Betta Hlth F 30

FAQs on Betta Diseases/Health 30

New Print and eBook on Amazon

Betta Success
Doing what it takes to keep Bettas healthy long-term

by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Betta illness 1/4/15
I was hoping you could help me diagnose my Bettas. I just got a new Betta, who had some gill iridescence. I was concerned so I put him in his three gallon tank with aquarium salt and Kanaplex. But now the problem has spread
to two other Bettas. All are in separate tanks but I know I shared a bucket between two tanks. Anyway, now I have three Bettas with this gill iridescence which is white on two fishes and blue on another. One of them also has black spots on his head and lately white spots. They look too big to be Ick but it's possible I suppose.
<... Mmmm>
I have one Betta in a 10 gallon, 1 in a 5 gallon and 1 in a 3 gallon.
They receive weekly water changes, twice weekly for the 3 gallon. I monitor the ammonia levels to ensure it is always at 0 and use Prime for water conditioner.
I've attached a few photos and would appreciate any help you can provide.
<Can't discern w/ any certainty what this is from your pix or descriptions, but this appears to be Protozoal (perhaps Costia/Ichthyobodo or Trichodina) to me. I would treat just the one time w/ Metronidazole. Bob Fenner>

Re: Betta illness 1/5/16
Thank you for your reply. I ordered the med and will give it a try.
<Mmm; please do a bit of reading re my guesses here... Some folks promote a mix of formalin and malachite (and salt).... can be a bit harsh; more people kill their livestock w/ treatments than actual pathogenic diseases.>
If the yellow fish has Ick, would I still see the white spots?
<Yes; Ich is quite apparent on all colors, types of Bettas>
He's a pale color so I wasn't sure if it would present in the same way.
Thanks again!
<Welcome. BobF>

Betta With Unknown Illness /RMF 12/9/15
I was wondering if you could help me with my Betta. I can't figure out what may be wrong with him. I am thinking a bacterial infection. Over a week ago, our Betta was not being as energetic as he normally is and wasn't too excited about food. At first, he would spend most of his time either on top of his tank in different areas in the floating water sprite or he would be in his log. He would occasionally swim down to the bottom of the tank in the morning and evening, but usually just stayed at the top the rest of the day. The past two days, however, he has been staying around the same area at the top of the tank in the water sprite and barely moving. I can get him to eat a piece of food a day, but that is about it.
<What re water quality tests, temperature? Maintenance notes? Foods, feeding?>
His fins have been somewhat shredded for awhile, it started as occasional pinholes in his fins and turned to his fins being shredded. I tried to first treat that with more water changes and cappata leaves. When that wasn't helping, I started to add Seachem StressGuard (this was about 3 weeks ago). After about a week of StressGuard, he seemed to slow down some
but would perk back up after a water change. So I stopped the StressGuard just after 1.5 weeks to see if it was affecting him. But about a week ago, he starting to slow down and start staying at the top of the tank. First, I was doing daily water changes and added the Betta Spa packets in his tank.
I had also added a poly filter pad to his filter in case there is something in the water (it turned tan/brown). I have since removed the PolyFilter since I am medicating his tank. Since I have already lost a Betta this year to what first seemed like constipation but I believe may have been a bacterial infection (which was housed in the same tank), I first added
Metronidazole to some frozen brine shrimp for him to eat in case he also has a bacteria infection. He had the Metronidazole for 3 days until he wouldn't eat it and after a day, I switched to Kanaplex and added that to his water. I added the second dose of Kanaplex this morning and he hasn't really moved. Look wise, I cannot see anything wrong with him except for the shredded fins. He has not lost any color, his fins aren't clamped and he is not bloated. He does have some disfigurement from birth, I am assuming. He does not have his ventral fins and his right gill has stuck some. He is about 9 to 10 months old, from a local fish store that gets their Bettas from a local breeder. We have had him for 2.5 months.
His tank is a cycled 15 gallon tank. The temperature is between 79 and 81 degrees. He lives with ember tetras, cherry shrimp, MTS and Spixi snails.
Everyone else is doing well and the MTS and shrimp are continuously breeding.
<Good signs>
He usually eats Omega One Betta Buffet flakes (2 to 3 small flakes), twice a day, since he has trouble eating the pellets. He also gets his diet supplemented with frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms
<I'd skip these; implicated in disease>
and mysis shrimp about 3 times a week. Right now, I am trying to give him some flakes and/or brine shrimp to see what he will eat. We do weekly water changes of 25% to 30%.
Water parameters are:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
pH: 7.6
Hardness (GH): 5
Alkalinity (KH): 6
<These are all okay...>
His tank has Seachem Onyx Sand Substrate with live plants, driftwood, ADA Dragon Scale stone and PetSmart decor. The filter is an Aqueon QuietFlow 10 power filter. We are thinking of changing to a stronger filter.
<Mmm; should be fine as is>
Could something be wrong with the tank itself since we had another Betta in this tank that got bloated and then died a couple of months later?
<Possibly; though what I cannot say>
Everyone else in the tank are doing well. Or could it be something else besides a bacterial infection? Right now, I am treating him is his normal tank since everyone else is doing well with the treatments. Am I using the right medication? If there is a harmful bacteria in the tank, would a UV sterilizer help?
<Possibly>
He is still a young fish and I really want to save him. If need to, we can set up another tank for him but that still doesn't tell me what the problem may be.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
--
Thank you,
Stacy
<Am going to pass on your note to Neale Monks here, in the hope that he has some suggestions.
Bob Fenner>
Betta With Unknown Illness /Neale 12/9/15
I was wondering if you could help me with my Betta. I can't figure out what may be wrong with him. I am thinking a bacterial infection. Over a week ago, our Betta was not being as energetic as he normally is and wasn't too excited about food.
<First thing to do when tropical fish stop eating is check the heater. If the water is cold, their appetite stops. Bettas should be maintained at around 25-28 C/77-82 F. They also need warm air since they're air breathers. If the tank has a hood, the air will become warmed automatically, but open topped tanks (unwise with Bettas because they jump out) won't have this air warming facility, so placing the tank away from cold draughts is important. If you're happy the water temperature is within that range, the next thing to check is filtration. Grab an ammonia or nitrite test kit, and measure one or the other. Ammonia is sometimes misleading (tap water can have ammonia in it, rendered harmless by good quality water conditioner) so checking your tank water with a sample of tap water will indicate whether the ammonia levels are the same (fine) or the aquarium has more ammonia than the tap water (bad). Nitrite test kits are easier to use, but assume there's some biological filtration in the tank, since making nitrite is the first step in the filtration process. If you have a tank without biological filtration then nitrite tests might come our "safe" even though the water quality is terrible. That's because none of the waste produced by the fish has been turned into nitrite. But if you have biological filtration of some sort, the nitrite result is a very good indicator of what's going on. Anything above zero indicates the biological filter is overwhelmed: too few bacteria, too much waste. Increasing the flow rate can help, so can replacing some of the media with better quality media (Siporax and other premium brands will cram in more bacteria per cubic inch that standard sponges and noodles). But it may well be the filter is simply too small, or else some of the filter capacity is being filled with basically useless junk (carbon for example). Review, and act accordingly. Almost all mystery health problems with tropical fish are environmental, at least initially, so reviewing heating and filtration go a long way towards nipping problems in the bud.>
At first, he would spend most of his time either on top of his tank in different areas in the floating water sprite or he would be in his log. He would occasionally swim down to the bottom of the tank in the morning and evening, but usually just stayed at the top the rest of the day. The past two days, however, he has been staying around the same area at the top of the tank in the water sprite and barely moving. I can get him to eat a piece of food a day, but that is about it.
<So long as he's eating something, that's promising.>
His fins have been somewhat shredded for awhile, it started as occasional pinholes in his fins and turned to his fins being shredded. I tried to first treat that with more water changes and cappata leaves.
<I would remove these leaves while the fish isn't well. They're decomposing, which is why/how they release "good acids" into the water, but in the process the bacteria decomposing them are using up oxygen. Save them for when the tank is fine again, sure, but for now, they're a random factor you can't adequately assess.>
When that wasn't helping, I started to add Seachem StressGuard (this was about 3 weeks ago). After about a week of StressGuard, he seemed to slow down some but would perk back up after a water change.
<A good sign the environment is amiss.>
So I stopped the StressGuard just after 1.5 weeks to see if it was affecting him. But about a week ago, he starting to slow down and start staying at the top of the tank. First, I was doing daily water changes and added the Betta Spa packets in his tank.
<I would lay off these, too. Bettas don't need magic water. They are thoroughly domesticated fish (like Goldfish) that can/do thrive in properly warmed and filtered tap water. Adding extra potions is yet again another unknown factor that makes assessing the tank difficult. Let's cut to the chase here. Fish product marketers know that the majority of Betta owners
are inexperienced aquarists who don't want to spend much money. They know these people try to keep Bettas in very small tanks or bowls, and then avoid buying heaters and filters. But what the average Betta buyer will do is spend money periodically on stuff that will supposedly keep their Betta healthy despite the shortcomings of their aquarium or bowl. Easier to get these folks to spend $10 every month for a year than $100 up front, hence the massive range of Betta-specific but low-cost items out there. None of which are necessary! In, say, an 5-8 gallon tank with a heater and filter, a Betta is really no harder to keep than a Guppy, will eat plain vanilla fish food, needs nothing added to the water beyond water conditioner, and is not even remotely fussy about water chemistry. Make sense?>
I had also added a poly filter pad to his filter in case there is something in the water (it turned tan/brown). I have since removed the PolyFilter since I am medicating his tank.
<Correct move. Ditto carbon. Both these, as well as large quantities of decaying organic matter, can affect the efficaciousness of medicines.>
Since I have already lost a Betta this year to what first seemed like constipation but I believe may have been a bacterial infection (which was housed in the same tank), I first added Metronidazole to some frozen brine shrimp for him to eat in case he also has a bacteria infection. He had the Metronidazole for 3 days until he wouldn't eat it and after a day, I switched to Kanaplex and added that to his water. I added the second dose of Kanaplex this morning and he hasn't really moved. Look wise, I cannot see anything wrong with him except for the shredded fins.
<Typically a sign of Finrot, but can also be fin damage. Is the shredding clean, like someone chopped his fins with a knife? Or are the fins patches with dead which patches and some orange or red areas of inflammation? The latter is bacterial Finrot, the former physical damage.>
He has not lost any color, his fins aren't clamped and he is not bloated.
He does have some disfigurement from birth, I am assuming. He does not have his ventral fins and his right gill has stuck out some.
<This is a quite common birth defect, yes.>
He is about 9 to 10 months old, from a local fish store that gets their Bettas from a local breeder. We have had him for 2.5 months.
<Do bear in mind Bettas are near enough annual fish in the wild. They should live a bit longer in captivity than this, perhaps 2 years on average, with odd specimens living well past that. Yours is middle aged rather than old then. Bettas do become less active with age though.>
His tank is a cycled 15 gallon tank. The temperature is between 79 and 81 degrees. He lives with ember tetras, cherry shrimp, MTS and Spixi snails.
<Can you move out the Ember Tetras? Characins generally are sometimes nippy towards Bettas, and Ember Tetras have been confirmed as occasional fin-nippers. If you must mix fish with Bettas, stick with peaceful bottom dwellers such as Corydoras, or harmless surface dwellers like Hatchets.>
Everyone else is doing well and the MTS and shrimp are continuously breeding.
<Good.>
He usually eats Omega One Betta Buffet flakes (2 to 3 small flakes), twice a day, since he has trouble eating the pellets. He also gets his diet supplemented with frozen brine shrimp, bloodworms and mysis shrimp about 3 times a week. Right now, I am trying to give him some flakes and/or brine shrimp to see what he will eat. We do weekly water changes of 25% to 30%.
Water parameters are:
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 10
pH: 7.6
Hardness (GH): 5
Alkalinity (KH): 6
His tank has Seachem Onyx Sand Substrate with live plants, driftwood, ADA Dragon Scale stone and PetSmart decor. The filter is an Aqueon QuietFlow 10 power filter. We are thinking of changing to a stronger filter.
<A decent little filter. A bigger filter might not be necessary here if ammonia and nitrite are zero. Of course more filtration is always nice, but the flip side is that Bettas dislike currents, being adapted to ponds and ditches.>
Could something be wrong with the tank itself since we had another Betta in this tank that got bloated and then died a couple of months later? Everyone else in the tank are doing well. Or could it be something else besides a bacterial infection? Right now, I am treating him is his normal tank since everyone else is doing well with the treatments. Am I using the right
medication? If there is a harmful bacteria in the tank, would a UV sterilizer help?
<No. UV kills planktonic phases of various life forms, primarily algae and protozoan parasites. It doesn't cure already sick fish, and even though it suppresses the life cycle of things like Whitespot, it rarely eliminates them 100%. Outside of retail/wholesale situations where slowing the spread of disease saves money, there's little to no use for UV in freshwater
aquaria.>
He is still a young fish and I really want to save him. If need to, we can set up another tank for him but that still doesn't tell me what the problem may be.
Thank you for any help you can give me.
Stacy
<If the fins are clean shredded, I'd be looking at the Ember Tetras. Try removing them or the Betta, and see what happens. Medicate as per Finrot, and if he gets better, then that's the problem! Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Betta With Unknown Illness 12/10/15
I have a picture attached from today so you can see his fins. His fins have red in them, so it is hard to know if there are red inflamed areas.
<You're looking for pale red, pink even... rather than the deep cherry red to purple-red you see on Bettas.>
Does that look like fin nipping or bacterial fin rot?
<Physical damage certainly; fin-nipping a definite possibility.>
Can fin rot cause a fish to be listless?
<Yes; more psychological than anything else... lack of security, so the fish feels nervous or unsettled.>
That is my main concern of his symptoms.
<Understood.>
What would be the best medicine for fin rot? I am treating with Kanaplex.
Is that a good medicine? I haven't seen any change yet and he has one more dose. Should I do another round of Kanaplex or try a new medicine after this one? I need a medicine that is also safe for shrimp and snails. I also want a medicine that won't kill the beneficial bacteria.
<Some type of antibiotic should be safe with shrimps and snails. Avoid, specifically, medications with copper, formalin and organic dyes (such as Methylene blue, malachite green, etc.). Ideally, separate the snails/shrimps from the fish during treatment. All this said, once the fin-nippers are removed, the fins should heal without medication.
Cheers, Neale.>

