Betta fish, also referred to as Siamese fighting fish are commonly kept as pets within one’s office or home. Within their 2-3 year lifespan, with a small handful living longer, as an owner you may notice that your Betta fish has fallen ill. If this is the case, the following complete guide on Betta fish illnesses and diseases from A-Z will help you pinpoint what is wrong with your Betta and the steps you should take to help your fish make a full recovery.
It is important to understand that if you believe that your Betta is ill, you have to be timely in attempting to work out what is wrong with it and provide treatment to give your fish the best chance of overcoming the illness. Betta fish enthusiasts often suggest one keeps a Betta medical cabinet stocked with general medications for common illnesses in preparation if your fish is unlucky enough to fall ill.
Contents
Signs that Your Betta Fish has Fallen Ill
Although some of the following signs and symptoms may not always mean that your fish is seriously ill or has contracted a disease, many of these are tell tale signs that your fish is ill. These symptoms are generalized and cover most Betta fish illnesses although each specific illness will have its own unique set of signs and symptoms.
- Damaged or abnormal fins (holes or rips in fins often indicate a sick Betta fish)
- Color change (a sick Betta fish’s normal color may be faded)
- Disinterest in food over multiple days
- Inactive or less active than usual
- Tendency to stay at the bottom of the tank or oppositely gasping for air at the top of the tank
- Spots that have appeared around your Betta’s head and mouth
- Constant rubbing of fins along the side of the tank
- Swelling of Betta fish
- Enlarged eyes
- Pale yellow puss
- Difficulty swimming
Betta Fish Diseases and Treatment
In the following section I will cover an extensive range of Betta fish diseases, illnesses and treatment. It is important to examine and determine your Betta’s illness and treat as soon as possible because often times it will decide the fate of your fish. Each section has explanation on the cause, symptoms and treatment for the disease.
1) Bacterial Septicemia / Red Streaks
Bacterial septicemia is one of the less likely Betta fish illnesses caused by Pseudomonas or Streptococcus bacteria.
Cause
Bacterial septicemia is caused by Pseudomonas or Streptococcus.
Symptoms
Bloody read streaks that occur across the body and fins, bloated, gasping for air, ulcers, lethargic and loss of appetite.
Treatment
This disease is best handled by a trained veterinarian who will medicate your Betta with an antibiotic in a quarantined tank.
2) Constipation
Due to their high protein diet with little fibre, constipation in Betta fish is common but also very curable. It is important to treat constipation as soon as possible to avoid more serious problems with your Betta.
Cause
Constipation is caused by one feeding their Betta too much food or the wrong type of food. Dried foods can lead to constipation as they swell inside the stomach opposed to live frozen food which can be easily digested.
Symptoms
Swollen stomach, faeces remain attached or oppositely, inability to pass faeces, disinterest in food and inactivity.
Treatment
If you believe that your Betta is constipated you should:
- fast your fish for up to three days to allow all faeces to pass and then introduce live foods.
- If unsuccessful you can give your Betta a small amount of daphnia which helps to reduce constipation or others recommend feeding them the tiniest piece of cooked pea.
- Once your fish is passing faeces normally again it is important to cut down on the amount of food you were feeding him previously as this is a large contributing factor to Betta constipation.
3) Columnaris / Mouth Fungus
Columnaris often called mouth fungus, is a common bacterial infection that in particular affects fish that have already fallen for another illness or stress, such as a poor diet or unsatisfactory environment. To prevent this disease, maintain high water quality and disinfect all equipment before it enters the tank. Columnaris is highly contagious so it is vital you remove and incubate infected Betta fish.
This disease can be internal but more commonly is found externally on Betta fish. There is also a slow and a fast strain of this infection and depending on which one your Betta has it will determine how likely it is to overcome the illness.
Cause
Caused by the Saprolegnia species.
Symptoms
Cotton like growth around Betta’s mouth and white spots on mouth and fins. As this infection spreads, the Betta’s fins will become frayed. If the infection is internal, it can often show no symptoms at all making it hard to diagnose before it is too late.
Treatment
To ensure that you treat Columnaris you must first clean the bacterial infection from the entire tank including changing the water, vacuuming gravel and adding aquarium salt. Once you have cleaned the tank, you can treat with an antibiotic or copper sulfate.
4) Dropsy
Although dropsy is a rare disease and is fatal if contracted as it leads to kidney failure, it is important to know the signs and symptoms to ensure you isolate the fish you believe have this disease to keep other Bettas safe.
Cause
Caused from multiple sources when bacteria gets into the tissue of the fish resulting in organ failure. The noticeable bloating of this disease is caused by fluid retention within the fish. Poor water quality, stress when transporting, lack of nutrition, drop in water temperature and other aggressive fish contribute to ones Betta fish contracting this disease.
