Tonight's post is going to be about Freddy. Won't be much typing, the pictures will tell the story!
We were given Freddy at the end of July, 2011. I saw him at the pet store, the first Mustard Gas I had ever seen. My fiance was recovering from surgery on his legs, so he was bed ridden for a few days. I ended up coming home and not taking Freddy with me. When my best friend showed up a few days later, I told her about Freddy. She insisted I get out of the house and take a drive with her. We ended up back at the pet store and she asked me to show him to her. Sure enough, there he was stuck at the bottom of his tank. She bought him for me that day, to cheer me up because I was home taking care of my sick fiance and two toddlers. I am so happy she did as Freddy was and is an amazing addition to our home!
In January I noticed the yellow from his top fin started to merge down onto his body, but being a Mustard Gas... I never have it much thought. I just laughed because he looked like he had a little saddle :)
But in Feb, I noticed a small patch of what looked to be a white growth on Freddy's gills. I quickly asked Sakura on the forum if she could identify what was going on. We came down to two possibilities... columnaris or another bacteria growth. The next day I decided to put Freddy in a 2g tank by himself for treatment, but once I put the light over him... I noticed he had patches all over his head now. In a panic, I got the flashlight to take a closer look and that's when I noticed... his scales were changing color!! At that point, I started watching this unfold before my eyes. So here, we are.... Freddy :)
When Freddy came home, July 2011
The day I saw the spots on his gills. February 5th 2012
And then... over the top of his head and more on his sides... Mid February 2012
And it wasn't stopping! End of February 2012
And finally today, March 13th 2012
A fully yellow Freddy!
A fellow poster on Bettafish.com posted a link to another website on Freddy's topic and I found it quite interesting. They call this the Jumping Gene. Marbles have it, but sometimes normal pattern Bettas have it as well. Basically it's a gene that is able to move through the chromosomes of a Betta, attaching itself to whichever chromosome it pleases. It could attach itself to the chromosome that controls colors, leaving the fish to turn peach colored. It could also attach itself to a chromosome that turns the Betta from patches to a solid color. This Jumping Gene can also only be temporary, always jumping to a new chromosome. This would explain why Marbles are always changing colors and patterns. Anyways, check it out! I really do think this is what is happening to Freddy. We'll have to see if he starts changing back to a Mustard Gas, won't we? hehe