are "melting" dorsal fin and cyst/tumor on Betta related? 11/21/15
Hello,
I have a male Betta, approximately 2 and a half years old. A few weeks ago his dorsal fin had a white splotch on it, not fuzzy or raised. I took a very blurry photo of it to the local aquarium store and they said it might be marbling.
<?>
The fin then started to "melt", the rays look like they are glued together.
Last week a small lump appeared on his right side. Could the two things be related?
<Possibly... if water quality, genetics; perhaps nutrition are at play here>
He is in a 10 gallon tank, heated and filtered ( with a recent addition of an air stone). The water parameters have been normal with the exception of a constant 0.25 ppm ammonia reading from the tap water.
<Toxic.... this needs to be gotten rid of BEFORE the water is introduced to the Betta>
The tank is dosed daily with Prime.
<Need more biological filtration. See WWM Re>
I did use a fungal treatment, and right now he is being given Kanamycin sulfate which has caused the tank to cycle.
<... necessitating it to re-cycle>
He swims about normally, eats with his usual enthusiasm, plays, flares, watches T.V. etc. like normal.......I just don't want whatever is on his fin to spread and I don't want him to suffer. I can't provide a photo, his scales are not raised, but the bump area is lighter in color than the rest of his body.
Any advise would be greatly appreciated, he's a small fish with a big personality!
Thank you,
Eve Taylor
<Mmm; well; can't tell much here with what's been provided. Perhaps you might send along a well-resolved image...
Otherwise, work on eliminating ANY ammonia, nitrite presence; and let's have you read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/BetDisDiagF.htm
and where you lead yourself on WWM; in the hopes something will spring forward in your conscious.
Bob Fenner>

Sick Betta 9/18/15
Hello Crew!
<Hello Gabby>
First of all, I would just love to thank you for your wonderful site, which has more than once saved the lives of my fish. Your work is amazing. I can only hope to one day know enough about fish to be able to spread the love.
<Ahh; I hope for this as well>
I am writing to you because I am fortunate enough to work in a pet store, and I recently exchanged a Betta I'd owned for several months for a beautiful white-and-purple delta tail. My Betta had grown large and healthy with me after I healed him of fin rot (thank you, salt dips), he was enormous compared to the other Bettas and was in tip top shape, always eating and not easily rattled.
This new fish, however, has something the matter with him. He seems active enough, but red spots have begun to appear on his head and the top of his body, and he won't touch food (he'll follow my hand when I drop it in, but won't eat it). He will sometimes bend his tail sideways and swim in a circle, and small round holes have appeared near the edges of his fins which become ragged as the holes spread. Salt dips do not appear to have helped much. He seems alert and active, but I'm concerned--I don't want to lose him, and he is so gorgeous, I don't want him to lose any more fin!
<Mmm; the "red spots" worry me.... What could this be? Parasitic perhaps; bacterial?>
He is in a 2.5 gallon tank which I clean daily, in the company of two small Cryptocorynes and some white silica sand. He has no heater, but since I live in Cancun, he sure doesn't need one.

Other than at the holes, his fins appear intact, his colors are bright and when he isn't doing his weird spinning act, he swims normally, exploring the tank. I am going to add more plants soon.

What can I do? I only have salt, malachite green, Methylene blue, and Furan-2 capsules, all of which were already tried in combination when the red spots first appeared (for every liter I added 1 drop of malachite green, 4 drops of Methylene blue and half a teaspoon of aquarium salt; then I took a Furan-2 capsule, broke it open and made a paste with the powder which I then rubbed on the red spots. I put a drop of the paste into his water and mixed that in too. It didn't appear to do anything for him.) Since then, I've given him a daily 5-minute salt dip in a liter of water with a teaspoon of aquarium or non-iodized table salt dissolved in it; even though it doesn't appear to be doing anything, at least the fin rot seems to be progressing very slowly.
What can I do? Please, I don't want to lose him :( I've been told to try Sulfast 3, but can I use it in conjunction with Furan-2? Should I give that to him again? Why won't he eat? (I just brought him home two days ago; he was at the pet store where I work.) Our water here is quite hard, but I keep it clean, and my other Betta lived without a problem.

Thank you in advance for your reply! :)
<Welcome; thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Sick Betta 9/18/15
Thanks so much Mr. Fenner!
<Welcome Gabby>
I just have a couple more questions your answer raised in my mind... Those medicines you mentioned... The vet here has them in injectable form for dogs and cats, or in suspension. There's also General Cure which has Metronidazole, should I use that?
<Yes to the powder form/s; not injectable>
Or how much is a dose?
<Please search, read on WWM Re.... need to dilute if treating in small volume/s>
My tank is 10L, but to treat him I'd move him back to the LFS where I work. How long should
I keep him at eighty degrees?
<Mid-80's... for the duration... likely a week or two>
Thank you once more! You guys are awesome!!!
<Certainly welcome. BobF>
Re: Sick Betta 9/18/15
Hello again, Mr. Fenner! :)
<Ms. Reyez>
I was only able to find Metronidazole, in 500mg tablets (for people), or in General Cure; but Praziquantel remains elusive. Can I use the tablets?
<Yes; crush up with two spoons; to hasten dissolving>
Will it work without Praziquantel?
<The Prazi is for worm diseases of many types.... works independently of the Metro (which is for Protozoans, some bacteria). Really need both>
Only the vet seems to have that, and she has it in injectable form or in suspension.
<Not the same>
The Betta's eyes now look swollen and strange. I don't wanna lose him :(
<See WWM re adding a bit of Epsom Salt>
Sorry for the bunch of questions. I've never treated a fish before with anything not meant for fish, and I'm scared to kill him :(
<No worries>
Thank you again!
<Welcome. B>

Betta problem please help! 9/21/15
Hello,
<Tam>
My Betta Henry has been behaving strange <ly> for about a week, he is kind of lethargic almost all of the time, hides underneath the rocks and tries to stick his head between them. Sometimes he comes up but again, he just floats there. He used to be very active before (I have him for 6 months) and floated motionlessly only over the nighttime.
Here are some of my aquarium conditions:
1) It's a round one. It's my first fish and after some time I realized that a square aquarium is better, but now I have this round tank of about 4 liters.
2) The seller in the shop said I couldn't put filter and warming aggregate in aquarium of this size so I don't have those.
<Ah, no. Bettas are tropical fish; need filtration and steady, high temperature. Likely these are troubles here.
READ: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
The thermometer shows 25-24
C and I do water changes. I never changed more than 50% of water and I always keep the water I want to pour in a separate glass jar for at least 3 days before I add it.
<Good>
3) I have rocks and a plant, the other inhabitants of the tank are several melania snails.
4) I cleaned the tank completely about a month ago, Henry was in a glass jar in the meantime.
Please help, I am very worried and tired of constantly checking if he died.
Tamuna Chkareuli
<Please do the reading; check other reliable references. Your Betta needs an improved, stable world. Bob Fenner>
Betta fish problem some more details 9/21/15
Sorry, I forgot to add these details:
<Ahh>
He eats normally. I feed him flakes and sometimes frozen worms that I bought in the pet store.
He used to react on the mirror and attack it, but I showed it to him now and he barely moved.
Tamuna
<The problem is the environment. Fix this and all will be well. BobF>

Stumped! Betta fin rot: 50% of caudal fin missing practically overnight 8/20/15
Hello,
My name is Andrea and I've been a proud Betta fish owner since January 2015. Let's just cut to the chase:
*History*
- Male Betta fish- impulsive buy from Petco
- Mild case of fin rot (to the tip of the caudal fin) back in June 2015 treated with a 5 day course of API T.C. Tetracycline, since resolved until noticed today, massive fin rot (50% of caudal fin missing) occurred practically overnight.
- Fish still eating, not acting as lethargic like last time, but hiding a little more than usual, not greeting as enthusiastically
- Water parameters today: pH 6.8-7.0; NH3/NH4 0ppm; NO2 0ppm; NO3 0-5ppm
*Set up*
- Lone inhabitant
- 10 gallon tank
- Fluval A455 Nano Aquarium Filter with Seachem Matrix Biomedia
- Water heater set at 78 degrees F
- 2 Java Ferns, 1 Anubias Plant tied to Mopani wood
- River rock substrate
*Routine*
- Fed once a day New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula pellets
- 50% water change once a week beginning in July after last Fin Rot episode in June, previously had been 25% water changes once a week
- New water treated with Seachem Acid Regulator, Neutral Regulator, and Equilibrium corresponding to local water conditions
- Water parameters checked 1-2 times a month, has been stable I'm planning on restarting another 5 day course of the tetracycline but I was just so shocked to see so much of his tail missing so suddenly. I live in California, and I noticed today that the water heater was unplugged for some reason (possibly due to the earthquake we had recently) but even so, the water hadn't dipped below 74-76 degrees F. The tail was definitely intact two days ago (I was sort of in a rush when I fed him yesterday so I wasn't paying as much attention). Do I need to treat any differently if it's acting so quickly?
I briefly browsed some of your FAQ in regards to fin rot, but hadn't come across anything that happened this quickly.
Thanks for your time,
Andrea
<Hi Andrea. My immediate guess here is that he got his tail sucked into the filter. Otherwise the care you're providing all sounds good. I'd check that the filter is set to a very gentle "suck" (ideally, I'd use air-powered sponge filtration rather than an electric pump). Treating as per Finrot is a good idea, though make sure you remove carbon (if used) because that's a
common mistake and explanation for why medications don't seem to work. I'd up the temperature a trifle, to maybe 28 C/82 F, and see if he perks up. If he does, then with luck he'll grow his tail back without problems. I'm cc'ing our Betta expert, Bob Fenner, for other ideas. Cheers, Neale.><<Naught "jumps out" at me either Neale, Andrea... BobF>>