Symptoms
Bulging eyes, faeces become pale and string like, protruding scales are noticeable when viewing fish from above (makes the Betta look like a pine cone), swollen body, Betta becomes inactive and disinterested in food.
Treatment
Unfortunately once the disease has progressed there is no known, reliable treatment for your Betta fish. It is recommended that your fish is euthanized so that it does not suffer further from this disease.
5) Fin / Tail Rot
Fin / Tail Rot is common in Betta fish and starts at the end of the fin and works its way towards the body in more progressive stages. If treated, the recovery rate is high although when fins and tails grow back they may not be as vibrant or long as they previously were.
Cause
Fin rot can be caused by two Bettas fighting but can also be caused by the water quality of the tank. The bacteria that can cause fin rot lays dormant in all tanks but becomes dangerous to your Bettas when the tank is dirty, over occupied, the fish becomes stressed or injured.
Symptoms
Torn fins, inflamed rays, blackening or redness along edge of fin or tail, blood on the tips of fins and receding fin edges.
Treatment
If the fin or tail rot is in the earlier stages then the tank can be cleaned and aquarium salt can be added. Once this is done treat the infected area with 50% Mercurochrome with a cotton swab. If the illness has progressed antibiotics will be needed. Almond leaf can be added to the water after it has been changed as these release a natural Betta antibiotic.
6) Fish Lice
Cause
Caused by a crustacean parasite that feeds and lays eggs on the Betta fish.
Symptoms
Ulcers, wounds and a round parasite attach to the skin.
Treatment
Using a pair of tweezers, gently remove the parasite from the Betta fish. If large wounds are left behind, use a cotton swab dab 50% Mercurochrome on affected area.
7) Fungus / Fungal Infections
Fungal infections are quite common among the Betta population.
Cause
Growths occur on previously damaged areas where mucus/slime coating has been damaged. Fungal infections are contagious.
Symptoms
Cotton looking growths on the body / fin of the Betta, pale in color, disinterest in food, lethargic.
Treatment
Spot treatment using 50% Mercurochrome with a cotton swab onto the affected areas. Use same dose of medication daily and change water frequently until all fungus has gone.
8) Gill Parasites
Cause
Caused by Flukes
Symptoms
Struggle to breath properly, rubbing along the side of tank, glazed over eyes, loss of movement.
Treatment
This type of parasite is best dealt with by a veterinarian.
9) Ich / White Spot
One of the most common illnesses among Betta fish. Ich is present in the majority of fish tanks and aquariums although healthy Betta fish have natural immunity to it.
Cause
Caused by a parasite ((ichthyopthirius) that uses the Betta as its host. Once it falls off it multiplies in the bottom of the tank and these new parasites then live off other Betta fish. Ich can also be carried by frozen live food.
Symptoms
Small white dots on the body and fins and in some cases the eyes, clamped fins, rubbing on ornaments and side of tank and may become less active.
Treatment
Use formalin or malachite green to treat the entirety of the tank. If raising the temperature of your tank is an option, clean the tank and raise the temperature to 85 F/ up to 30 degrees Celsius. These parasites cannot handle the heat so within a few days your fish will make a full recovery.
10) Intestinal Parasites / Internal Parasites
These parasites live off any food that the Betta fish eats making them very lethargic and in a sense they are being starved. An owner must identify this early to treat the Betta fish in order for it to be successful.
Cause
Caused by parasites that often enter the tank through food such as brown worms. Intestinal parasites are much rarer than external parasites in Betta fish.
Symptoms
Change in behavior, lethargic and weight loss while eating normally. Intestinal parasites are contagious from one Betta to another.
Treatment
Change out tank water and clean any object that are going back into the tank. Add one teaspoon of aquarium salt to the new water. If your fish does not improve after this, you will need to purchase antibiotics from specialized aquarium shops.
11) Popeye
Popeye is a bacterial infection which causes the Betta’s eye to swell and protrude from the socket.
Cause
Popeye is commonly caused by poor water quality from not enough water changes.
Symptoms
One or two of the Betta’s eyes will be swollen or protruding from the socket.
Treatment
Popeye can usually be dealt with by changing the water for a few days in a row, and adding one teaspoon of aquarium salt per ten liters of water. If the swelling does not reduce you may need to purchase antibiotics.
12) Poisoning
Cause
Poisoning of your Betta is the direct result of an unsatisfactory tank leading to high levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.
Symptoms
Betta fish who have been poisoned have a tendency to stay at the top of tank and gasp for air.
