FAQs on Betta Diseases/Health 29 Related Articles: Anabantoids/Gouramis &Relatives, Betta splendens/Siamese Fighting Fish, Betta Systems, Betta Diseases, Improved (Better?) Products for Bettas!, Related FAQs: Betta Disease 1, Betta Disease 2, Betta Disease 3, Betta Disease 4, Betta Disease 5, Betta Disease 6, Betta Disease 7, Betta Disease 8, Betta Disease 9 , Betta Disease 10 , Betta Disease 11 , Betta Disease 12 , Betta Disease 13 , Betta Disease 14 , Betta Disease 15 , Betta Disease 16 , Betta Disease 17 , Betta Disease 18, Betta Disease 19, Betta Disease 20, Betta Disease 21, Betta Health 22, Betta Health 23, Betta Health 24, Betta Health 25, Betta Health 26, Betta Health 27, Betta Health 28, Betta Health 30, Betta Health 31, Betta Disease Causes/Etiologies: Determining/Diagnosing, Environmental (By far the largest cat.), Nutritional, Viral/Cancer, Infectious (Bacterial, Fungal) , Parasitic: Ich/White Spot, Velvet; Senescence/Old Age, Cures/Curatives/Treatments, FAQs on Betta Medicines: Betta Medicines period, Antibiotics/Antibacterials, Anti-Protozoals (Metronidazole, eSHa...), Copper, Formalin, Malachite Green, Anthelminthics, Organophosphates, Salts, All Other Betta Med.s,

New Print and eBook on Amazon Betta Success Doing what it takes to keep Bettas healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Need a more informed opinion on a Betta with distended belly  3/26/14 Hi, My name is Kathleen and I was recommended your way by a fellow fish enthusiast on the internet who was as stumped as I was about a Betta I recently acquired. His back story is that he is a regular older Cambodian blue veil tail and has been around for at least what I know to be 2 years. He was being kept in a horrible little jar in my spa that I started work at about 8 months ago. His jar was pretty basic and made to look pretty for clients instead of for the comfort of the fish. I only go to this job twice a week and didn't always get a chance to look at him but when I first saw him he just looked like another older miserable Betta in a jar with no  real health problems. I've bred Bettas and showed them in the past with the IBC but had to get out of the hobby due to space and time requirements. so I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable with Betta splendens. This particular fish has got me stumped. Needless to say I told my work that I was going to bring the fish home with me because no client wants to come to a spa to find a dead fish. When I got him home I put him in a hospital tank and fasted him, as my original assumption was severe constipation and bloat from heavy overfeeding. <Or mis-> Eventually he pooped and was moving better then I saw him move before. I have been careful not to feed him high protein foods and instead stick to foods high in fiber. Unfortunately, his appetite has been slowly disappearing and his stomach is continuing to swell. So then I thought maybe it was dropsy or some form of internal bacteria or infection from being kept so long in poor conditions, so with some help and advice from knowledgeable fish friends I began treating with broad spectrum antibiotics for external/internal possibilities... I've now completed a round of broad spectrum antibiotics and he is still going down hill. No appetite at all, he is now darting and hiding, when he darts he often goes straight into the corner and continues to swim as if it would go on forever. Needless to say I'm almost positive he is trying to hid from whatever the problem is as it worsens. His stomach is now so stretched on the bottom it is becoming bloodshot. <I see this> I've been staring at his bulge trying to decide whether it is a tumor or not, the problem is the size of his belly on both sides is nearly symmetrical and lacks any easily distinguishable lumps of differences. I will send you a few pictures. I would like to try to save him but I also don't want him to suffer so I am trying to find my next step. If you could give me any opinion it would be greatly appreciated. <As this fish has been isolated for so long, I discount a pathogen involvement here... and agree w/ your diagnosis. I would treat this fish's water with Epsom salt... as detailed here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BettaSaltsF.htm Bob Fenner> Thank you so much for your time. Kathleen

