Betta Health
A Guide to Betta Health
It is your responsibility to make yourself familiar with all aspects of betta health, if you are caring for them as pets. Here are some symptoms, and the diseases that cause them.
If your betta’s eyes are hazy or cloudy, or protruding, he may be suffering from Popeye. To care for this, you can give him Ampicillin, which is an anti-biotic. Insure that your fish has clean, fresh water, and avoid things that may stress him, such as temperature changes, rough handling or providing a filter that emits too string a current for him to swim comfortably in. Also, it’s a good idea to isolate any sick fish, so the other tank inhabitants don’t catch any diseases.
If you notice that your Betta has a pale cast to his fins, and he stays at the bottom of the tank except when coming up for air, he may be suffering from a vitamin deficiency, or he might be stressed. Check in your Betta health first aid kit (collect these meds BEFORE you need them), and administer BettaMaxx, which will help regulate his vitamin level. Make sure you’re not overfeeding him, since wasted feed can decay and cause cloudy water. Be sure to maintain optimum temperature, too.
If your fish has a reddening on his skin or under it, or has open sores, he most likely has a bacterial infection. Treat him with MelaFix, and an antibiotic, and make sure he has very clean, fresh water. Making sure the tank is as clean as you can keep it is an excellent step toward good betta health.
White cottony patches on your Betta are usually brought on by fungus, and can be treated by Jungle Fungus Eliminator or MarOxy. Keep your tank extra clean after you have a sick fish.
Stringy gray or white film over the majority of your Betta’s body, occasionally spreading to fins and tail, is usually body fungus. You can treat it with Maracyn, an anti-fungal, and, again, check to make sure your tank is clean. This disease is sometimes introduced by live food, so make sure your fish are eating all you’re feeding them.
If your Betta has red streaks on his fins, close to where they meet his body, suspect Septicemia, which is a bacterial infection that is internal. You can use Maracyn 2 or a medicated feed to help clear him up. Double check that your tank is clean, and buy live feed only from sources you know are reputable.
If your Betta is listless and thin, with lumps under the scales and rapid breathing, it probably is caused by internal parasites. Treat him with Maracyn 2, and, again, feed the best quality of live food you can.
If you see white spots like sugar or salt grains on your Betta, if he has labored breathing and clamped fins, and if he tries to scratch himself in objects, he probably has “ick”, which is a fairly common disease among tropical fish. Use Aquari-sol, Rid Ick or Maracide. Raise the temperature for sick fish only to about 80 to 85 degrees.
If you take proper care of your fish, you will have a good working knowledge of betta health, and you will know what to do when your fish are sick.