Treatment
Test the levels of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the fish tank using an aquarium water test kit. Dispose of water and fill tank with clean water that has been treated with chlorine remover. Some suggest using bottled water for the tank because the levels of these things have already been previously tested.
13) Slime Disease
Slime disease is common and is caused by three different parasites. Slime disease also weakens the Bettas immune system which makes them more prone to getting a secondary illness or disease.
Cause
Caused by Costia, Cyclochaeta and Chilodonella parasites.
Symptoms
Frayed fins, grey/white coating on body of fish that looks like mucus, loss of appetite, inactive and cloudy eyes in some cases.
Treatment
Perform frequent daily water changes for up to a week and use malachite green. Also the use of aqua salt for up to ten days is recommended to cure slime disease.
14) Swim Bladder Disease
Not as common as other diseases in Betta fish, swim bladder disease is more common in younger Bettas . This illness is not infectious.
Cause
Caused by a bacterial infection that is usually the result of previous injury from transportation or fighting among Betta fish. Swim bladder disease can also be the result of overfeeding or poor water quality. Swim bladder in female Betta fish can be the result of damage during mating.
Symptoms
Difficulty and abnormalities when swimming, swimming on side, difficulty swimming upward, loss of balance when swimming and Bettas abdomen is swollen.
Treatment
Generally, a Betta fish will cure itself within a few days although to cure a Betta with swim bladder disease (that does not cure itself) one must administer an antibiotic. Also making the water shallower helps the Betta fish to breath and feed easier.
15) Tuberculosis
Cause
Tuberculosis in Betta fish is rare and your fish will become sick for no apparent reason. It progresses fast and you may not even realize that your fish has it until it passes away from the deadly disease.
Symptoms
Weight loss, open wounds, bent spine, fin and tail rot, other abnormalities. Be careful if you believe that your fish has TB as in some cases humans have contracted this deadly disease from a fish.
Treatment
There is no known cure for Tuberculosis in Betta fish and generally they will not survive long once they have contracted it. It is recommended that you throw out anything that has come into contact with a Betta that has this disease due to the nature of how deadly and contagious it is.
16) Velvet
Velvet is common among Betta fish and comes in the form of a parasite that looks like velvet.
Cause
Caused by parasites (adult Oodinium) that attach themselves to the Betta fish. The parasites create a hard shell around themselves for up to a week while they feed off the Bettas skin cells. Once they release themselves from the Betta they multiple at the bottom of the fish tank and then reattach themselves in greater quantities to the Bettas in the tank.
Symptoms
Golden/copper colored dust like appearance on your Bettas body and fins (this can be easier to see with the use of a torch), clamped fins, scratching against tank wall and loss of appetite.
Treatment
To treat a Betta who has velvet, turn off tank lights, and if possible increase the water temperature up to 30 degrees Celsius because the parasites cannot thrive in these conditions. Once this is done use commercial malachite green remedy. It is important to treat all fish in that tank due to velvet being so contagious. Make sure you also clean the tank and fill with new clean water.
Tips to Ensure Your Betta Fish Remains Happy and Healthy
Once you have diagnosed your Betta fish with a particular illness and medicated as needed there are a few things you can do regularly to ensure your fish stays happy and healthy. It is important to remember when housing a Betta fish prevention is always better than cure so we recommend you:
- Clean your tank or fish bowl regularly
- Check pH levels of the water
- Quarantine new fish that you bring home
- Add aquarium salt
- Ensure you don’t overfeed your fish
- Remove dead fish from a tank immediately for the safety of other fish in the tank
- Ensure the water is warm
Another helpful article to read on this topic is the betta fish symptom checker.
My little guy and I need help. He developed very mild fin rot over a month ago. There is too much conflicting advice. It’d be helpful for someone to say, if you add the salt in the proper amount it will show up between here and here on a hydrometer. My water is hard. Everyone says treated tap water is best, but if it’s that hard add. .. RO, distilled or spring to the mix, no more than 50%, treat as though tap water. RO killed my fiddlers. I was using distilled and tap for about a month, I was told stop right away, use spring. … I am so frustrated.