Betta Issues - bloating (SBD?) red on fins....HELP!    3/3/14 Dear Crew! <Cori> First I have followed this site since my first tank (26 G Marineland Community Freshwater Tank) in 2009.  You all have been such a VALUABLE asset to me and learning about this wonderful world!  So much that I have been known to give out your site to parents wanting to just buy a tank and drop in the fish for their kids (I run into them all the time at Wal-Mart, etc.)  Now I have graduated to a 70 gallon Cichlid tank and I LOVE IT. <Yay!> After 15 years of NOT having a Betta, I just could not resist saving a little lad at my local Pet Co about 4 months ago.  Knowing better (the last time I kept my Bettas in an unheated bowl :(). <Oh> As early as last Tuesday, my Betta (DEMPSY) began having buoyancy issues; would not be able to get to bottom of tank easily, when idling in tank, would fall slowing onto his side (like he was wearing a little floaty on his fins).  I noticed that he was not his happy self and a swollen side or bump emerging.  I sought out SBD and other issues and realized that even though I have been a fish keeper, I have been overfeeding him BIG TIME (like3-4 pellets 2x a day and then not on Saturday/Sunday.) I fasted Dempsey on Wed-Thurs. last week and then fed him 2 pellets on Friday and then again this morning 2 pellets.  He is much "peppier" (not just hanging out on heater at surface like he was last week) but still swollen. I admit, I had been to another site and their advice told me NEVER to put AQ Salt in a Betta tank ever....so, did 100% water change, changed my carbon filter and now, this morning, while more active, he has red areas on his fins and if I didn't know better I would suspect fin rot but not sure.  I did just add 2tsp of AQ Salt to tank today in case of fin rot. <Salts can be of use... Aquarium and Epsom in this case... See, search out Neale's pc. on WWM re> Here are my stats: Tank:  Aqueon 2.5 gallon Nitrates 0 <None? How?> Ammonia 0 Nitrites 0 Temp 82 Water Conditioner:  Nutrafin Betta + Food:  Omega One Betta Pellets and on Fridays some blood worm treats <Be careful re these sewer fly larvae... implicated in disease> Water Changes x 1 a week 80%-90% <Half would be better> I have attached a picture of my poor boy Dempsey taken this morning as he came to greet me. HELP! Cori <The above; and time going by. Bob Fenner>

RE: Betta Issues - bloating (SBD?) red on fins....HELP!    3/3/14 Bob! <C> Thank you for reply.  So daily water changes x 50% with 1tsp AQ Salt for 7-10?  I did read Neal's info on salts.  <Only fifty/half water changes a week...> No Nitrates because I changed his (I changed his water this AM). So red on fins is fin rot? And bloating because of blood worms?  Ugghh... <Just some sort of malaise... will pass in time w/ good care (water quality, nutrition)> As always, thank you all!!!!! Corianne <Ah, welcome. BobF>

My sick Betta        1/18/14
Hi, I'm quite new to this forum so I'm sorry if these questions have already been answered.
<Likely so, Antonio! The reality is that most Betta problems are environmental, and the same shortcomings with their environment come up again and again -- tank too small, no heater and no filter to name the three commonest problems.>
I've had Samson, my Betta, for just under a year now but in the last 2 weeks he's started to act very oddly. Initially he was lazier than usual, sleeping under his log most of the day.
<How warm is his water? Being cold blooded animals Bettas are very sensitive to chills. They need water temperature of 25 C/77 F, hence the need for a heater, but in some parts of the world rooms might be this warm for some of the year (perhaps all year around in the tropics). But once water temperature drops below about 24 C/75 F, Bettas get sickly very quickly. So just to recap, heating is mandatory, and before diagnosing your Betta's problems, we need to know the temperature of the water.>
About 10 days ago he got stuck in the edge of his log, usually I had it buried under his gravel, it must have just raised slightly. When I noticed that he was stuck my boyfriend had to try and wiggle him out as he was quite badly stuck. Obviously he stress striped badly and we removed the log. Since then he hasn't eaten much at all, I think he's maybe had 3 pellets of food, he hasn't eaten anything in the last 3 days despite me offering him pellets and frozen blood worms.
<Again, lack of appetite is a common symptom of stress, including chilling.>
His colour has dulled a lot and he doesn't react to us at all anymore, he used to flare at us if we went near his tank but didn't feed him.
<Yet again, lack of colour and interest in his surroundings are both symptoms of stress.>
I tested his water and his ph levels were slightly raised so I've managed to get them back down to a normal level. I haven't tested ammonia, nitrites or nitrates though.
<We do need these. How is the tank filtered?>
I added StressZyme+,
<Not really a treatment; pretty useless in most situations.>
BettaFix
<If not quite useless, then certainly close. At best helps prevent wounds becoming infected, but these tea-tree oil medications aren't worth the money as treatments for real-and-present diseases.>
and aquarium salt
<While salt has some value in treating Whitespot and Velvet, it's not a valid starting point for treating an unknown disease. Because it's cheap it's widely bought by less experienced hobbyists, but really, unless you know the specific situations where salt helps, it's a waste of money. Do remember Bettas don't live in the sea, so adding salt isn't in any way, shape or form helping them out.>
but nothing seems to help him.
