airline suction cup to hold the loop in place. Works a treat.