I used salt for the first week, melafix for the second, back to salt. At first he was just staying the same all the time, then all of a sudden he had a spot on his dorsal, next day it was split. All the other spots only curled, never changed color, split or affected his behavior. I decided to go back to melafix. Then I read the ingredients! I read weeks ago that tea tree oil was only a preventive, not a cure. Now I’m seeing a lot of negative about melafix. I have ParaGuard, I haven’t tried yet. YouTube videos tout it as being great for fin rot, one betta site says it will not cure fin rot. The bottle claims it will. All this conflicting advice is making me nuts and him sicker. Up until today he has been very active. Every water change I mess up his bubble nest, right away he starts fixing it. Today he didn’t. I’m worried all this trying to make him well is making him worse. Just salt and frequent water changes kept it from getting worse, but not better, until yesterday. That dorsal fin really concerns me. What about dips, do you think that’s a good idea? With ParaGuard? He’d have to go into a 1/2 gallon container in his tank to keep him warm. Please give me some good advice, even if it’s where to find it. Frequent changes can’t be good for him. I have researched this very well, it’s just too much misinformation, or just conflicting, I don’t know where to turn. I actually saw a site that told people to wash their silk plants in SOAP and water. There was no place for me to leave a comment. Sorry so long. .. I’m just afraid I’ll wake up and he’ll be dead in the morning.
@Marlene, I am sorry to hear that. Have you already read the following pages? The info there helped me in the past with my betta’s fin rot.
https://nippyfish.net/sick-betta/fin-rot-and-fin-loss/
https://nippyfish.net/2009/09/02/treating-stubburn-fin-rot-in-betta-fish/
Each change you make to the fish’s environment causes stress for the fish and can delay the healing process. Moving it from its home to a different tank over and over will have an adverse effect on your fish. You may also want to think about a quarantine tank if you have other fish in the same environment.
My yellow Betta, Citrine, had a swollen stomach yesterday morning, my assumption was he was constipated. I planned to treat him when I came home that afternoon. When I got home the bloating was greatly reduced, to the point that it was almost normal. Replacing the swelling was a red area, like a bruise, and his front lower fins looked bloodshot as well. This morning the swelling was present along with the redness.
Any suggestions????
Use spring water. Make sure there’s not too much water current. Keep the tank clean. Get a heater. Don’t overfeed. Do your research
My Betta had all the signs of lethargy. I realized his water was cold so I bought a heater. His color is back and he’s swimming around more but he is still not eating. I changed diet from flakes to dried shrimp and blood worms. He puts food in mouth then spit out. It has been over 2 weeks that he’s not eating much. What else can I do?
He may simply not like that type of food. I know it can be a delicacy to some Bettas but surprisingly, a lot of mine don’t like this. Try the pellets. Everyone of my Bettas lod them.
When I first purchased my betta from the pet store, he would not eat the flakes I bought. I went back to the pet store and asked what has he been eating, I bought the flakes they said and he still refused to eat. I bought some pellets, and he did the same with every food, tasted it and spit it back out. I started searching online for answers, I found a few and improvised my own. He hasn’t eaten for 2 weeks and I’m getting worried. Buy frozen peas, unthaw one, take skin off and cut into bite sized pieces, I was so happy, he just gulped it up, so he would eat peas, I then crushed the pellets up to very small pieces, took some blood-worms and coated them with the crushed up pellets (sort of ended up like a paste) and then tried to get him to eat it by hanging it at the end of a toothpick, it took a few tries with the consistency of the paste like, but he eventually started to eat the blood-worms and paste. I did this for maybe a week or two by slowly getting the paste thicker and thicker and then one day I just fed the pellets and he ate them. He had no issues eating after that, but he preferred the pellets and not the flakes. He still got the blood-worms as a treat.
My betta has been slightly bloated, hes quite lethargic, he hasn’t been eating, and his fins look all shredded for a few weeks. I have tried a few different treatments but his symptoms keep worsening. Can anybody offer any advice?
Sorry to hear that Ella, to fix the bloated problem,first try a 3 day fast. That is when you don’t feed for 3 days in order to let it clean it self out. With the lethargic problem, make sure your water is between 75-80°F, cold water slows down their bodily functions, including eating, and passing wast. With the shredded fins, after your water temp is at 75-80°F feed foods with a main ingredient of krill, or something that is high in protein. *WHEN BUYING FOOD, CHECK THE PROTIEN, FIBER, FAT ANOUNTS. This is crucial for good health* to heal fins naturally, feed high protein foods at a steady amount. With time it will heal. *also make sure your decorations are silk and arnt sharp, this Could shred fins*
Ella, you should try using aquarium salt…that seems like a multi-purpose cure for a lot of diseases. You could also try fasting him for a day or two.
My betta fish right now has some white-ish thing on the scales near his face. I don’t have a fish doctor near me. Should I try quarantining him with aquarium salt? Or is there something else that you recommend?
Thank you so much
Hello, so I bought a male betta around four months ago. He’s always been small in comparison to others, however I don’t really think much of it. I currently have him in a five gallon heated and filtered tank, which I assume is the minimum, and haven’t had any issues besides minor fin rot since I have gotten him. He’s always been quite active and would constantly dart across his tank, however he was eating fine and appeared to be alright with no other concerns. I had to leave home for three weeks, so I gave both him and his tank to a friend of mine whom I trusted. He came back alive and well, however he is a lot less active and his colouring appears to have darkened. Is there anything that I can do/should check for?