<See above! These last three "treatments" are irrelevant here, like treating a broken leg with lip balm.>
Is he just old and on the way out or is there something I can do to help him?
<Bettas can and often do live 3 years or more in captivity, so it's unlikely he's life expired, assuming of course you bought this Betta as a youngster a few months old at a pet store. But without data on his environment, I can't say for sure what the problem is. Environmental stress is a good starting point just because the vast majority of sick Bettas get sick because of their environment! Read the above, and write back with any details on your system, so we can offer more focused suggestions. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: My sick Betta        1/18/14
Hi Neale,
<Antonia,>
He is in a 12 litre tank
<A little small, but not fatally so.>
with a heater and a filter.
<Good.>
His tank is steady at 80f.
<Fine.>
I noticed last week that his old heater was broken, but I'm not sure how long for so his tank may have been unheated for a few days before I noticed.
<Indeed. Usually, if a fish is stressed by cold, returning it gently back to normal temperatures (i.e., by letting the new heater warm the tank up slowly) should sort things out. But of course if the fish has become sick, treatment may be necessary.>
His tank is filtered by a moving filter with filter blocks and carbon sheets.
<Now, do be careful with carbon -- it removes some medications! So it's best not to use carbon while medicating.>
Thanks,
Antonia
<If the fish is merely listless or idle, you might try a series of water changes to freshen things up in the tank, increasing any aeration in the tank, and above all ensuring that there's zero nitrite in the aquarium (nitrite being a good indication of water quality problems). Starving the fish for a few days, then offering something novel and tasty (a few live daphnia say, or a tiny sliver of seafood) might elicit a reaction. Unless the fish actually shows definite signs of disease, it's usually best not to medicate randomly, but of course be aware of things like Finrot, Fungus and Columnaris, and act accordingly. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: My sick Betta     1/18/14
Thanks for that Neale, I'll be getting his water tested tomorrow for nitrites.
<Cool.>
Would an aeration stone be a good idea for the tank also?
<It's worth having an air pump and air stone to hand generally, as adding air can help when fish are unhappy for some reason. I'd always favour an air-powered sponge filter for a Betta aquarium over any other type of filter because the gentle current and extra aeration is useful. That said, Bettas are air-breathers, so they're less sensitive to low oxygen levels than most other fish. Put another way, I wouldn't rush out and buy an air pump, but if I had one kicking around, I'd add it to the system to see if it helped perk the Betta up.>
Just to make sure that he's got enough? At the minute he has a mirror, sparingly during the day, a Betta leaf bed and a fake plant.
<I would remove the mirror. Contrary to popular myth, Bettas don't want to fight other males or even see them, and they're a lot happier left alone most of the time. No harm in using the mirror now and again, but don't leave it in/outside the tank.>
He hasn't eaten in about 2-3 days and still just follows his food around his tank one before just ignoring it, he's not even attempting to eat it, just swimming directly under it.
<Would stop feeding. Fish don't need to eat much, and a Betta can go without food for two weeks or more without any harm at all. Only offer food if the Betta is actively foraging, maybe after 2-3 days of starvation.
Remove any uneaten food if he ignores it, and then wait another day before offering more.>
So far he just seems to have stress more than anything else, he did have some white spots but they vanished after a water change and a small dose of BettaFix.
<Indeed. Bettafix isn't a medication against Whitespot, so there's unlikely to be a connection beyond perhaps helping any skin damage to heal quickly.
Salt/heat is a better treatment for Whitespot, while antibiotics would be safer if dealing with bacterial infections such as Finrot.>
Sorry about all the questions, up until this he was a boisterous little guy, it's just been a shock to see how quickly he's deteriorated. The lack of food is worrying me most.
<Hope this helps, Neale.>
Re: My sick Betta     1/19/14
Hi Neale,
I had Samson's water tested and all of his levels are right in the perfect
range.
<Antonio, unfortunately this doesn't tell me anything! The actual numbers are the only thing that's useful to me. So, to summarise: Bettas need 0 nitrite and 0 ammonia. As with all fish, the lower the nitrate, the better, ideally 20 mg/l or less, but certainly below 50 mg/l. The pH needs to be stable; doesn't really matter what the value is between pH 6 to 8, provided it is more or less stable within that range. Water hardness should also be relatively stable, somewhere between 2 and 20 degrees dH, and not bouncing around with each water change. For practical reasons, middling hardness is often easiest to work with, around 10 degrees dH. Compare this ideals against the values you were given. Nitrite, ammonia and nitrate levels above the safe levels, or variations in water chemistry, are common causes of environmental stress. Cheers, Neale.>

New Tank & Betta' hlth.     1/5/14
Hey guys, it's been awhile.