Betta with Cyst on fin and bulging eye 8/16/15
Hello,
<.... 10 megs.... why is it we limit file size?>
Hope this finds you well and in good spirits First and foremost, thank you so much for taking the time to provide advice for people such as myself. I have contacted you before concerning this same fish, although for different reasons, and I appreciate your help!
<Okay!>
Attached, please find 3 photos showing this cyst & white/gray spots on my betta’s fin. Hoping this would help you identify the issue.
<You can read re on the site: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BetDisViralF.htm
This started by me noticing a tiny bump (same area) about a month ago, but didn’t change at all until a week ago (appearing as a small growth- bubble shaped). Now, I would definitely considered it a cyst of some sort and currently seems to be filled with a grayish substance and has gotten bigger (double in size) in the last few days?? Actually, I believe it released some of this grayish substance 2 days ago before it got this big, because it looked like it was hanging out of the cyst?? It also appears that possibly part of the fin directly under this cyst has fallen off?? Furthermore, when the cyst got bigger, I noticed a small gray spot on his body, same side, but not raised, nor any growth? In addition, now there are a couple white/light gray spots on that same fin, but opposite side?? (see pic) Any natural remedies or meds for such a thing?? Is there anyway we could cut this growth off of his fin?? How would or could this affect him?? Should we put him in a hospital tank??
<Some folks might try excising this area... there are purposeful anesthetics... again, gone over on WWM>
Tank Parameters:
16 Gal Community Tank- 6 Fish Total *This Betta being the biggest
PH- 7.1 AMM- 0 N02- 0 N03- 20
77 degrees
PWC weekly or bi-weekly
Little Aquarium Salt * at most 1 Tbsp.
Live Plants & Driftwood
Fed 1 – 2x /day- *1 day/wk NO FOOD (Frozen Brine Shrimp/Freeze Dried Bloodworms/Crisps)
**Owned Betta for 1 yr now *unfortunately he’s had a re-occurring PopEye-like condition, but no meds (tried several) ever helped. It just seems to come and go on its own & doesn’t last more than 2 wks. Although, it seems it gets to a point where it builds up so much pressure, that it finds a release point, as right before the swelling goes completely back down, we’ll notice a tiny little bubble at bottom of eye (thinking this is where it releases fluid, although we have never physically seen this)??. However, at this point, this is the 1st time after our 1st encounter with this PopEye-like condition (which took a long time to go away), that it has not formed that little bubble and has stayed swollen for about 2 mos. Very sad I absolutely hate it for my little guy!!! Honestly, I wish we could take his eye out... **We’ve been told it may have something to do with osmoregulation??
<... no>
Anyways, you will notice his right eye in picture. By the way, could his eye and this growth be related to the same condition/ailment??
<Possibly, but doubtful>
Wondering if there was some sort of parasite or something internal that could cause his eye to keep blowing up, and now his fin??
Once again, thank you for your time and consideration!! Hope I’ve provided enough information for you. I look forward to hearing from you.
Gratefully,
Keith & Christine
<Had a friend, old roomie w/ your family name (Bob). Bob Fenner>

Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side (RMF?) 8/2/15
<Whoa! Will look for this corr. and respond there. BobF>
You are no Bob, Neale. Far from it. So, stop sXXXXing on his legacy.
Cheers.
> Subject: Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side (RMF?)
> I know all about Bob that's why I reached out. Don't worry about it Neale.
> I spoke with owner in-person of my LFS today to resolve. Wouldn't want you
> to upset yourself any further with my case. Trust me, I will never contact
> wet web again.
> <Far from upset. There's an old saying that you can lead a mule to a well
> but you can't make it drink. I've told you what's wrong, but whether you
> want to act accordingly is entirely up to you. Bob's around, so feel free
> to write to him expressly. No hard feelings at all. Cheers, Neale.>
Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side /<<RMF>> 8/2/15
Hi There,
Can't find any of your recommendations to treat the following ... Betta lives in 1G vase with 100% water changes every 3 days.
<<Ahh, had thought this "fad" had long since passed. Bettas need larger, filtered, purposely heated environments. Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettasysart.htm
Won't live long or well in vacillating temperature, waste-laden water. Bob Fenner>
<That's your problem right there. Without getting into an argument -- for which I have no time or interest -- unless the tank is 5+ gallons in size, heated with a heater, and with a simple, air-powered filter, you're keeping your Betta badly. I don't care that breeders have fish rooms (heated to 25-30 C/77-86 F) and keep their Bettas in jars. Those guys undertake a
massively demanding (time, money) approach that isn't practical for someone owning a pet. I don't care if "the guy" in the shop said Bettas can live in jars because wild Bettas live in puddles (they don't, they live in ponds and canals). Unless and until its environment improves, this Betta will continue to sicken and die.>
Always been very active and super healthy.
<Often are for some weeks, even months when kept in jars assuming air temperature reasonably warm. But long term, nope.>
Several weeks ago he started missing his food, as in he can't catch his pellets or bloodworms.
<Bettas, being tropical animals, need a high temperature for their metabolism to work. Below 24 C/75 F, Bettas quite quickly become weak with time, and early symptoms of this (just as with humans suffering hypothermia) is loss of mental "alertness".>
He sees the food, swims around it and tries but can't grasp his food. If I feed him in his mouth off a wooden skewer he will eat the food. He normally eats 2-3 Newlife Spectrum pellets am OR 3-4 frozen bloodworms am (varied).
He is underfed because I went through a swim bladder issue with him last year and wanted to avoid that. Here's the scoop: He floats on side and is very inactive now. He arches his back now when he moves around or gulps for air and also has a slight S curve to his spine too. It sounds like swim bladder but he is NOT overfed. OR TB?! I put 1 teaspoon epson salt for 1G tap water (with conditioner) plus 5 drops Seachem Paraguard. Today is the FIFTH day with Epsom salts and Paraguard (two 100% water changes w/in these 5 days). His fins also just shredded significantly overnight.
<Finrot.>
The Paraguard treats Bacterial, Fungal, Viral and Parasitic conditions (maybe externally only?). Do I need to get him an antibiotic at this point?
What else can I do? He has no other external body signs except now his gills are expanding a bit larger since the water change this am (they are black). I have also re-read all of the common Betta fish diseases and none of them describe this except for swim bladder yet he is not improving on the Epsom salts. Do you recommend aquarium salt at this point which I
believe you've told me before you are not a fan of. As always, thank you very much for your attention to my Betta. All the best, Kristy
<Kristy, I' m sure you're mean well for your pet and want him to thrive. But you're trying to keep your Betta in a way that won't work, and instead of biting the bullet, you're looking to throw small amounts of money (salt and Epsom salt are both pointless here) in the hope that magically your Betta will respond. I sympathise and understand. But Bettas just don't live in 1 gallon tanks for long, and the horrible myth that they do has led to a great many Bettas dying prematurely. They aren't magic fish able to survive in jars any more than Goldfish can live in bowls. Sure, some do, but just as with Goldfish, for every Goldie that lives ten years in a bowl there are a hundred that don't live ten weeks. Start by grabbing an ammonia test kit and check water quality. If that's non-zero, then that's why your fish is sick. Add a air-powered filter, and short term, do regular (daily) water changes of at least 50%. Don't feed it. Spend the next few days shopping around for a tank 4-5 gallons in size. Trust me on this. It'll be worth. Buy a suitable small heater too. With luck, and anti-Finrot medication, your Betta will get healthier. And if he doesn't, at least you can buy another with some good chance of success. Also do read:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/betta_splendens.htm
Follow the links therein. Cheers, Neale.>
Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side 8/2/15
Hi Again, Temp of water always 80 degrees.
<<Really? Have never encountered a human-living space with such high, consistent temperature. BobF>>
<How so without a heater? Can't see a heater working in 1 gallon without great risk of burning the fish. Too little water to dissipate heat evenly, and too little space for the fish to avoid touching the hot glass.>
Correction: The inner gill or gill membrane (NOT gill cover) is dark/black and swollen and looks like he's breathing heavier than normal. His head/body is not swollen. Thanks!
<Again, damage to gills is good evidence of ammonia toxicity. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side 8/2/15
Just WOW Neale. Get hold of yourself! I have the utmost respect for Bob because not only is he amazing, he doesn't send negative or adversarial emails to his followers like you do.
<Want to bet!>
<<Heeeee heeee! He's right you know.... Some days, doozies! BobF>>
You have been nothing but disrespectful to me with your feedback.
<I'm sorry you feel that way. Merely being blunt and accurate.>
Especially about throwing little money at this and how YOU don't have time to be irritated by me or my stupidity, etc. I waited all day for your response? But now I hear from you at 12:43am in Southern California?
<8:43 AM in the UK, which is where I am. I respond to these messages as soon as practical, despite being on vacation with my wife and 8-month-old baby. I try my best.>
And by the way, it is 85 degrees in my kitchen where he is located.
<At night as well? Seems uncomfortable and unhealthy for you if it is. But whatever.>
I have also worked diligently with the owner of my LFS and went to the store in-person today to go over the various options for him ... but this is what works and has kept his fins intact.
<Until now.>
In fact, the owner said some betas will not tolerate a tank no matter what the tank contains.
<S/he is wrong. I agree the WRONG tank isn't good for Bettas, but I can guarantee you I could create a good aquarium for this Betta with a heater, filter and hood.>
Maybe YOU should reconsider what you do if you cannot be helpful in a positive manner per this forum.