My fish needs help! I just got him today from a pet store and he looked terrible so I wanted to help him! His small little plastic encloser had a green film coating the bottom and he had tail rot. He is a half moon male betta and doesn’t move or swim very often, it looks like his spine is bent and he primarily stays at the top of the tank semi resting on the side. What does he have? What can I do to help him? I know it’s only the first day but I am honestly worried! The ride home was also rough it was bumpy and icy.
You need to do frequent water changes with a gravel vacuum, about 15%-20% weekly, You could also buy a nerite snail, but they only eat algae at the bottom of the tank. You might need to get them algae wafers.
My fish, Mr Sparkes had a brown spot on the top of his head and was really inactive and wouldn’t eat. Then one day I went to feed him and he was on the bottom of the bowl dead
Although this was all very helpful and informative, I need some further assistance.
My Betta shows symptoms that could be a number of the illnesses listed above. Today it looked like he started to gasp for air.
He used to be all black/dark blue with small hints of red but, he started turning white with some hints of red.
I think he could have:
-Bacterial Septicemia / Red Streaks
-Fungus / Fungal Infections
-Tuberculosis
I thought it was from when we cleaned the water in his tank last time, he got a little crazy and I think he scratched himself on the fish net. So I think thats where it started.
I read online that it could be helpful to use Better Fix Remedy which, we have been using and it seemed to get better. But, now it looks like its going back to what it was. So looks like he is getting worse now.
Not sure if there is something I can do to help treat him at home? I also read about trying this: MercuroChrome Antiseptic 1oz Prevent infection in cuts, scrapes and burns QTY-3, has anyone tried that before does it work?
Thanks for any advice
Recently I’ve noticed a small white dot on one of my fishes fins. It doesn’t really match anything on this list, and he still seems really healthy. It almost looks like a some of his food, but he’s been eating for nearly five months and I’ve never seen it there before. I’m really worried it might be something bad. Any ideas?
Recently I’ve noticed a small white dot on one of my fishes fins. It doesn’t really match anything on this list, and he still seems really healthy. It almost looks like a some of his food, but he’s been eating for nearly five months and I’ve never seen it there before. I’m really worried it might be something bad. Any ideas? I think it might be slime disease, and if so where can I buy treatment?
I got my betta fish almost two months ago. He’s been doing great but recently he’s been acting strange. He mostly has been laying at the bottom of the tank, changing spots periodically and occasionally going up to get air. He does not seem too interested in food and keeps his fins close to him now. He seems to have a few issues swimming and flinches and swims away from all the objects in his tank except for the bottom (he never did this before). I changed his water and he’s made a slight improvement but not much else. He has a 3 1/2 filtered tank and a heater and is by himself. Any help would be appreciated since I can’t really seem to identify his issues exactly with the ones above.
My boy Orion has what looks like ich for 2 days now, but today part of his rays fell off where the ich-like stuff was. He’s a stubborn Crowntail and i absolutely cannot get him to flare. He’s been his usual active self, but one of his gills wont open fully. The people said it was from an old injury and i’ve had him for roughly 9 months with no issues but it’s still worrying. I’m not sure if he has ich or something worse. All of his water parameters are where they should be. He’s in a 10 gallon with a filter and heater and i feed him twice a day. I clean his tank once a week and do 25-50% water changes. He’s been in the same tank with the same decorations and plants since i got him and this is the first time he’s gotten sick.
Hi!
My three l333 pleco died yesterday, the symptom is redness spot on the side of theirs body and underneath the belly. I feel so sad, I couldn’t save them, don’t know how. Any help from you would appreciated.
I currently have a 10 gallon with a betta, a neon tetra, and 3 corys. In the tank i have a heater and a filter and i do around a 20% water change every week. About a month ago i decided to change out the rocks so i carefully took them out and put the new ones in and then siphoned the tank once the water settled down. About a day after i noticed 5 of my neon tetras had died, so i removed them as quickly as possible and did another siphoning. After this happened I took a sample of my water to my local fish store, they told me everything was fine, except my pH was a bit off so they told me to buy some pH equalizer and a solution of good bacteria to add accordingly. Since then i’ve been adding the bacteria and pH balanced as directed and i’ve noticed all of my fish have become extremely inactive. the only time i notice them is when they swim up for air, my cory’s just lay at the bottom all day. I also noticed today that my betta has been only staying at the bottom of the tank and now has large scratches on him. He is acting as if he has swim bladder, but i wasn’t sure so i quarantined him in a container in shallow water so he can reach the surface of the water to get air, and i also added some aquarium salt to help with infection and stress coat. what should i do!?