<Dave>
I gave up my 450 gallons worth of saltwater when I had kids a few years back.  Santa brought them a 29G tank for freshwater use.
I have gravel in my 29G freshwater tank, a few castles to hide in, etc.
It's a Fluval tank kit, so comes with an appropriate sized heater and filter.  I used the Nutrafin Aqua plus conditioner and tested ammonia and nitrites on the morning of the 4th operating day.  Ammonia registered between 0 and 25ppm.  Nitrites registered 0.  My water temp was sitting at 74F.
<Any Nitrate?>
I examined the Bettas in our local pet store, and from the 15 or so, I selected what appeared to be the top four healthiest and most active.  My girls wanted the bright red one.  I floated his bag at home for about 20mins or so, dumped a little water out into a bucket and added a little tank water.  I did this three or four times over the course of most of an hour, and finally let the Betta swim out of the bag.  He was quite active and curious that first night with the lights off.  24hrs later, we could see
him hiding in one of the castles, he'd come out and swim around, and then hide again... still bright red, but with no interest in food (Betta bites). 
This went on for a couple of days, until this past Wednesday we didn't see him for 2 days.  By Friday, we found him hovering at the surface by the heater... not very active.  I did some more research on betas, and although what I originally found mentioned 74 - 82F is an appropriate temperature... I soon discovered a lot of people saying 78F is better, so I raised my temperature.  I'd see the Betta still at the bottom of the tank for most of a day, and then floating at the top... but hardly active.  He still wouldn't take food, and I even tried the shelled pea cut up for him, thinking maybe he was having some swim bladder issues... but he let those little bits fall to the tank bottom.  I'd say that after the second day I got him, he started
changing from his brilliant red to more silvery/yellow (if that makes sense), and I began to wonder if it was simply that he was bloated, thus the red scales were stretched out a little more?
<Mmm; no>
 His fins look fine... spread out and feathery.  Tonight, he's floating at the surface... the filter current has him floating circuits around the tank and it does look like he has difficulty keeping upright.  I've had enough fish over the years to say, he doesn't look good and I'm thinking he's a goner.  I'm curious if it's something I've done?  Or did I get an unhealthy fish?
<Could be a bit of both, either. Is this system cycled?>
I've been doing 20% water changes every 3 days since I've had the tank up and running.  I used one full dose of Seachem Prime the morning I bought the Betta, and add the appropriate amounts for every water change. 
<Won't fix the system if not cycled>
I've tested water every 3 days and haven't seen a reading at or above 25ppm for ammonia, and nothing registering for nitrites.  Water temp was 74F for the 8 days I had him, and the past 2 days it's been at 79F.
I've owned clownfish, damsels, corals, tangs, Jawfish, etc... with success (over 5yrs+ and then sold them when we moved)... for a 'hardy' fish, this little guy seems rather fragile.
Questions:
Paying close attention to my water parameters (ammonia and nitrite) and using Seachem Prime, should I have waited a month for a full normal tank cycle without a Betta?
<Yes; or other means. Read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwestcycling.htm
Is it likely that my lower 74F temperature caused my Betta to become ill?
<Not of and by itself; not likely>
I'm curious if perhaps my water PH could be an issue?  Took a water sample to the petstore when I bought the Betta, and they said I was 'good'... not sure how overly confident I am with them, and I never ever seemed to have PH issues with my saltwater tanks, so perhaps I wrongfully assumed I'd naturally be ok without testing this myself?
<Again; not likely so>
Does it sound like I just ended up with a fish that was likely sick prior to purchase?
