Help - my bettas eyes changed color?

[Lila]

Hello! I just went to feed my betta, and he was having trouble locating where his food was when I dropped it in. I took a closer look and he had developed a blue ring around both of his eyes. It isn't swelling or anything -- but his eyes were pitch black this morning (this is something I pay super close attention to, I bought him because I loved his black eyes).

I'm not sure why he is having trouble locating his food, a few minutes later his vision was sharp and he was quickly finding everything, but what could be the reason for the eye change? maybe it was a different lighting and I never saw it before? idk..

I'm doing water tests now, I'll add a reply but I did them on sunday and everything is perfect -- constant ph of 7.4
this is the before photo vs after photo, this was the best before pic I could find
[/ATTACH]
10g tank

 

[Lila]

I just finished the tests:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 (working on bringing it up but my fish & plants have not shown any negative affects because of it -- the tank is fully cycled)
ph: 7.4

I'm going to take it as a false alarm because he is acting normal now, it might have just been a bad angle of light. Either way if anyone has a possible reason why the eyes wouldve changed color lmk

 

[Andy Sager]

I just finished the tests:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 (working on bringing it up but my fish & plants have not shown any negative affects because of it -- the tank is fully cycled)
ph: 7.4

I'm going to take it as a false alarm because he is acting normal now, it might have just been a bad angle of light. Either way if anyone has a possible reason why the eyes wouldve changed color lmk

The change could be a lighting issue and you just never noticed it before. And was it the actual eyeball that changed or the scales around the eye that changed? Truth is, Betta scales have 3 layers to them and many multicolored Bettas will change colors over time. Solid colored fish tend to change less but often will add a streak of another color as they age.
As for your test results, there is no reason to try and raise your nitrates unless you are trying to raise live plants that need nitrates to survive. Plants would show you that something is lacking by changing colors or not growing "normal" stems or leaves. For the fish, a 0 nitrate is ideal.

 

[Lila]

yep, I have live plants that's the only reason I am trying to raise the nitrates

thanks for the additional info! It's just the eye that looked different, guessing it was the lighting

 

[Colin_T]

If it happened first thing in the morning when you turned the tank light on, that would cause it. The fish would have been in night mode and had its pupils wide open and when you turned the light on, they contracted after the light came on.

Monitor the fish over the next month and see if it happens again.

It's unlikely to be a disease and the only health issue that would cause the pupil in one or both eyes to dilate would be an infection or tumour in the brain, and there's no cure for that, and it's very uncommon.

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TURNING LIGHTS ON AND OFF
Stress from tank lights coming on when the room is dark can be an issue. Fish don't have eyelids and don't tolerate going from complete dark to bright light (or vice versa) instantly.

In the morning open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes (or more) before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly.

Try to have the lights on at the same time each day. Use a timer if possible.

If you don't have live plants in the tank, you only need the light on for a few hours in the evening. You might turn them on at 4 or 5pm and off at 9pm.

If you do have live plants in the tank, you can have the lights on for 8-16 hours a day but the fish and plants need 8 hours of darkness to rest. Most people with live plants in their aquarium will have the lights on for 8-12 hours a day.

 

[Lila]

Yeah I had a feeling that was what it was, but I wasn't sure if fish usually have problems with that. It was during the night, but the tank light & room light had been off -- I turned my room light on to see what I was doing. The room light is very bright.

I usually keep the tank light off for most of the day and the plants do fine, so I don't think light stress will be an issue since the tank stays the same light as the room most of the day, but when I do turn the tank lights on for the plants I'll make sure to slowly adjust the fish, thank you!

 

[ADsnail]

Right, it's probably light. But also, how old is your fish? I've noticed that young bettas, under 8 months or so, have a blackish quality to their eyes much like baby squirrels, birds, etc. As they reach adolescence the eyes lighten or become more of the adult quality they will remain.

I have a young betta whose eyes have stopped being coal black within the last month and now have more light reflecting in them (that's the only way I know how to describe it). He was a baby when I got him.

This has actually been one of my identifiers, beside size of course, in determining whether I want to buy a betta.

 

[Lila]

This makes so much sense! I did by the betta when he was younger, and I've had him for about 4 months now so he might just be growing out of his black eyes. Thank you!!

 

[ADsnail]

I too have noticed that snapping tank lights on and off can literally cause a jerk reaction in fish, sometimes disorienting them for a moment. I bought dimmers online that can be operated by sliding with a finger - the old fashioned kind, not the digital ones that are so prevalent. I wanted to plug desk lamps in so I can gently raise or lower the light each day according to when we rise, or darken the room, open or close the shades, or use ambient room lighting. It's the transition light to their bright lid light (the type of lid light is incompatible with "analog" dimmers). Our habits vary slightly each day and I don't want anyone plunged into darkness or blinded by a spotlight just because they live in a room where we are active.

About the inability to find food. I've noticed that mine, especially when young, become very excited at mealtime; they spin and twitch around so hard that they can't find the very thing they're excited about! I know a kid like that...the moment you mention a fun outing he gets so excited, he starts running around unable to focus, almost running into walls. I use a tiny ice cream sample spoon to drop pellets in, and tap on the tank rim to direct them to the spot where the food will drop. Sometimes it's a slow training, but it teaches them where and when to go for food, and eventually they calm down and follow the routine. I mean the fish, not the kid.