# transparent patches in betta fins? (pics)



## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Just picked up this guy at a LFS. His fins have fleshy, nearly transparent patches in the fins. (see pics) Even though it appears like they are holes in the pictures, they are really not. 

The owner did a scrap of the fins and *doesn't* believe it's fin rot, nor a bacterial infection. The betta acts normal, is alert and active. 

Thoughts?


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

I honestly dont know what it could be, mabey just age?


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

My betta started off as a cellophane tail but after a little tail biting some bits have regrown as an almost solid red with clear flecks and lines, very much like the ones in the photo. I would guess that yours is just naturally that colour, hes very pretty.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

ADJAquariums said:


> I honestly dont know what it could be, mabey just age?


Do bettas loose coloring with age? He's very small, but I'm not sure how old he might be.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

ony said:


> My betta started off as a cellophane tail but after a little tail biting some bits have regrown as an almost solid red with clear flecks and lines, very much like the ones in the photo. I would guess that yours is just naturally that colour, hes very pretty.


I just looked up cellophane tail bettas... they're beautiful! I haven't seen one in person, but perhaps he is a combo of red/cellophane coloring. He's prettier in person, than in the photos. The spots look more pinky in real life.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Ony, I was looking through your threads to find a picture of your betta. Do you have any posted? :smile:

I'm relieved if this is just his normal coloring and not some kind of infection.


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

He looks like a cellophane gene carrier, not a sick fish. Like an inverse Dalmatian! Very pretty!


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

SpecGrrl said:


> He looks like a cellophane gene carrier, not a sick fish. Like an inverse Dalmatian! Very pretty!


This is such great news! I'm really happy he's not sick. (which I couldn't help myself... felt like I had to help the little guy) He was discounted too... so good deal!

He's currently sitting in the fish store cup , inside my tank. There's lots of curiosity from both him and the tank mates, a school of 11 spotted rasboras. I'm cautiously optimistic the betta won't be overly aggressive towards the rasboras. There's at least no flaring happening...


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## ony (Apr 1, 2011)

That was taken just after a bout of tail biting but you can see some of the clear areas.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

ony said:


> That was taken just after a bout of tail biting but you can see some of the clear areas.


Wow, he's gorgeous Ony! Thanks for posting the pic. :smile:

The clear areas are much more elongated than those on mine. His are more spotty... I wonder if it'll change.


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## ADJAquariums (Jul 5, 2012)

Good thing its not a disease! ive known other fish get that effect when the tail regrows but i never knew bettas got that effect.

also ive only seen a sellophane gene in guppies, never knew it was in bettas as well, cool fish!


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

ADJAquariums said:


> Good thing its not a disease! ive known other fish get that effect when the tail regrows but i never knew bettas got that effect.
> 
> also ive only seen a sellophane gene in guppies, never knew it was in bettas as well, cool fish!



Very cool! I didn't know either before today and am bing searching it now... found this beautiful specimen, called a marble coloration. 













steelmarblebetta.com said:


> Marble - a very popular betta coloring where colors are splattered onto the fish. These fish tend to change color often. Can range from little or no white to almost completely white or clear.



I wonder if my guy is a type of marble coloration?!


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

Congrats! He is going to be gorgeous when he matures!!! Since your other fish were in the tank first, you have a better chance of him not being a twerp. And he's young...another bonus. 

Enjoy!


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Amandas tank said:


> Congrats! He is going to be gorgeous when he matures!!! Since your other fish were in the tank first, you have a better chance of him not being a twerp. And he's young...another bonus.
> 
> Enjoy!


Thanks, Amanda. I actually began looking at female bettas because of YOU and your story of the little female in your tank... with pictures of her schooling with my rasboras in my brain. lol Ended up falling for this guy though... we'll see how he does. He's pretty frisky in his cup now. Not flaring at the other fish, but definitely fully alert and interested in them.


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

That's great!!!! Hee Hee. 

I used to have a couple males in community tanks. This was back in the beginning when I was upgrading and changing tanks around. I had an aggressive male that flared at everything! Even plants :icon_eek: He tried to get the other fish in the tank, but was never a problem because they were too fast for him. After he realized this, he didn't even attempt to get anybody anymore and lived peacfully with them minding his own business. 

I had a calm male in a community tank and he was much like my female betta. His favorite buddies in the tank were a school of corydoras! Ya know, the wackey, bumbling cories I mentioned before :icon_roll. He followed them everywhere and would only break apart to get some air, eagerly returning to his bottom buddies.

If my husband would have agreed to three tanks I'd still have them both. But, we had to choose between them since I could only have one tank. I sure miss them. Man were they beautiful! I had to put them in ginat betta bowls and I hated cleaning those things! I am so serious about clean water I replaced the water every 2 days. That was a royal PITA so I gave them to the LFS owner when I came back from a vacation (he took care of my fish while I was gone) and he really liked them in his office, so I told him to just keep them. The reason why we chose the female over the boys was simply because she was already in the big tank. Since that was her home, and it was the boys tanks that had to be gone, and they were moved to bowls, I felt it wouldn't be right to kick her out just because she wasn't as pretty as them. Now she is my favorite fish! 2 years is such a short life. I look for her every morning hoping to see her blowing me kisses  She is an old lady now.


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## bluestems (Feb 7, 2012)

Sorry for the late reply! After the khuli issue last night I logged out and didn't get a chance to come back on until now. 

Your tank is looking really nice, Amanda. She has a good home 

I added my lil guy today. I don't think he's ever been in anything larger than a cup. It was cute seeing him check everything and every fish out. So far, he hasn't been aggressive at all


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## Amandas tank (Oct 2, 2012)

No apology neccassarry! I'd expect you to have a life outside TPT! :tongue:

So, everyone is doing alright it sounds. Terrific news! It is neat to see the bettas when they realize there is much more to the world than a see through cub of room temp water mixed with their waste. I's sad to see all the bettas in dirty cubs at Petco. They always have 100+ and there is no way they all will get homes. Not here in this place. Not enough people living here to have enough people interested in a betta.

My three bettas were all 1 gallon bowl bettas when I got them off Craigslist. None of them could move well once in the bigger tanks. They had no muscle tone what so ever. After a few days they were swimming better and faster.


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