Don't always underestimate the people you deal with.
<I don't. But experience has told me a lot across 10 years of doing sick fish questions for this web site and many magazines. For one thing, people don't always want to be helped. Sometimes they want justification for what they're doing. Not my job to do that.>
Because you're diminishing all the hard work, positive reputation, and relationships that Bob has built with his followers.
<If you feel that, then by all means write to Bob F and tell him so. You are absolutely entitled to tell him that I'm doing a bad job. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side 8/2/15
Thanks Neale ... Understand your points ... BUT ... I had a 5 G tank for him and he shredded his fins constantly and was very nervous.
<Did you add some floating plants? What sort of filter? I simply don't believe a Betta is psychologically alarmed by being in more than 1 gallon of water. That simply doesn't make any scientific sense. In a big tank with aggressive tankmates, awkward reflections, or an electric internal filter then the Betta could be stressed by those things. But simply by having more
space? No, not logical; these fish don't suffer from agoraphobia!>
He almost died IN the tank. And that was WITH the very smallest current possible.
<You should be able to bleed off air from the air pump until the flow of air through the sponge is very low. This is absolutely the right thing to do. An electric filter won't work in 5 gallons, much too much current in a confined space. I've kept Bettas in 20 gallon tanks with electric filters, but this allowed the Betta to stay hidden among the floating plants.>
I live in SoCal at the beach and it's 80+ indoors all the time so I don't need a heater because his water is always 80-82.
<Not at night it isn't. Unless you live in the tropics, you won't be
experiencing this sort of temperature range 24/7/365.>
For a Betta like mine that will NOT tolerate a tank ...
<Not true.>
would you recommend an antibiotic at this point?
<As per Finrot. But what is the ammonia reading? Let's not dodge the issue here. If ammonia is not zero, then that's why Finrot is the problem. Medication won't result in a permanent fix.>
I am trying to help him NOW and putting him back in the tank won't work for the issues as noted above.
<Do see above, and READ the linked article from last time.>
Contrary to everyone's belief, not ALL Bettas will tolerate a tank.
<Sure they will. But the wrong tank, kitted out or stocked inappropriately is stressful, and many experts will say so.>
I have had several that did but this one will not. By the way, I have had this Betta in his habitat like this for 2+ years now.
<So he's middle aged.>
So, I am not doing anything wrong on the water changes every 3 days. In fact, I had changed his water yesterday but last night he shredded his fins and today I changed it again. So in last 5 days, his water has been changed 3 times with Epsom salts at 1teaspoon per 1Gallon.
<Salt and Epsom salt irrelevant. May make you feel you're doing something, but won't affect fin decay.>
Please advise on the antibiotic if you can.
<See above.>
IF you think it would be warranted at this time to add to Paraguard and/or which type of antibiotic you would recommend since his body looks perfect except for the shredding of fins last night. He does NOT have ANY history of fin rot because of how I take care of him. Thanks.
<Hope this helps. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side 8/2/15
<<Will also ask BobF to comment, advise. He's the author of "Betta Success" among others, and is far more expert with these fish than I am. Http://www.amazon.com/Betta-Success-Robert-Fenner-ebook/dp/B00HFAACII
Cheers, Neale.>>
Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side 8/2/15
PS I live at the beach and nobody has air conditioning. Go figure. What an ass.
<Asinus spp., a most useful genus of equine; hardy, tough and long-lived. A compliment indeed. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Revised: Betta Can't See Food & Laying on Side (RMF?) 8/2/15
I know all about Bob that's why I reached out. Don't worry about it Neale.
I spoke with owner in-person of my LFS today to resolve. Wouldn't want you to upset yourself any further with my case. Trust me, I will never contact wet web again.
<Far from upset. There's an old saying that you can lead a mule to a well but you can't make it drink. I've told you what's wrong, but whether you want to act accordingly is entirely up to you. Bob's around, so feel free to write to him expressly. No hard feelings at all. Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Betta... nonsense ultimately 6/4/15
Hi, I hope you can help me know how to treat my Betta fish. I've had him not quite two months. He is in a 5 gallon filtered tank.
<Mmm; and heated... steadily; to tropical temperature?>
I feed him Top Fin Betta Bits. I also have flakes and freeze dried bloodworms, but he doesn't like them. At first, he was very happy and swam all the time and came up to the glass when I walked by the tank, and even seemed to enjoy having the cats watch him. I added a small bubble stone, and he seemed to like it at first. Then he started acting like he did not like it, so I kept it off the majority of the time. About three or four weeks ago, he quit coming to me when I would feed him - (acted afraid of me?). He kept hiding from me and being lethargic. I thought maybe he was depressed, so I put him in a 10 gallon tank with neon tetras. One disappeared and I found another dead with most of his tail missing, so I put him back in his 5 gallon aquarium by himself again. He is acting even worse - very erratic. He will swim fast for a minute or two (fins will even look good), then he will lay at the bottom, or upside down against a plant, and at times he seems to be scraping himself against the gravel. He is breathing very fast.
<What re water quality here? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate concentrations?>
For the majority of the time, he is just laying at the bottom of the tank with very limp looking fins. There are no white spots on him. Please tell me how to determine what's wrong with him and how I can help him.
<You might read on WWM re Bettas>
Also - the water has been kept clean and changed. No ammonia. Nitrates, Nitrites, Hardness (soft at 75),
<Oh! How is NO3 rendered zip?>
Alkalinity, and pH are all fine.
<...>
When I clean the tank, I use dechlorinator/conditioner and Safe Start (with live filter bacteria).
<No need to use the bacterial product... and I hope/trust you are using a dechloraminator>
Sincerely,
April
<The reading. Bob Fenner>

Re: Sick Betta 6/5/15
Attached are two pics.
<The head-down behavior... is bad; troubling... Was this fish physically damaged some how?>
I have also sent two short videos in previous emails. Thanks so much for your help!! I don't know what to do for him. :(
<Yes; you crashed our mail server... By sending more than 50 megs of files. READ our guidelines. B>
Re: Sick Betta
I'm sorry if I caused a problem, but I sent two trimmed down videos (both under 10 seconds) in separate emails so you could see his fins and erratic swimming. One was 20.8 mb and the other was 20.5 mb. The two pics totaled 79* kb* (one was 48 kb, other was 31 kb). *The total of all is under 50*. I was just desperately seeking answers on how to treat my Betta, and hoped I might find advice here. Thanks for (not) being so helpful.
<.... perhaps posting such files on something like YouTube, sending along links to... B>
Re: Sick Betta; what WWM is not... No reading, nor responding to questions
I just got back from the only store in town that sells fish products. The have Melafix and Jungle Lifeguard All in One Treatment Tablets. My Betta is not swimming at all. Just laying deep in a plant and not moving at all. I thought he was dead, but when I was going to scoop him out, he swam for a second and went right back to the plant. I also bought aquarium salt.
Which of these would be the best to try, since I don't know what's wrong.
<Neither.... what would prompt you to actually read on WWM? I'd start w/ my survey article on Betta disease:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/bettadiseases.htm
following on w/ the subjects listed above.... B>
Fwd: Sick Betta 6/5/15
Links to videos are below (I uploaded clips that are a little longer than the 10 second videos that I tried to originally send to you so that you can get a better view of fins, etc.)
<Something very wrong w/ this fish... whether neurological (from a poisoning event... genetic? or damage)>
I work full time, go to school full time, and am the grandmother of two, so some days I am not home much. Since I've
been sitting here, he is swimming to the top every so often and then swimming back to bottom and laying down. He's laying kind of sideways. I also bought a 1/2 gallon Betta cube. I don't know if he needs to be moved for treatment or not. I hope not. I really hate to stress him out any more.
Below are previous emails with information.
https://youtu.be/sSGUdFeQ_U4
https://youtu.be/7FXIZ7rS_jg
<No treatment advised; just the reading. B>
Re: Sick Betta 6/5/15
I have read your info, and lots of other info - which is part of why I'm so confused and can't quite determine how to proceed. My eyesight isn't the greatest, but even with my glasses, it seems like he is suffering one of the two: *Velvet/Oodinium
<http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BetDisVelvF.htm > or **True Fungal Infections & Bacterial Fin Rot <http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/BetDisInfeF.htm >* .
<I don't think either of these are at play here... in fact, nothing pathogenic period. Not treatable>
I have aquarium salt and Epsom Salt. Which should I use?
<The latter>
Is it possible for him to have both?
<Yes; but I'd skip the aquarium>
I know someone that has their Betta in a 1.5 gallon tank without a filter for over a year, and he is healthy, yet mine is sick and I have kept his 5 gallon tank very clean and provided him with a variety of foods.
It's not like I can take him to the vet.

Re: Fwd: Sick Betta 6/5/15
I hate to just give up on him. I've gotten quite attached to him. I just ordered KORDON #37344 Methylene Blue-General Disease Prevention Treatment for Aquarium from Amazon and had it overnighted.
<.... of no use. What is it about my having written re?>
It will be here tomorrow.
Will it hurt to treat him for that, just in case?
<.... see/READ re>
Do I need to take the entire filter out of the aquarium or just remove the carbon filter cartridge? Also, I have aquarium salt and Epsom Salt. Which should I use?

Suspected Betta Constipation 6/1/15
I suspect that our Betta is suffering from constipation. He stopped eating Thursday evening and we noticed Friday morning that he was bloated. He also has a string of poop hanging from him. We fasted him for 2 days and tried to feed him daphnia
<Good>
today which he didn't eat. I figured that I would try to fast him a couple more days and try to feed him daphnia again. He also isn't as active as he normally is. The water parameters are ammonia 0, nitrites 0 and nitrates 10. The temperature is at 81.
I know that you recommend putting Epsom salt directly into the tank but at what point should you do this?

Also, will the Epsom salt hurt any of the other inhabitants in the tank?
<Too much can harm snails, plants...>
He lives in a filtered, heated 15 gallon tank with ember tetras, red cherry shrimp and Malaysian trumpet snails. I am concerned about the Epsom salt harming the cherry shrimp who are breeding well and I don't want to do anything to harm them.
<I'd treat minimally for now (1 level tsp. for five gallons); or move the Betta to treat separately elsewhere, or use the Epsom in a submerged bath for five minutes>
If I can add the Epsom salt directly to the tank, how long do I keep the Epsom salt in the tank before I do a water change and how large of a water change do I need to do to remove the Epsom salt from the tank once treatment is over?
<Regular water changing... a quarter or so per week, will serially dilute over time... at low concentration, this will be fine>
If I can't add the Epsom salt directly to the tank, do you recommend an Epsom salt bath for the Betta?
<Yes... >
I have some pictures attached of our Betta.
--
Thank you,
Stacy
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Suspected Betta Constipation 6/2/15
I hope it is okay if I ask another question.
<Certainly>
Last night, our Betta took a turn for the worst. He started to lay at the bottom of his tank, only coming up for air and was breathing heavy. We slowly started to put some Epsom salt in the tank to watch to see how it may effect the inhabitants.
So far, we have put in a teaspoon and according to you should put in more.
<Yes; see WWM, our prev. corr.>
My question is, am I still looking at a case of constipation or something else?
<Can't tell... could be bacterial; other...>
He doesn't seem to be getting any bigger but him becoming lethargic is concerning to me. Any suggestions on what we should do?
<As you are doing really. I would NOT "try" adding medicines in a Hodge podge fashion. Much more likely to do harm than good. I urge patience. Oh, and may be trying a bit of live (or barring this frozen/defrosted) brine shrimp. Bob Fenner>

Re: Suspected Betta Constipation 6/6/2015
Good morning. I was hoping I can ask a follow up on our Betta and his suspected constipation.
<Sure>
We finished putting in a total of 3 teaspoons of Epsom salt in his 15 gallon tank by Monday evening.
<Good>
When we got up on
Tuesday morning, our Betta was in his floating log (where he usually sleeps) instead of laying on the bottom of the tank and then started to make a bubble nest on Tuesday in his log.
<Neat!>
(I know this doesn't mean happiness but it is the first nest he has made so it made us feel better.)
I even got him to eat some daphnia on Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday morning he would still be in his log but would go back down to the bottom of the tank after the tank's light goes on. Since he seems to have bad eyesight, he needs to be in a position were he needs to see any food to eat it. Since he was in his log yesterday morning, I tried to feed him some more daphnia but he wasn't interested and went back to the bottom of the tank. Since he doesn't seem to be improving since Tuesday, we added another teaspoon of Epsom salt to his tank Wednesday evening.. He is still bloated but doesn't seem to be getting any bigger. But I also can't tell if he is getting any smaller. On Tuesday, I saw another string of poop from him but nothing since then. How long can a Betta be constipated?
<Weeks>
Does this seem normal?
<Mmm; no; not w/in my def.>
Should we just continue doing what we are doing?
<Yes; but I'd add a 50% water change every week (w/ MgSO4 replacement) to this routine... vacuuming the gravel in the process>
He still doesn't seem as bad as he did Sunday evening but he also doesn't seem as good as he did on Tuesday.
<Thank you for this report. Patience! Bob Fenner>