Hi there,
I have a Betta Fish which I’ve had for just over 4-5 months now…
He is in a 5 gallon tank and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of water changing. I have done 1 complete water change since I’ve had him, and otherwise I do sometimes 25% or sometimes 50% depending on how the tank looks every week to every second week. This is what I was advised to do per online forums and videos… as the pet store was COMPLETELY useless and sold him to me with one of those tiny little square tanks (no filter, no heater.. NOTHING! Truly sad.)
I fear he is dying as it seems that he is starting to contract fin rot (last few days), he has one eye that is completely glazed over as well as it looks like he has bacterial infection all over his body. So, upon looking it up… looks like he has popeye, possibly slime disease…
I feel so awful as I NEVER should have gotten a fish as I haven’t had one since I was 8… but now I have him, love him – and I want to do the best I can to give him the best quality of life at this point. He has made it this far and I know he can make it further.. I just need to do all that I can to give him the best rest of his life.
Do you have any tips on what I should do?? I see I can get him salts, possibly I need antibiotics… just want to know what the absolute best thing to do would be.
Thanks,
Lindsay
Hi there! Thank you for the comprehensive article. My betta is about 9 months old and, as far as I can tell, he may have had fin rot when I brought him home and I just didn’t know it. I have been learning as quickly as I can as I go. I also suspected Swim Bladder Disorder recently and fed him a blanched pea, which seemed to help somewhat.
I have always kept his tank obsessively clean with regular water changes. He has a 3.5 gallon heated tank. His noticeable issues began a couple of months ago when I saw him laying on his side at the bottom of the tank. He is normally very active & never, ever does that. The pet store told me to do 100% water changes every day for a week using Bettafix. My poor guy hasn’t been the same since.
His current symptoms are as follows –
Torn, missing fins.
Lethargic.
Swims lopsided (when he swims at all).
Hides near the filter in the corner or floats at the top (not gasping for air though).
He still wants food and he still gets excited to see me, so those are both good signs, but I’m so alarmed that time & care haven’t healed him. I tested his water – it’s perfect (0 nitrates, 0 ammonia, pH 7.4). Can anyone help?
Hi there! Thank you for this article, it is very helpful. However, my Betta “Azul” is one year old, and he’s been with a swollen stomach for a week. I stoped feeding him for 4 days, it didn’t improve. The I thought he had parasites and I medicated him with API General Cure. He is still swollen in both sides of the stomach. He is still with a big appetite as I am feeding him daphnia, he’s been pooping normal and swimming normal.
Please help me understand what he has, I don’t think is normal to have such a swollen stomach.
Thank you!! I really appreciate you answering and helping take good care of my loving Azul!
Sadly my girl betta shimmer died today:( i cleaned her tank and the back of her was floating towards the surface and the front of her was facing the bottom she was breathing VERY heavy and then after she passed i saw that her back fins turned almost clear after she died:( can you help me understand what happend!! please!!:(
My Betta is almost 4 years old. The past month he has been resting on the bottom of his tank and not eating. His fin looks a little torn and his colour is fading. I bought blood worms for him and changed his water three times to see if it would help but he only ate one worm and that was a week ago. Do they just die of old age or is he sick? Not sure what to do. He sometimes curls up in his little castle and stays there. He must be starving
Hi my new betta I bought knowing he wasnt well but I took the risk of getting this beautiful male koi. He doesnt move around much, his fins seem thin and a little torn/ fallen off but has most of his fins. He seems to want to eat but when he gets to the top and tries only manages to get some small pieces and doesnt try for anything that isnt tiny or close by. For the most part he is a little thin and just stays at the bottom. I even saw him gasp a bit but his breathing is a little abnormal over all. He has his coloring but I can see any dots like ich or anything like velvet. I dont think its swim batter as he isnt bloated. I need help I want to save this poor guy. He went from a 55+ gallon tank in a local aquarium shop w/ tank mates to a 5.5 gallon w/ heater and live plants. I want to nurse him back so I can move him in w/ my other fish
I cleaned my tank today and put my Betta in her tank and she went to the bottom if it and she is breathing faster than usual. now the back of her is floating upward and the front of her is facing the bottom. Not sure what to do.