<This is quite common... Better to raise the temperature a bit... the low 80's F and feed sparingly for now>
Dave
<Bob Fenner>

Unusual Betta Eye Problem     12/16/13 Hi there, <Becca> One of my female Bettas has been having some unusual eye problems that I was hoping y'all could help me with. She's pretty young (Maybe 6 mo), kept in a filtered 5g heated to 80*F with another female Betta (The tank is divided), and a lucky bamboo plant (Only roots submerged), and is fed Omega One Betta flakes & frozen bloodworms as treats. <Mmm, I'll mention that these Chironomid (sewer) fly larvae have fallen out of favor... implicated in disease issues>  Late November white spots suddenly appeared on her eyes, they weren't cloudy or fuzzy but instead looked like some sort of layer or object had been placed on top of the cornea. The white spots would disappear and reappear a few times over the course of the day, so for example in the morning she had a spot on her left eye then by midday both might be clear, and by nightfall both would have a spot again. I thought it might have been parasites, <Mmm; not likely; no. Something "environmental" at play here>  since the spots "moved" like that, so I treated with CopperSafe (1tsp/4g) and AQ salt (~1tsp/g), as well as extra water changes. Her tankmate showed no symptoms, but I thought it was a good idea to treat the entire tank. It didn't seem to have much of an effect after nearly a week, and on 12/1 her eye suddenly looked like it had ulcerated! There was what looked like pus or mucus coming out from under the cornea, as if it had been punctured (See photos #1 & 2). I isolated her in a heated (~85*F) 1/2g container for a week and stopped treating with CopperSafe and instead after research  used a combination of Triple Sulfa and Erythromycin. The eye was a little bit swollen so I added a pinch of Epsom salt, but it looked nothing like the pop-eye pictures I found. I wrote a thread on a Betta forum with some more details, here's the link:  http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=312346 After a few days of treatment her eye cleared up, and after a full week in solitary I added her back to the 5g. All was well until tonight (12/15), when I saw that she once again had something on her eye! It's directly on her cornea (Picture #3, sorry for the quality). I have another Betta currently in the tub I used to isolate her so she has to stay in the 5g, but I don't want to treat the tank if it's going to affect the other Betta negatively. The other girl has shown no symptoms of anything at all, and besides the eye problems the effected one looks and acts completely normal. I had broken down the tank and completely cleaned everything the day she was placed back into it (thanks to what turned out to be a filter malfunction), so there wasn't any old water or gravel to harbor whatever this is. The only thing currently on her side of the tank is the heater, plastic divider and a few sprigs of silk plants, and I never use a net when I transport her, so I don't know what she could have bumped her eye on if it's an injury. <This IS the most likely cause here; and no treatment will help... Only steady, optimized conditions and time going by> Any help you can offer would be much appreciated! Thanks, Rana <Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Sick Betta please help..., no info. of use     12/9/13 Hello, <Lis> I hope you can help Raisin! These are pictures of my roommates sick Betta. We feel very bad for him. He seems very sick with a twisted body and on his side but then he will swim around and he has a large appetite. My friend normally feeds her fish very little. <... of what?>  She recently fed him a pea incase he has swim bladder. I took pictures from all angles hoping someone can help. I don't see his symptoms in any other website. It sort of looks like his scales are turning black and looking not so smooth. His head is turning black too. His eyes seem pretty big and black (bigger than my Betta's eyes) Thank u, Lisa <Uhh, where's the data? Water quality tests? Maintenance... I don't see a filter or heater in the accompanying pix... Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Question about my fish    12/8/13
Hi   My name is Linda. I bought a beautiful Betta , Fringe because his fins are marvelous and look like fringe. I am a therapist and he was with me in my office. As winter approached I was worried I wouldn't be able to get in everyday to feed him, so I bought him home and have him in the same environment.  He is not near a door or breezy area. 
<But in an environment that is heated and filtered I hope>
  When I bought him he was in a small square tank. I started reading about Betta's and went out and bought him a 2.5 gallon tank with a heater and a filter that was for Betta tanks.
<Ah, good>
 I also added live plants.  The algae was taking over so I bought an Asian algae eater.
<Do remove this... See the Net re Gyrinocheilus... is this the fish?
Search, read on WWM re>
  I'm sorry if the name is wrong, but he died within 2-3 days.  When I bought him home I noticed snails in his tank. I know <sic> their supposed to be ok for Betta's but they kind of creep me out. More important and worrisome is that he is <sic> loosing his beautiful brilliant blue color on his body. His fins are still bright orange and there is no sign of fin rot or ick or scale loss or anything that most people are writing about.  He was a very inquisitive little guy and would sit and( I know this sounds nuts) but he would watch me all day. He would make millions of bubble nests and now he just seems ,dare I say, sad.  I have read that fish don't become attached but he would dance when I would come in every morning. He didn't seem to care for the algae eater when it was in the tank.  Could he be stressed over sharing his home with snails ? 
<Perhaps some>
     I have cleaned the tank, removed the gravel and snails, left one small plant which I almost scrubbed to death. What should I do next.  I love this little guy. HELP !
Linda
<Do you have means of testing your water quality? Perhaps a near fish store that can do this for you? This is your next step. Bob Fenner>