Bloated bellies 2/24/15
Hello. I just got three female Bettas 4 days ago. All seemed fine at first, but 2 days ago, one had a chunk of fin missing from underside.
<What other life is in with these Bettas?>
Then yesterday, same one had clamped fins, stopped eating & started staying at surface in corner or hiding at bottom under rock. This morning that same female had all same symptoms with the addition of a swollen belly. Now tonight that same Betta's belly got more swollen & can hardly stay at bottom w/o being tail up, so I just put her in a floating cup in the same
tank. And now the other two females have bloated bellies but no other symptoms.
<Bad>
I added Epsom salt at 1 tsp per gallon, turned up heater to 82, & fed peas, but only the two Bettas with only swollen belly symptom ate. I stopped feeding any other food. Also, have done PWC for past 2 days. For the non-native Betta, I even tried to soak the peas in garlic, but she won't eat.
<I'd try Daphnia, live brine shrimp...>
Water parameters are good.
<Need values>
I thought maybe this was constipation cuz we feed 2xday & I bet LPS only fed them every couple days cuz they seemed
starved! But I know there are other possibilities such as swim bladder or internal parasite.
Any suggestions?? I don't know what else to do? I do have Kanaplex but haven't treated. What do you think it is? What other treatments?
<Need water quality data, the history of this set up; tankmates>
I greatly appreciate your time and consideration!
In His Love,
<?>
Christine Sexton
<Bob Fenner>

Bloated bellies /Neale 3/25/15
Hello.
<Hello Christine,>
I just got three female bettas 4 days ago. All seemed fine at first, but 2 days ago, one had a chunk of fin missing from underside. Then yesterday, same one had clamped fins, stopped eating & started staying at surface in corner or hiding at bottom under rock. This morning that same female had all same symptoms with the addition of a swollen belly. Now tonight that same betta's belly got more swollen & can hardly stay at bottom w/o being tail up, so I just put her in a floating cup in the same tank. And now the other two females have bloated bellies but no other symptoms.
<Indeed?>
I added Epsom salt at 1 tsp per gallon, turned up heater to 82, & fed peas, but only the two bettas with only swollen belly symptom ate. I stopped feeding any other food. Also, have done PWC for past 2 days. For the non-native betta, I even tried to soak the peas in garlic, but she won't eat.
<What do you mean by "non native Betta"? Are you in Thailand and comparing some wild-caught Bettas with farmed Bettas?>
Water parameters are good.
<Meaning what? Your idea of "good" and my idea of "good" may be different, and Mother Nature has VERY strict ideas about what "good" should be! She has no interest in small dorm rooms, limited budgets and that sort of thing. To recap: a "sorority" of female Bettas needs a tank upwards of 10 US gallons, and since they don't really get on (yes, even the females are intolerant of one another) the bigger the tank, the better. Filtration should be good, but water turnover very moderate as these are swamp-dwelling fish. Air-powered filters are ideal. Bettas forced to swim against strong currents all day don't live for long. In short, zero ammonia and nitrite. Plenty of plants, preferably floating plants, to provide visual breaks between the fish so they aren't staring at each other all the time. Warm air above the tank is important; a hood will take care of this nicely. While water chemistry isn't a critical factor, extremes should be avoided.>
I thought maybe this was constipation cuz we feed 2xday & I bet LPS only fed them every couple days cuz they seemed starved! But I know there are other possibilities such as swim bladder or internal parasite.
<Almost always when fishkeepers mention "swim bladders" they mean they have a sick fish that can't swim properly. Swim Bladder Disease isn't really a disease. Occasionally there might be infections of the swim bladder, but I've never seen any evidence for such a thing, and even if it existed, there's no way to tell. To be clear, it's a made-up disease. So let's focus on what's really going on. Your fish have some sort of bacterial or possibly protozoan infection, and perhaps alongside poor diet and/or environmental stress, they're losing the ability to swim properly. Kind of like if someone has a serious fever they wouldn't be able to stand up and walk. You wouldn't say they had "leg disease" but instead flu, pneumonia, or whatever. Identifying diseases in fish is difficult, so you have to go with probabilities.>
Any suggestions?? I don't know what else to do? I do have Kanaplex but haven't treated. What do you think it is? What other treatments?
I greatly appreciate your time and consideration!
In His Love,
Christine
<Without real data about the aquarium, can't say anything sensible. An antibacterial treatment makes sense, but it won't do anything if the environment is the underlying cause. Review, and act accordingly. Cheers, Neale.>
re: Bloated bellies /RMF 3/25/15
<Put the words "bloated belly Betta" in the WWM search tool (on every page) and read. B>
These are some pictures of the one female betta that died! Was trying to show you some pics of that white sac coming out of anal cavity. Also she had seemed to get some more fin rot after dying. Is that normal??
Christine Sexton

re: Bloated bellies 3/25/15
Thanks for responding.
<Welcome>
Unfortunately, the one betta that wouldn't eat died. Weird thing is she was at bottom of floating cup belly down flat on surface, tail up. She also had something white protruding out of her anal cavity (almost spherical, like a sac or something)? I also noticed the other two have same thing coming out of anal cavity, but 3x smaller? I viewed under magnifying glass, but didn't see any movement?
<???>
Is this normal for females to have, because we have a male in another tigi??
<What?>
Are they full of eggs?? Is it possible that we over fed them??
<More likely a bacterial infection; but resultant from what? At times such "wipe outs" occur with imported batches... from... "too much stress", change in water conditions apparently>
We have a 5gal tank that we fully cycled ( PH 7.0 AMM 0. NITES 0 NIATES 10.0 ) but we found planaria in it (it got introduced to all of our tanks somehow, maybe via a new plant?)
<Maybe>
so we did 100℅ water change & rinsed tank, equipment, etc. with aged water. Also rinsed filter & some other filter
material we had inside the actual tank laying on bottom very lightly with aged water. Then a couple days later added the 3 female bettas (only fish in tank). Unfortunately, after the 1st day when we checked water parameters, the Nitrates dropped a lil to about 5.0. Did we kill all the good bacteria?? -
<Possibly>
Because, later on that night PH 7.0, AMM .40,
<Yikes; toxic. "This could do it">
NITRITES 0,
NITRATES 5.0. So we did another PWC & got AMM to .15, and kept doing PWC's to make sure ammonia levels stayed extremely low to non-existent. All other water parameters stayed consistent. We also use a 50 watt heater & Prime as
a water conditioner, etc.
Hope this info helps. Thanks again!!
BTW, the other 2 girls seem to be doing a little better (their stomachs have gotten a little smaller and they are still eating a couple pieces of peas only (being fed no other food). Also, still active, although no one pooped overnight. However, after I did another PWC (adding/replacing the ES), one did poop, as there was a piece at bottom of tank. Water is at 82°.
<Good. BobF>

I wanted to try to save this Betta 1/24/15
This is Sashimi. I first saw him about 2 weeks ago at a big name pet store.
I thought he was pretty, but I didn't buy him.
Fast forward to 4 days ago, I was at the store again and just out if curiosity, I went to see if he was still there. He was, but I thought he was dead. I picked up the container and he gave a feeble wiggle, so I was determined to save him.
<Good on you for doing this. But unfortunately, this will only encourage the pet store to order some more. The only thing the managers and accountants care about is whether a product sells. If it doesn't, they don't rush to buy them again. But if the product is sold, even to an good Samaritan like you, for them that's all the incentive they need to reorder that product. Writing a letter to the store manager may help, perhaps if you're supportive as well, in the sense of offering them easy tips on improving the welfare of their animals. One tragedy in the hobby is that the licenses provided to sell animals are often focused on the welfare of mammals and birds. When pet stores don't look after fish or reptiles so well, the administrators in city hall just don't seem so fussed.
Individuals like you can help save particular fish or turtles, but that doesn't fix the big picture.>
I figured he had a water quality issue, so I also bought some Betta water for an emergency water change in the parking lot. It's winter here and I keep hand warmers in the car, so I put him in a box with a few and drove the hour it took to get home. When I got home, didn't pay attention to him other than to acclimate him, since it was 10 pm and I was really tired. He seemed to perk up a lot. He explored when I released him into the tank. Currently, he's in a divided 20 gallon. With a heater set at 80* and a filter with a mild current. I'm keeping an eye on parameters because I figured he has nitrite poisoning. His fins are frayed and his blue color faded. He is gill breathing along with surface breathing. His gills are black and I'm not quite sure what's going on with them. Some of his gill is hanging down.
<Indeed.>
I'm treating with KanaPlex for what I suspect might be fin rot. I'm just adding it to the water because I forgot to buy the binding agent for food.
Btw he's a Crowntail. Just thought I'd throw that out there.
<And potentially quite a handsome one.>
tl:dr - what's up with my Betta's gills?
<Possibly damaged, secondary infection. Not much to do here but see how things turn out. The good news is that this Betta looks basically sound, though his fins are a right state as we'd say in England, and yes, one gill looks a bit odd. Bearing in mind Bettas regrow fins very quickly, and being air-breathers, they don't actually use their gills that much, neither problem is necessarily fatal. Optimal water chemistry, plenty of warmth, and plenty of warm air above his tank, should go a long way towards giving him a fighting chance. Antibiotics certainly won't do any harm, and providing he's feeding okay, I'd actually be quite positive about this situation. Good luck, Neale.>

Betta with one bulging eye for almost 2 months now... too many med.s, not enough rdg. on WWM 1/10/15
Hello,
<Keith>
I pray this finds you well and in good spirits J First, I would like to say thank you for what you are doing for desperate animal/fish lovers like myself. Your time, energy, effort, feedback, and consideration is greatly appreciated!!
<Ah, welcome>
I have a male Betta named "Felix". I have owned him for approximately 6 months now. He is a blue" long" finned Betta, called a Veil Tail (VT). He seemed pretty healthy up until about 2 months ago. Something apparently went wrong in my 5 gallon Hex tank. He was housed with 3 peppered Corydoras catfish. Felix is totally non-aggressive and everybody got along quite well!! Unfortunately, something came upon all the fish and the "Mama" Corydoras ended up dying. Probably because I did the "worst thing to do" from what I've been told by pet stores, which was changing 100% of the water (because I panicked that something in the water was really bad).
<Yikes; best to have some pre-made, stored water on hand... to make such in anticipation of partial, weekly change outs>
So, after much research and numerous trips to the LFS, testing water again and again and again, only for them to tell me the only thing they noticed about my water quality is that my PH was a little low, but not enough to harm (kill) any fish!! Anyways, after that episode, Felix and my 2 remaining catfish seemed to be just fine! Then a few days later, Felix had one bulging eye.
He also seemed to start fading in color around his head and gills (almost a brown head & greenish gill color. I think at that time I even noticed a few red patches on his head. So, now we are a few more trips to the LFS and
many hours on the internet, I ended up treating the whole tank with Mardel's Maracyn (Ethromyacin) for the recommended time frame, actually 2 days beyond that. without any symptoms subsiding. So I stopped that treatment. Let me tell you, in every other manor..Felix and my 2 remaining catfish "Moe & Minnie" seemed to be just fine and healthy!
<Good>
Then about 2 weeks later, I ended up getting a 16 gallon tank and transferring all fish to new tank. Everything seemed to be carrying on the same way..and of course I truly do believe the fish were so much happier with all the extra room and plants, etc...even a new piece of Malaysian Driftwood. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that upon recommendation, I started adding Aquarium Salt shortly after the "low PH"
<.... won't change the pH>
diagnosis & bulging eye.
<Mmm; well; not (NaCl) necessary. I would have you read (on WWM) re the one time use of Epsom (MgSO4)>
Then about 2 more weeks into this, Felix's external symptoms seemed to remain the same, with a bulging right eye, faded head color, greenish gill area, and red patches on head. Yet, the catfish seemed to be just fine.
So, I then decided to treat the tank with "Tetracycline", based upon a LFS's recommendation.
<Stop.... all this random medicating doesn't help>
I did the full treatment cycle, actually I think I lengthened the treatment by a day or so, and yet still no improvement,
although.. nor regressing!
Then about a week or so went by and I actually come to find out that Aquarium Salt isn't really good for my scaleless fish (Corydoras), so I stopped adding the aquarium salt when doing my partial water changes.
<Good>
Also, let me remind you..since the "initial episode", I bought a Master Test Kit to constantly check my water parameters. So I have been constantly aware of same, along with water temps, etc. Anyways, a couple days after I stopped adding Aquarium Salt to my water..Felix's eye got a little more swollen.
This made me think that the AS was just keeping whatever bacterial/fungal/parasitic infection at "bay"! Although, I am totally far from an expert. So who knows??