Hey guys, I have had a male betta fish for about four months now. when I first got him he had fin rot but I treated it and it went away for a while. now the fin rot is coming back and he’s having little spots where it almost looks like skin because there is no scale. I don’t know what to do, i’ve tried purifying his water, water changes, and getting him new rocks and new objects in his tank to see if any were causing it. I have no idea how old he is because when I purchased him he was already mature. He also has not made a bubble nest in several months, or any bubbles for that matter. and one of his gills go out when he swims some times like he can’t control it. any advice is heavily appreciated and needed. thank you 🙂
Please help – my betta has developed a gray circular spot (@ 1.5 cm diameter) on his dorsal fin over the past month. I took him to a vet on 5Dec and began treating for ick, but the spot seems to be growing and now more ‘puffy’ looking. Been using kordon super ick plus, as well as adding aquarium salt (0.5 tsp/1 gal) and increased bowl temp to @ 85°. Even tried to explore/gently scrape with tweezers but no luck as worried I might injure him. I’d like to share a picture if anyone can assist so I can properly diagnose & treat in case this is actually a bacterial or fungal infection.
I’m actually not very educated on fishes, but I did some research upon getting my fish. It’s colour is slowly fading and I’m worried. It’s rejecting the food and generally stays at the top of the water without moving. I know I probably shouldn’t have gotten a fish without knowing much about them, but I really wanted a companion, and now, I’m extremely attached to it. I hope someone will be able to help me with this, because I don’t have much access to those fancy medications? The store I brought my fish from was really unhelpful and they had a lot of dead fishes in the same bucket, but my fish has survived for a couple of months now. Why is it suddenly sickly, and how can I help it?
I’ve had my betta for 3 years now and I’ve had to treat him twice for the swim bladder. After the most recent treatment, he just isn’t himself. It looks like advanced tail rot, but I’ve never seen tail rot happen so quickly, it quite literally happened over night. I check him nightly, and the previous night there was just a bit of rot like normal, but I checked him a little bit ago and the areas on his fins close to his body are white and his tail is absolutely torn. His tank mate is a African dwarf frog but I’ve been watching them like a hawk, and there’s no way my frog could’ve had the time to bully and nip him. He has always been tiny and passive, so he’d be an easy “target” to pick on, and recently he’s been getting weaker and weaker, always at the top of the tank. He’s in a clean, cycled, 10 gal tank with a heater at 78°f and the best filter I could get my hands on. Many friends (who are more educated than me about fish) are telling me he’s just really old and he’s going to die soon. Is there anything more I can do? I’ve spent so much money and time to keep him healthy for these couple of years, despite not being disciplined as I want to be about cleaning. I don’t know what’s going on with him, and it bothers me when I can’t help. Man, please tell me I’m not crazy for caring this much about a fish…
Hello, I’m wondering if my Betta has Dropsy but am not sure. He has some swelling in his abdominal, predominantly on the left side, and is visible from above. No pineconing that I can notice. Swelling has been present approximately 5 days. Still swimming and looking to eat. I’m doing Epsom salt baths and treating with BettaRevive. I also have Melafix. Can I mix these medications with aquarium salt or what is the best option for treatment? I want to try and save him if I can ☺️
Hi, I have been trying to figure out if my betta has swim bladder or something else. He has a bulge on one side but it is closer to the front of his body rather than near the back. Most wim bladder photos i have seen seem to show the bulge near the back. He is also acting completely normal, not swimming sideways, hanging out at the bottom or anything like that. He is super active most of the day and swims normally. He’s had the bulge for at least 6 months now and it keeps getting bigger. I have tried fasting him and feeding him peas but nothing seems to help! Any suggestions? Thank you!
I got a small/young rosetail Betta a month ago along with a double fin (speperate bowls) the rosetail betta was lively and gorgeous but the last two weeks he’s been getting lethargic I noticed his fin started to split last week so I cleaned the tank(it really needed it anyway) and added a fresh water plant but this morning his find look like they’re splitting even more and he’s not as quick to his food and he’s not swimming to see me or look for food like he used to his find don’t look ragged just split and now stuck together I think I even saw a scale come off what do I do can I just clean the bowl again and add conditioner it or jump to some kind of drops and if so what kind
*2 months
the other fish is right next to him and seems perfectly healthy they have the same water we live in a very warm/hot area so a heater isn’t typically needed and I’m feeding him 2 pellets twice a day he’s usually a fast rather but today and yesterday he let one drop to the bottom and is late in finding it
. I have a betta fish, it’s now about two and a half months that we’ve had him. We started at brand new tank 20 gallon hex with live plants and there’s an air pump attached I used Water Conditioner from API and also the beneficial bacteria from API when I set the tank up my nitrates and nitrites have all tested at 0 the entire time I’ve had the tank everything looks good – we have hard water here so the pH is high I believe it was 8.6. We had him first and then about once a week we added more fish we had a total of 6 rummy nose tetras and 6 neon tetras along with 6 cherry shrimp. Stupidly I did not quarantine any of the new fish before we added them. When we brought the last batch of three neon tetras we noticed that two of them were not coloring back up after they had been floated in the tank and then released for a couple hours, we questioned it but thought okay maybe they just needed more time. Wake up the next day and one of them is dead a few hours later the other one died over the course of the next 2 days every other fish but the betta died. After the first to I noticed the better had a spot on his side a white spot which I wasn’t sure but I thought it might be ich so my husband went to the store and bought ich X and general cure from API. We did two treatments on the tank and of course this was while all the other fish were expiring and after the first day his spot started getting smaller and he developed one on the top of his head or neck area which was only visible for one day and then they healed fine. Now he only stays in the back of the tank hidden in the plants and he is not eating. Unless he is eating food off the ground which I don’t think that betta fish really do that he hasn’t eaten in almost a month now and he is steadily getting Slimmer and slimmer. He isn’t gasping his mouth or clamping his fins. There does not appear to be anything physically wrong with him that we can see from the outside but his behavior is a 180 degree turn from usual. Before the illness he was at the front of the tank he would follow your finger he wasn’t a super great eater but he ate and he grew and his colors developed and he’s beautiful. I don’t know what to do for him I’ve tried going online in some forums and posting the information and nobody seems to be able to answer. Or maybe they don’t have time or maybe they just have no clue like I do. Does anyone have any idea’s or suggestions on anything I can do for him? I love him, and am going to be heart broken if I loose him.
