Tell How Old a Betta Fish Is

Bettas, otherwise known as Siamese fighting fish, are known for their snazzy colors and flowing fins. Chances are, when you brought your betta home in a cup from a pet store, you had no idea how old your betta was. It is hard to determine exactly how old your betta is, but using this handy set of instructions, you might be able to make a very close estimate.

Steps

Determining age by size

  1. Check your betta's size. Normal adult bettas are usually around {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} in length. If your betta is less than the average, your betta is most likely a juvenile.

Determining age by features

  1. Check your betta's fins. Adult bettas have nice and beautiful flowing fins. If your betta has this characteristic, this is a good sign that it is an adult. If it has tiny fins, then it is either a juvenile or a baby. Old betta's fins have wear and tear and may have tiny tears.
    • Make sure you know whether your betta is a male or female. The cup it came in at the pet store should say.
  2. Check the betta's eyes. If they're black and hard to see, that is a sign of an adult betta.

Identifying the aging betta

  1. Check the color of the betta. Young bettas are vibrant, mid-age bettas are slightly faded, while old bettas should look "reduced" in every aspect. The color of the scales of an older betta will be faded.
  2. Note some typical signs of an aging betta:
    • An old betta's backs is usually humped.
    • Your betta will flare with much less gusto than it used to. After so many years, many bettas have lost the enthusiasm to flare.
    • Check the eyes. Old bettas have "cataracts", a filmy spot covering the eye. This is normal for old bettas, and will happen no matter how big the tank or how clean the water.
    • While a healthy adult betta will swim around vigorously in it's tank, old bettas will hide behind plants and décor and swim sluggishly.
    • When feeding your betta, watch it to see how quickly it spots its food. Old bettas may swim slowly to their food and miss it a couple of times before spotting it. You might notice that with every feeding, your betta seems to be getting paler, and skinnier. These are all signs of an aging betta.

Tips

  • If taken care of properly, bettas can live up to 5 years.
  • Make sure you know what gender your betta is––female bettas do not ever get long, flowing fins.
  • Do more frequent water changes as your betta ages.

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