Now, he did get spooked once sometime before this secondary swelling..so maybe this was an eye injury from the spooked
darting across the tank, or perhaps...this has ALWAYS been an eye injury from the get go????
<Not>
So, once again, I reacted with transferring Felix to a hospital tank and treating him with Epsom Salts for a couple days to reduce the swelling, being afraid of his eye popping!
<Won't; and don't need to move the fish; treat all in place>
After the 2nd day, it seemed to go down perhaps a tiny tiny amount (although my husband didn't think so), but certainly not enough to convince me this was the treatment to keep pursuing.
With that being said, I finally decided to treat with an all inclusive treatment called Jungle "Lifeguard"
<...>
concurrently with ES, based upon internet recommendations. However, after 3 days of treating and following
the directions with water changes, etc...nothing seemed to be getting better, let alone, his swollen eye changed in shape, and it seemed his "red patches" became more severe, almost believing they are like "burns"!! So, I stopped this treatment immediately, especially since they use Chlorine!
Now, Felix is still in his hospital tank just being treated with AS, as I read not to mix ES with AS. It has been 2 days since we removed medications and his eye is still bulging, gills still look kinda light greenish, head still has red patches, but more now (even one right under his swollen eye).
As I said before, otherwise, I believe Felix acts completely healthy!!
BTW, my other fish (2 Corydoras) are in the main tank not being treated and they
also still seem completely healthy! So what is the deal???
<As you've stated; the initial chemical insult, consequent mis-additions of med.s, salt>
PLEASE HELP!!! I don't know what else to do???
<... just the Epsom, and possibly elevated temp... into the low 80's F>
Most importantly, how can I get the swelling to dissipate from his eye?? I don't want him to lose an
eye!!! Also, how can I get those red patches to disappear??- Is this possibly from ammonia burn???
<... poss. The antibiotics may well have depressed nitrification>
As far as I know the highest level the ammonia was ever at, was .50..is this enough to cause burns??
<Yes>
How can I get his gills to come back to color (not that greenish color)??
<Just good care... water quality, nutrition... and time going by>
I'm honestly just at wits end, cause I don't know what else to do for my friendly Felix?? I was thinking of returning him to an ES treatment for a few days, to hopefully reduce the swelling. It was also recommended to me to use this "Betta Revive",
<Stop... you're poisoning this fish; the system>
but because I have already treated him with 3 other types of medicines/chemicals, I am hesitant on giving him another, especially if I don't have too, because this stuff has that Methylene Blue & Malachite Green, which I read was harmful to my Felix, but then again, most treatments are probably! Any information or suggestions you have on anything????
<You can simply read our input on WWM re Betta splendens; sans EMO; or download or buy my small Betta Success book on Amazon>
I appreciate whatever direction you can provide me with. I really don't know what else to do..if anything?? I want to return him to his 16 gallon tank with his buddy catfish J Thank you so much for your time and consideration!
I greatly appreciate it!!
Gratefully,
Christine
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Re: Betta with one bulging eye for almost 2 months now 1/30/15
Hello again Mr. Bob,
<Keith>
Thanks again for your suggestions. I followed same by keeping my Betta in hospital tank while in an Epsom bath with temp in low 80's for approximately 1 week or so. However, I didn't notice much of a change, all awhile doing daily partial water changes, but still battling new tank syndrome with unstable water parameters that I knew weren't conducive to his healing/recovering.
<You're so right>
So I returned my Betta back into my 16gal community tank with healthy water and added Epsom at about 1 tsp per every
3 gals. After a couple days his eye actually got bigger and cloudy, then all of a sudden the following day, the swelling reduced dramatically (eye looked the best since this all started 3 months ago), although was still cloudy. Over the next couple days, cloudy disappeared but still a little swollen. Was feeling good that he was finally starting to heal. A few days went by with no changes (still adding Epsom) Unfortunately though, in the last couple of days, his eye has again doubled in size w/o the
cloudiness.
As it did before during different stages, his eye takes on almost an opal shape with a returning puffiness greater at the bottom of his eye. Now what??
<Mmm; really... nothing I would do. There are some "others" who might advise antimicrobials use... either a saturated bath (really doesn't work; does NOT get into the fish); or via foods...>
I'm again at a loss, not knowing what to do??? I don't understand why this happened again when it seemed he was finally on the road to recovery! Please help. Once again, thank you for your time and consideration. I greatly appreciate it!
Gratefully,
Keith Sexton
<I'd just be patient at this point. The damage... from whatever arena... bacterial poss., is done... will heal or not. Bob Fenner>

Ill Betta 12/18/14
Hi WWM,
<Hey Em>
Just hoping you might be able to give me some advice about my Betta, and I apologise in advance for the long essay! He’s been happily living in a 20l (around 5 gal) tank since January. Weekly 30-50% water changes, filtered and heated, gravel substrate and usually a plant or two (main plants and snails are currently removed due to medicating).
<Looks good>
Around 6 weeks ago I put some pondweed in his tank (which he loves) and didn’t notice any problems until a week or two later when his belly looked rounder and a little swollen- I assumed he was constipated
<Yes>
and laid off feeding for a couple of days but wasn’t initially concerned. His behaviour was normal (zipping around the tank, nipping at fingers, rarely resting for more than 30s except at night when he rests in his tunnel).
The swelling kept getting larger (still perfectly round at this point, like he’d swallowed a marble) with occasional poops when I had him flare at a mirror, so after a couple of weeks of alternating between fasting for a few days and feeding peas I started panicking and bought various medications from the same shop that the original pond weed had come from. The assistant tried to be helpful but he seemed to know less than me about keeping fish (he thought aquarium salt was the same as Epsom salt)-
<...? Both are salts... combinations of metals and non-metals>
he did mention that their Bettas had similar symptoms at the same time and they’d been treating them successfully with swim bladder treatment,
<... there is no such thing>
so I wondered whether my Betta could have picked up a parasite or bacterial infection from the pondweed? A water test showed perfect parameters (although I had done a water change the night before).
<...perhaps simple gut blockage>
I did a 5-day course of ‘Medica Lifeguard’ which claimed to be a powerful broad-spectrum remedy, but this didn’t seem to help at all (he had shown a little fin rot by the time I went to the shop, and I think this got worse over the 5-day treatment). I also started feeding him pre-soaked pellets again as he seemed starving and possibly to be losing weight.
I’m now trying Interpet swim bladder treatment (exactly the same as their internal bacteria treatment, but higher concentrations) and am on day 4 of the treatment, but he’s got slowly worse. I also tried soaking a few pellets in medicated water (higher concentration) each day and he took them happily- he always seems very hungry.
HIs belly is now asymmetrical (worst on the left side) and he is much more lethargic, sitting on the bottom a lot and not whizzing about as normal. I haven’t seen him poop in the last couple of weeks but it could just be that I’m missing it (I rarely see it anyway) so I’ve put him in a clear plastic bowl suspended in his tank to try to monitor it- 24 hours now and no sign of poop, even when flaring at a mirror, unless he ate it overnight. I fed him some pea last night and a little again today (no pellets).
I’m not sure what to try next?
<MgSO4>
He’s definitely taken a turn for the worse, especially over the last day or so, although is not pineconing (yet) and I’m hopeful of a recovery. Any advice you could give would be gratefully received! I have been internet searching more than ever but have yet to come across successful advice (Epsom salt seems common but there are conflicting views- should I try this?)
<Yes; read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/EpsomSaltUseF.htm
and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/SaltUseBloatF.htm
I have attached a picture of his tank in its current ‘floating bowl’ setup, and also some images of him with a swollen belly- not particularly good ones I’m afraid as he’s a trickster to photograph.
Best wishes,
Emily
<And you, Bob Fenner>

Re: Ill Betta 12/19/14
Hi Bob,
<Hello again Emily>
Thanks so much for getting back to me. I’ll try some Epsom salts- I think I can get some this evening.
<Ah yes; are sold at all drugstores, most grocery>
If it makes any difference, I’ve just found a small, mucusy poop- does this suggest parasites?
<Not necessarily, no... Can be due to stress; foods...>
Most sites seem to say white poop for parasites but some mention mucusy too.
Thank you,
Emily
<Welcome. BobF>

Now re a Betta... health concern 12/15/14
OK so I have a question regarding my Betta...when I got home from work today I noticed there was something wrong with his face..his skin almost looks like its drying out and cracking..he also has a small open sore on top of his head that wasn't there this morning? And what's really weird is there are now small brown spots on his rock formation in his tank....also on the sides of the soft plant leaves that are in there...I'm stumped he was fine this morning..he's not showing an unusual behavior which is weird too..he lives by himself so he couldn't of been attacked by another fish..please help :(
<Tricky without a picture. But the spots on the rocks and plants are likely algae or blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) which usually 'appear overnight' when the environment has suddenly gone bad. Review water quality, do a quick water change (50%, ideally) and see if your fish perks up. If it does, then environmental stress may be the problem with the fish too, i.e.,
an opportunistic infection such as Finrot or Mouth Fungus (actually a bacterial infection). Let me direct you to Bob's extended discussion on Betta health, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/bettadiseases.htm
His eBook would be worth reading, too. Cheers, Neale.>