Could someone please help. I bought the ugliest Betta at the pet shop and he turned into a beautiful red purple fish after a few Months of good care. But he stopped eating for the last 2 weeks and is very lazy and the one morning he was even white as paper and floating at the top of the tank. The water temperature is fine, it gets cleaned regularly, we didn’t change his food and he doesn’t seem to have any of the illnesses I find described on the internet. He looks like a perfectly healthy fish but won’t eat. He used to be the most aggressive thing and would rush to the top of the water and bite my fingers for food but now he couldn’t care less what happened around him. Any advice?
Please Help,
My darling little Betta has what looks like mould growing on the tips of his tail frills. What can i do to fix this please?
Hi! I’ve had my Betta for almost two months. He seems to be doing really well. He swims a lot, goes into his hiding hole, He’ll come out the second he hears my voice, eats good, he made a large bubble nest the other day.. just seems excited and happy. But today I noticed his mouth opening and closing like he was talking to me. Lol On occasion I’ll see it open wide like a yawn. He doesn’t gasp for air at the top, makes normal bubbles, and he does this while swimming. I’ve tried to search about this and I’m not finding many answers. Any ideas?
My half moon beta fish have a different type of disease from 1 month
Very fatty i though it’s over fed
But after 1 month problem is same remain
I just got my betta fish 1 day ago, everything has been fine but i go to check on him and hes like a pimple but its not white its just clear and it looks like there may be liquid in it. its on his top fin the very top. Hes behavior is normal everything is normal i just dont know what it is and if it is a sickness or diseases. I want him to be okay.
Hey, recently i’ve noticed that my betta has a white sore on his mouth it has been there for a few days, however, he has shown no abnormal behavior and eats regularly, sleeps at the same time every night, swims fine and does not have fin rot or ich. I have noticed some tiny worms in my tank but i googled it and everything said the worms are normal sometimes in planted tanks and are not harmful to my betta. Should i be worried or simply see what happens? I also checked my tank atmosphere for ammonia, nitrates etc and everything is normal.
Hi my name is Guy, I have two half moon fancy male betta,s one started to grow what looks calcium deposits all over its,head
looks like wearing a helmet i,ve keep up on water changes ,was told to treat with PIMAFIX .Its been weeks no change.Now my other fancy hase it on his front inside fin were it conects to his body.Realy dont want to lose these boys.PLEASE HELP. thank you email is mr guy mac@gmail .com
Hi. My blue betta Sherwood has a red thing the is attached to his side. I can’t figure out what it is?? It reminds me of red stringy poop stuck on him. Currently fasting him. He was on red flake food but switch it to pellets.
Hi I have a baby betta, her name is squiggles but she got sick and she try’s to swim down but keeps floating back to the top vertically and I need help to cure her
There are some weird creatures in my Betta’s tank? They’re white and very very small, about the size of a hair follicle, and have a number of long tendrils that almost look striped. There are a lot of them clinging to the glass walls of my aquarium. My fish has been very lethargic but that could be unrelated as the water temperature was a bit low. I turned the heater back up but I’m worried about these weird creatures hurting my sweet boy.
@Angela, This sounds like Hydra, the best way to get rid of this is a treatment from the pet store. These are a lot like a jellyfish and it will sting anything that tries to eat them. This could be the reason your fish seem lethargic.