Was I swindled by this fish breeder/seller?

[BettaChi]

Not sure how much you all know about betta fish. But I recently bought this one online with the following (professional looking) photos.


The fish was overnight shipped and I know that shipping can be stressful and sometimes fade their colors.

That being said I have had the fish happily eating and living in my tank for about 3 days now and it still looks nothing like the photo.

Was I swindled? The seller swears this is the same fish. Can a fish's appearance change that much from a photo in a few months?

But there are no yellows or whites. There are only pinks, lavenders and white.
What does the populace think?

If people think it is the same fish, how can I help it show its natural colors or bring him back to true form...

Frustratedly yours,

 

[The_Desacrator]

Wow thats a really nice fish! I wouldn't know about that but I bet that guy was a lot of money.

 

[TMaier]

If you got a refund then you were not swindled. I suggest you give the fish to someone else who thinks he's glorious. All Betta's deserve to be loved and adored.


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[Watsonja4]

I honestly think it's the same fish. There are so many factors that can cause a fish to change color that it may not ever look like the photos either, the main one being water parameters such as ph and hardness. If you really want to see how easily a fish can change colors try keeping rainbowfish, my neon dwarfs change with the weather. I love your new betta!

 

[Delapool]

The black dots around the gills looked the same? It was interesting as these seem to have spread back behind the gills. And the dorsal fin looks a bit blacker?

I can see why you would be unhappy (although nice fish). How long was it in transit for?

 

[Coursair]

Try using a dark background and live food ?

He's glorious, but yes his color does look different.

My only yellow Betta

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[Barliman]

I'm no expert in betta genetics (nor do I play one on TV), so I can't comment on whether it's the same fish, however...

Judging by the photo, the one you received is quite attractive and healthy. At the end of the day, I'd call it a win (or at least a wash) and be happy with the little tough guy you received. Whether you want to continue to do business with this dealer is of course your call.

 

[BettaChi]

Thanks for your thoughts guys. Here is my multi-faceted answer to all who commented so far.

-Either way I will keep him. I agree he deserves a good home and will just put him in another tank.

-Very disappointing that he looks so different (clearly yellow colors are achieved by others) but he is SUPER active and healthy.

-Coursair, Wow beautiful fish. I wish mine looked like this color-wise.

-Although the fish cost $55 (so after refund I paid petstore price for this breed of fish ($15)) and am still out shipping I will pretend it is a "wash" so I feel better.

-Interesting feedback about trying a dark background. Do you think that will help?
I also don't have great lighting on that tank (lots of natural light). I wonder if that can play a part?

-What are live food options? I have always heard warnings about parasites so I do frozen beef heart and Omega: Super carnivore, which is a mixture of bloodworms, myosis flies and brine shrimp.

-While I do not have a test kit to test water parameters I am using natural spring water (bottled) and treating it with microbe-lift: special blend.

-What parameters should there be for optimal color? I don't think the seller used bottled water (as he is handling many fish).

-I also have cherry shrimp 4-6 in the tank. Wouldn't they die much faster than the betta should parameters be off?

Thanks again!

 

[BettaChi]

The black dots around the gills looked the same? It was interesting as these seem to have spread back behind the gills. And the dorsal fin looks a bit blacker?

I can see why you would be unhappy (although nice fish). How long was it in transit for?

Overnight shipping form Maryland to FL which was about 2 days in transit.

 

[Delapool]

Overnight shipping form Maryland to FL which was about 2 days in transit.

Thanks, better time than I suspected.

The only other idea I had and just throwing it out to be shot down, is could the new colour be greater blood flow to the fins/scales? Is such a thing possible - I'm thinking of people when they get hot / cold. Or as the family says, would that be wild theory number 5. So the yellow is there but it is being swamped by the pink colour basically.

 

[Barliman]

What are live food options? I have always heard warnings about parasites so I do frozen beef heart and Omega: Super carnivore, which is a mixture of bloodworms, myosis flies and brine shrimp.

This is just my opinion, but I would avoid live food: too many chances for parasites or other problems. You can get the same nutritional value in a much cleaner environment from frozen or freeze dried. I used to feed my bettas freeze-dried bloodworms as a treat, and they loved it. (I ain't kidding. I have never seen a veiltail betta jump out of the water before to get at the worm.)

One tip: Keep a bag of frozen peas handy. Bettas love meaty treats, such as bloodworms, but they get easily constipated. It sounds weird, but they also love mashed frozen pea (nuke it in the microwave and then separate the pulp from the shell). It acts as a natural laxative.

 

[Coursair]

Freeze dried can cause bloat IME

I feed frozen or live. No issues with live Brine or live Blackworms.
Live Tubifex can be iffy, but are no longer sold in my area.

My yellow Betta came from Petsmart. I worked there and bought him 5 mins after unpacking him.


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[lksdrinker]

You'd be amazed how different a fish's appearance can be due to various factors. Tank light (style, amount, spectrum etc), ambient light in the room, substrate color, background color, etc etc etc.

 

[Kwakatoo]

Every answer before me makes sense, but having a photography background I'll just throw this as another thought. And, it could be a combination of a range of things, food, transit, etc. But, it also could be partially attributed to colour casts in the photos. Depending what light was used to illuminate the fish, the camera may have corrected or not corrected the colour, so it could play a role in deceiving you - but not fully, as the whites are still fairly white. So it'd only be a partial factor.

He is beautiful though


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[BettaChi]

Thanks guys for your responses. I have had him a few weeks now and his color hasn't changed much but I think that it was probably lighting. Sometimes if I shine a lamp on him (desk lamp) I see those fleshy colors in his tail turn yellowish. So Buyer beware I guess. He is still super active though and learning tricks. He comes when we whistle...weirdly enough it works for my wife more. I am also trying to train him to jump to get food off my finger. It is all "food" driven training but I have seen a youtube video of a girl who even trained her betta to go through a pipe cleaner hoop underwater for food!

 

[Kwakatoo]

I have had comes when we whistle...weirdly enough it works for my wife more. I am also trying to train him to jump to get food off my finger. It is all "food" driven training but I have seen a youtube video of a girl who even trained her betta to go through a pipe cleaner hoop underwater for food!

Cool!! Good luck.