Betta died and I want to know how to make tanks safe for another Betta 11/25/14
Hi there,
I set up a planted 2.5 gallon tank about five weeks ago. The tank has a filter, I used Fluval Stratum Volcanic soil as the substrate in the tank. I cycled the tank for two weeks with only the plants (Brazilian micro sword and Bacopa) and driftwood before introducing one snail and one female Betta. Three weeks later ( this Friday) I noticed the Betta's colour was dull and grey and she wasn't eating. My pH and kH were both very low but all the other levels were perfect.
<pH and KH (carbonate hardness) are of course related. Low KH tends to mean the water has minimal ability to buffer against pH changes, specifically, drops. Day/night cycles occur where high levels of photosynthesis take place, so the pH can end up moving from a very high number during the day (as CO2 is removed from the water by the plants) and back down again at night (as plants no longer remove CO2). This is because CO2 dissolves in water to form carbonic acid, so the more CO2, as at night, the lower the pH (the greater the acidity). General hardness has little impact on pH buffering. In acidic aquaria it's recommended to use a commercial Discus Buffer (typically, a phosphoric acid mixture) to inhibit these pH changes while keeping the pH in the acidic range, typically 6 or 6.5 depending on the situation.>
The tank had dropped to 72 degrees so I thought she was cold and purchased a heater on Saturday which brought the temperature up to 82 degrees.
<You didn't have a heater prior to this? Bettas are tropical fish, and unless your ambient room temperature is 25-28 C/77-82 F, you must use a heater. Ignore any retailer who tells you they don't need heaters -- unless of course he's a tropical fish seller in Bangkok and your Betta is going to live in a garden pond there!>
She just hovered by the heater.
<Saying, "So... cold... need... warmth...">
I noticed a long, white, flat poop hanging from her.
<If transparent or off-white, commonly implies digestive tract infections or something similar that causes a lot of mucous to be expelled, hence the whitish thread. Constipation can do the same thing, but the faeces are normal faeces colour, in this case, some shade of black or brown depending on what they've eaten (though colour-enhancing foods often turn the faeces red).>
I went to my local fish store on Sunday and they said it was internal parasites.
<Which covers a very big range of possibilities, many of which have very different treatments.>
They sold me a medication called Betta revive.
<Nothing more than Naphthoquinones in water according to the manufacturer. Might help prevent Finrot or fungus in a few situations, but this/these medication/s aren't particularly effective. As always with medications, be sensible about cheap products that promise to cure everything without you needing to do a diagnosis. "If it sounds good to be true..." as my dad used to remind me!>
I treated her water Sunday (it turned it dark blue but by morning the colour had disappeared). This morning (Monday) when I went to check on her she was dead.
<Indeed.>
I would like to get a new Betta but I want to make sure the tank is safe and won't contaminate the new fish.
<Almost certainly an environmental issue, so just do a water change, clean the gravel if needs be, but otherwise don't focus on "hidden germs" as these aren't the issue. Would remind you the tank is a bit small (5 gallons is, for me, the minimum size for "easy" Betta keeping), you must have a filter, and you must have a heater. Water quality must be good, and without a fish, the bacteria will die back, so each day until the new fish arrives, add a little fish flake (about as much as you gave the Betta in one meal) and leave this to rot and so release the bacteria the ammonia they need. No need to add food the next day if the food is still solid and visible. You
can alternatively add ammonia, but that's a bit more of a hassle.>
The LFS said to continue to treat the water as per the instructions on the package, use the gravel vacuum to clean the gravel and do a few water changes.
<Agreed.>
Wait two weeks and then the tank will be parasite free and safe.
<Possibly, but I doubt that was the issue here. Stress (lack of heat,
perhaps pH variation) allowed the bacteria or Protozoans in the gut to multiply wildly, causing sickness. You can't eliminate these germs in Bettas any more than you can in humans, and as with humans, a healthy Betta has an immune system that keeps them in check.>
I just want to get a second opinion before I introduce a new Betta.
<Can I direct you to the best $5.94 you'll spend today, here:
http://www.amazon.com/Betta-Success-Robert-Fenner-ebook/dp/B00HFAACII/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1416916842&sr=1-3&pebp=1416916845650
Or if you don't have a Kindle/eBook reader, here:
http://www.amazon.com/Betta-Success-long-term-Successful-Aquariums/dp/1494867818/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1416916842&sr=1-3
Bettas thrive on research. Seriously, $5-10 spend on reading will save you many times that on healthcare costs.>
Thanks in advance!
<Most welcome, Neale.>
Re: Betta died and I want to know how to make tanks safe for another Betta 11/26/14
Hi Neale,
<Shannon,>
Thanks so much for all your help. My local fish store sold me another product called Betta Basics and said to use it with every water change. I think I am to use it instead of my water conditioner. It claims to remove chlorine, chloramine and ammonia as well as buffering to a pH of 7.0. It doesn't say what is in the bottle anywhere on the label and I am wondering if you would use this or the Discus Buffer you recommended along with water conditioner?
<I don't know this product, but if it promises to buffer to pH 7, then I'd use it without adding additional buffer. Check the pH across a week or two every day or so, and see if the pH is steady. If it is, job done!>
Today I did a 50% water change, treated the water again with the Betta Revive (for whatever that may be worth) and added some food. Tomorrow I will put the charcoal filter cartridge back in and will be returning the snail to the aquarium later tomorrow night.
<Do bear in mind carbon/charcoal removes medications. It also needs replacing weekly to do the things it promises to do. In most FW aquaria, it's almost never worth using, and swapping its space in the filter for more plain vanilla biological filter media will be immeasurably more useful. Of course some filters have carbon pads built into them that you can't substitute, only replace with new carbon pads, and that's a nice little earner for the manufacturer!>
How long would you wait before getting the new Betta?
<If the tank only contained the Betta and no other fish, then there's no real point waiting. Usually, the waiting period between a fish dying and adding a new one is so that you can see if any other fish are going to get sick. It's obviously best to treat sick fish before adding healthy ones.
It's also often the case with aquaria that people have added to many fish (or the wrong kinds of fish) and waiting a while lets the tank settle down.
But in a Betta aquarium, these aren't considerations.>
I got the impression from your reply that I shouldn't leave the tank uninhabited for too long or all the good microbes will die.
<Indeed. But whether you use a fish source of ammonia (a Betta producing waste), a non-fish source (rotting fish food), or a non-living source of ammonia (such as bottled ammonia, used to raise aquarium concentration to 2-4 mg/l) doesn't matter.>
Thanks again!
<Welcome. Neale.>
Re: Betta died and I want to know how to make tanks safe for another Betta 12/1/14
Hi again Neale,
<Shannon,>
So I have determined with help from another LFS that the pH of my tank was 5.0!
<Oh dear!>
They tested the pH of my home tap water and it is 6.5 and my kH is 30 ppm.
<Minimal buffering capacity. So more than likely pH was dropping between water changes. Not necessarily lethal -- rainforest streams that wild Bettas inhabit would be very similar -- but you would need to come up with some way to minimise pH drops between water changes. You can either [a] shorten the "between" time period by doing small (10-20%) changes every day
or two, or alternatively [b] use commercial Discus Buffer to fix the pH around, say, 6.5, and then do your usual weekly water changes.>
I have purchased kits to test pH and kH. I brought home tap water from where I work in a small town and tested their water. kH around 300 ppm, pH 7.5.
<So, liquid rock. Or more accurately, alkaline water, likely out of a chalk aquifer of some sort.>
So I thought doing partial water changes with that would fix my problem, and it seemed to. I wanted to bring my pH up slowly so I did 3 partial water changes (1L each time) in a 24 hour period from Friday night to Saturday night. As you may recall I have a 2.5 gallon tank, filtered, and now heated. Temperature in the daytime is consistently 82 degrees, goes down to 79 degrees at night when the light is off. Every time we have tested Nitrate, Nitrite and Chlorine they have been 0.
<Good.>
I didn't realize the pH would go right back down so I foolishly purchased another Betta, since my pH was testing in the safe range when I tested it after a water change Saturday morning. He is a beautiful Halfmoon butterfly Betta. Every time I do a partial water change the pH comes up between 6.5 and 7.0 but then goes back down to 6.0 over the next few hours. I ran out of water from work so I added baking soda to my own tap water and brought the pH up to 7.5, kH up to 160 ppm. I changed a fourth L of water late last
night/early this morning. When I woke up this morning my pH was back down to 6.0! I just did another 1 L water change and my pH is now back up between 6.5 and 7.0 (probably closer in colour to 6.5) and my kH is 60 ppm.
<Precisely. pH is a moveable value. It's (almost) never steady. In most tanks (without limestone sand/rocks) pH tends to drop because the chemicals produced by decay and filtration are acidic. The rate at which this happens depends on two things, the amount of biological activity (which pushes pH down) and the amount of buffering in the water (which resists the pH drop).
Carbonate hardness is the default buffer, and if you have hard water (as in the tap water from your workplace) then the carbonate hardness is usually enough to inhibit pH changes between weekly water changes. But if you have very soft water, the amount of carbonate hardness is so slight that it's quickly neutralised. Do you remember the old "acid + alkali = salt + water"? That's the deal here. The acids come from the fish, filter, and decaying stuff in the tank. The alkali is the carbonate hardness. The salt is what they make when they react (ultimately, general hardness) and the water is, well, water. If you don't have a lot of alkali, then not much
acid can be neutralised. Buffers are chemicals that dissolve in the water and act like alkali when they need to, keeping the pH at a specific level.>
What do you think is causing it to continue to drop?
<See above.>
I have Fluval Stratum as a substrate, a few little clumps of pretty healthy looking Brazilian Microsword, a small piece of not-so-healthy
looking hornwort (I think that is what it is, rootless and floats?)
<Ceratophyllum demersum... distinctive crunchy texture. Needs a lot of light in tropical tanks. Indian Fern a better alternative.>
I added an artificial plant for some vertical cover for him. The LFS suggested adding a big shell to help maintain the kH over the long-term. There is also a Nerite snail (who the new Betta, Rainbow Fish, flares wildly at whenever he notices it) and two tiny snails that came in on the hornwort.
<Indeed.>
I have been doing a lot of reading on the web and talking to some people at the LFS who seem very knowledgeable.
<Great!>
And based on what I have learned I am suspicious of the Fluval Stratum? Could that be the problem?
<Some plant-friendly substrates do have a slight acidic tone, not substantial, but in tanks with little/zero buffering, could be a factor.
That said, I'd focus on raising the buffering capacity of the water.>
My plan now would be to remove him from the tank, replace the Stratum with aquarium gravel, try to replant the Microsword in little pockets of Stratum to help seed the tank.
<Overkill. Use of Discus Buffer would be the easiest approach. Used as instructed should be very economical for a tank this size.>
Replace the hornwort as it not healthy.
<Perhaps.>
Is that how you would proceed? Any advice is most appreciated as I really want to do the right thing for this fish. I also plan to drive the 40 minutes in to work to pick up more water or is adding baking soda to my tap water fine until Monday?
<If used in moderate amounts, likely a teaspoon or less per 2.5 gallons. Do mix into some water in a bucket first, check pH and KH, then use; don't add to tank directly.>
Thanks,
Shannon
<Most welcome. Neale.>

Betta scale decolourisation /Neale 8/19/14
Hi there crew,
<Hello Bronwyn,>
Thanks for your great website. I was relieved to find such a wealth of information. I have read the Betta disease posts but I still haven't been able to diagnose my fish's troubles.
<Indeed?>
In the last two to three weeks my boy Salt has been gradually losing his blue colour from the scales on his head, and this colour loss has progressed now to just caudal to his gills. The body and fins are still bright blue. He also appears to have a small bubble in his right eye, although this could be a lesion on the cornea itself.
<What you describe sounds a lot like "ammonia burns", or at least, the syndrome of things associated with non-zero ammonia and/or nitrite levels.
Possibly, extremes of pH might do the same thing too. So before else, check the ammonia and nitrite (I favour the nitrite test as the more informative and less likely to be confused by tap water chloramine). If either aren't zero, then that's probably the problem. Review the aquarium and filter, and act accordingly.>
In the last week he has begun spending lots of time sitting on the bottom (pebbles), initially resting on pectoral fins but now just resting on his body. He has not previously been a lounger. In the last few days he only leaves the floor of the tank when he hears or sees me. Then he races up to be fed and the races back to the floor of the tank. His appetite is strangely unaffected.
The tank is 10L with an air pump filter and carbon (the latter is changed every 3 weeks).
<Honestly, 10 litres is rather small, too small. Despite the myth, these fish don't live in water-filled hoof prints, and maintenance in jam jars by breeders isn't an indication of how they should be kept in aquaria (for a start, those jars are kept warm by tropical air temperatures and the water inside changed at least daily).>
I do a 50% water change weekly using a gravel cleaner. He is fed on Hikari BioGold Betta pellets only. I check ammonia often and it's usually 0 or 0.1ppm.
<Ah!>
There is a thick slime (algae?) on the heater and the filter tubing that I have trouble removing. It was also on the driftwood so I removed the driftwood as was unable to scrub it off. Is this likely to be a problem?
<No.>
If you can give me any suggestions to help Salty I would be most grateful.
Thank you
Bronwyn
<Do read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/betta_splendens.htm
And do have a click through to the Amazon site to see Bob Fenner's new eBook on Bettas -- it's cheap ($6!) and full of useful info. Cheers, Neale.>
Betta scale decolourisation /BobF 8/19/14
Hi there crew,

