Black Velvet in motion Originally uploaded by RyanThomas. Happy New Year Betta Blog readers! I hope you had a terrific holiday. Mine was wonderful as I spent it at the not-so-sunny Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fl. No bother, a rainy vacation in Florida is better then a sunny one in D.C. anyway. Still, I’m [...]

Niles Originally uploaded by SecretAgent99. Q: KG wrote, Hi Christie, I was wondering if you could help me. You have a beautiful Betta blog and I was wondering if I could ask for your opinion regarding the course of treatment for my Betta. I have had this fish for approximately 9 months and bought him [...]

Fenris Originally uploaded by girlpirate. Q: JG wrote, Several weeks ago on one of my Bettas a white thing appeared at one of its gills. It was small, about one or two millimetres long. It could be seen only rarely, perhaps about once per week or less. One person (who did not see it) thought [...]

Sarge1: Crowntail Betta Originally uploaded by Aimzee. Healthy crowntail male Betta splendens. Q: N wrote, I think I have a tail biter. His caudal fin is shredded and there is nothing in the tank that could be doing it to him. No sharp plants or other fish. I have dealt with fin rot before with [...]

Q: TT wrote, My bettas fins look like they are melting away. They started to fall off a couple of days ago and then this morning they looked even worse. He isn’t swimming much. I don’t understand what is happening and I can’t find the fin pieces anywhere in the bowl. I am really worried [...]

Betta fish Originally uploaded by EcoSnake. Above is a healthy betta whose swim bladder you can see bumping out his side toward the back tail fin. Q: H wrote, My betta can’t swim upright anymore. He has no other signs of illness. No fungus, color loss or lethargy. He is a little swollen around his [...]

Q: R wrote, My betta has tail rot and your site says poor water quality is probably the cause but I don’t think that’s it because my water is totally clear. Could something else cause fin rot? A: Fin rot is caused by a bacterial infection. Different types of bacteria are usually present in the [...]

Q: HB wrote, Nippyfish, my aquarium is getting too warm for my fish now that summer is here. I don’t have A/C and I’m afraid my betta is going to cook. The temperature is already up to 82F. What can I do? A: As summer approaches many of us will have to struggle with warmer [...]

Q: FP wrote, My betta has a pinhole in his tail fin. What kind of medicine should I use to fix this? Is this a case of fin rot? A: A pinhole is nothing to worry about. They happen occasionally and will heal themselves in a few days. Fin rot is a bacterial infection and [...]

Q: CF wrote, Why is my betta’s stomach so bloated? Is he getting fat? A: A few things can cause a bettas stomach to bloat. Overfeeding is the most common culprit. Most fish food containers advise you to feed your betta what they can eat in two minutes. Because bettas tend to bloat it’s better [...]