Thanks for your great website. I was relieved to find such a wealth of information. I have read the Betta disease posts but I still haven't been able to diagnose my fish's troubles.
<Let's see>
In the last two to three weeks my boy Salt has been gradually losing his blue colour from the scales on his head, and this colour loss has progressed now to just caudal to his gills. The body and fins are still bright blue. He also appears to have a small bubble in his right eye, although this could be a lesion on the cornea itself.
In the last week he has begun spending lots of time sitting on the bottom (pebbles), initially resting on pectoral fins but now just resting on his body. He has not previously been a lounger. In the last few days he only leaves the floor of the tank when he hears or sees me. Then he races up to be fed and the races back to the floor of the tank. His appetite is strangely unaffected.
The tank is 10L with an air pump filter and carbon (the latter is changed every 3 weeks). I do a 50% water change weekly using a gravel cleaner. He is fed on Hikari BioGold Betta pellets only. I check ammonia often and it's usually 0 or 0.1ppm.
<Needs to be, stay 0.0>
There is a thick slime (algae?) on the heater and the filter tubing that I have trouble removing. It was also on the driftwood so I removed the driftwood as was unable to scrub it off. Is this likely to be a problem?
<Yes; too likely. So much so, that I would go the extreme route of removing your Betta and bleach/washing the entire tank and contents... using a bacteria product to renew the bio-filtration, but completely eradicating the algae... which may well be toxic>
If you can give me any suggestions to help Salty I would be most grateful.
Thank you
Bronwyn
<DO please read over this SOP: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/plantedtkssubwebindex/clndecorag.htm
and write back if anything is unclear, incomplete... should you have questions. Bob Fenner>

Betta Splendens Tumor/Enlarged Organ 7/30/14
Hello, I'm looking for Neale Monks.
<You've found him.>
I was told by Timbra Newbury that you might know what's going on with my little guy.
<Might. Hard to say. Photos are a bit blurry.>
He has a lump on his side that has gotten larger over the past three weeks.
I had purchased him with the lump so I don't know anything about it before the last three weeks. He's been on a diet of freeze dried blood worms, brine shrimp, and the occasional pellet of Spirulina- all presoaked in tank water. I attached pictures of both sides of him for comparison.
I hope you can help.- Shayla
<I'll direct you to this page first:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/BetDisViralF.htm
Viral tumours and other types of tumour are not uncommon in Bettas. Like the one you're dealing with, tumours and cysts tend to be off-centre. They are not normally "treatable" as such, but sometimes time and a varied diet can help normalise things, assuming continued good care or appropriate improvements in living conditions, as the case may be. I'll also take a moment to suggest spending $6 on Bob Fenner's new book on Bettas. It's an electronic book and filled with useful tips and advice.
http://www.amazon.com/Betta-Success-Successful-Aquariums-Book-ebook/dp/B00HQOP7SI
I think you'll find it useful. Cheers, Neale.>

Re: Betta Splendens Tumor/Enlarged Organ 7/30/14
Thanks for responding so fast. He isn't my first Betta, so the book isn't necessary. I've been searching for local live food cultures to switch my fish over to live food.
<I would not do this... too many variables with live food. Bloodworms for example seem to have risks. Brine shrimp is about the only safe live food, and you can culture those at home. Or don't bother. Live food isn't a magic bullet. Won't fix an ailing fish. Frozen brine shrimp useful as a laxative, but as part of a varied diet... some excellent brands available, Hikari, New Spectrum, others... do review, assess, try out.>
He's been in a heated Fluval Spec 5g for the last 3 weeks for quarantine and all has been well except for the lump. He's going to go into a 55g community tank if he allows it.
<Yikes! With what? While the tank size isn't a problem, Bettas don't usually work well with community fish. Corydoras, L-number catfish of appropriate size, but not much else.>
I just closely inspected him again and noticed a second lump that is almost perfectly round just south of his ventral fins where his anus should be. I think he might be severely constipated as well. He's in an Epsom salt bath right now.
<Sounds worthwhile. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Betta Splendens Tumor/Enlarged Organ 7/30/14
I'm currently searching for daphnia in particular to propagate my own food source for them.
<Should be abundant in any clean, sunny pond without fish in it. But brine shrimp eggs will be easily purchased, and produce perfectly safe, useful food. Not as a staple mind, you shouldn't rely on live foods for that, but a useful treat.>
I'm currently feeding my fish the Hikari freeze dried brine shrimp and blood worms.
<Needs more/better variety. Micropellets, flakes from Hikari or New Life would be well worth using. Much, much better nutritional profile than freeze-dried or live anything. Do understand that wild animals eat a variety of prey, and those prey are "gut loaded" with plant matter that provides vitamins the prey animal lacks. Frozen, dried and live foods sold/used as fish foods lack the range and diversity of nutrients, unless very carefully used, perhaps treated with vitamin supplements (standard operating procedure in advanced marine fishkeeping). Do wonder, suspect that monotonous diet and/or some nutrient deficiency at the heart of the problem you're experiencing. Do read the Daily FAQ archive on Betta diet, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/betfdgfaqs.htm
Should provide some tips, background, "food for thought"!>
Neon and black skirt tetras, platys, Corys, mystery snails is what's currently in the tank. The tank is heavily planted with lots of view obstructions. I've kept passive Bettas in community tanks in the past.
<As have I, but it's not a reliable approach, so have a Plan B if it doesn't work. You know the old adage about "playing Russian roulette and surviving doesn't make it a safe game"? Holds here perfectly. Cheers,
Neale.>

Lump on fighter fish 7/10/14
Hello, I'm hoping you can help me. My fighter fish has not been himself for a few days, he doesn't come over, and just stays at the back of the tank near the filter. Now a lump on his tail
<<Likely mean/t dorsal>>
has appeared! I have attached a photo of you are able to have a look it would be much appreciated or any advise would be great!
Thank you and kind regards,
Emily
<Umm, don't see much of a lump here... likely just a "repair area" from a bent fin spine... Unless there is something you've measured that's off with the environment, I would do nothing here. Do review what is archived on WWM re Betta Health. Bob Fenner>

Normal Coloring or a sign of sickness? (Bettas) 4/8/14
decide to come straight back with a few questions! I recently came into possession of two male Bettas. Thanatos, or just Natos is a lovely black dragonscale crowntail with gorgeous red fins. His dorsal fin however, does not look like his others, whereas his ventral, anal, and caudal fins are red with black tips and silver streaks on the rays his dorsal is entirely silver with a bit of black on the rays. While it looks like normal coloration, it was something I did not notice when I bought him. But the thing I am actually worried about is this fine "dust" that I worry may be velvet.
<Mmm; not likely this Dinoflagellate... simply on the basis that it would have killed the fish. See WWM re Velvet and FW fishes>
Under a flashlight he has this fine dust kinda light brown in color only behind his head along his spine to his dorsal fin. He is active, eats well and when shown a mirror, flashes aggressively much like my steel blue bicolor, Mako.
I have not treated for velvet yet because I recently added API First Layer Pure Laterite substrate so that I could add in some Amazon Compactas. Both tanks are clouded due to adding it and I hope that the laterite dust is the "dust" that I'm seeing on Natos. The box says that the cloud will clear but it has been around 18 hours since adding the substrate. If it is velvet, I have a 1.5 gallon tank on hand to treat him in.
Mako is another story. I believe him to be a giant crowntail as when placed next to Thanatos, he dwarfs my poor little tough guy. However, his coloring makes me worry. Mako was a Wal-Mart rescue submersed in icky brown water.
Though he is inquisitive and lively, there are so many diseases in Bettas that I worry for the slightest thing though I try not to jump the gun. When I bought Mako, I had him housed in a 1.5 hexagonal tank with several fake plants, a bubbler set to very low(so that I would not damage his fins) and a small filter. I performed 20-40% changes when his water clouded, rinsing excess food and debris from the gravel (until I can get a gravel vac) and then slowly acclimated him back to the water by bagging him (I know this can be stressful to him, but I'd prefer that evil over a shock related death) and floating him in the water for an hour, the slowly adding new water (about 10-15%) every thirty minutes until the water is mostly the tank water, then released him.
He was rather pale when I got him, so much so I couldn't tell if the poor boy was supposed to be steel, black, white, or copper! After getting him in his tank he began to brighten up and I was able to identify his as a steel blue. He is very iridescent, and even his red fins pale out to a metallic pink due to a silver wash color that makes him very flashy to watch.
However, recently when I bagged him to add the Laterite substrate without harming him, I saw that the very ends of his fins were clear. Should I be worried or is that a sign of fin regrowth?
<Not a worry; either genetics or new growth likely>
His fins were tattered (beyond crowntail appearance) so I was curious if the clear fins was a good sign. He also has two large golden metallic spots on his gill covers that I wonder if it is disease or his normal scales.
Both Bettas are currently set up in cycled tanks, Mako's being a 5.5 gal and Thanatos' being a 5 gal. They both have Amazon compactas to rest on.
Mako has a sunken ship and a small forest of silken plants to hide himself in while Thanatos has a rock outcropping with silk plants surrounding it to hide in though they never use them. They're too busy trying to meet me at the front or attack their reflection... Both tanks received a layer of the API First Layer mentioned above. Mako has a small heater holding his tank at a beautiful 80-82 degrees while Thanatos is in a warmer part of the house that stays about 80-85 degrees year round therefore I did not see a reason for a heater. Thanatos has an Aqueon Quietflow that came with his Bow Front aquarium. Mako has a Top Fin 5.5 gallon with the power filter that came with it, which I need to replace. It is far too powerful for Mako and buffets him about like a ragdoll. To keep water moving I reinstalled his bubbler, but I'd like to find a less powerful filter that won't harm Mako or his delicate fins. Do you have any suggestions?
<Just the usual reading>
I still have the air powered filter from my 1.5 gal should I try to reinstall it just as a means of filtration until I can find a less powerful filter? Are there any Betta specific filters?
<Not that I know of; but any low volume one/s will do>
Both tanks operate at a often stable 0 nitrite and ammonia level that only minorly raises before I deign to clean. I have hard water that hovers around a pH of 7.5-7.6. My house operates on a 40-year old-country well. So I worry less about the chlorine, but treat the water anyway to err on the side of caution. Never know what nasties end up in the water.
<If you drink it... I wouldn't be concerned>
I want to be sure I am doing this right. I want my pretty boys do have long happy lives of comfort.
Thanks for your time guys!
sincerely,
Brittney
<Keep reading! Bob Fenner>

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