Betta Fish Diseases

Brief Description of Most Common Betta Fish Diseases and Their Treatment

Betta fish diseases are very common in every tank, no matter how well the fish are taken care of. It is just one of those things that happen just like with us – we get sick no matter how well we take care of ourselves. Betta Fish diseases can be treated and healed just as our diseases can. But when your Betta fish has a disease, it can be very difficult to figure out what it is. It takes years of experience to understand the illnesses Betta fish suffer from and how to deal with them. Prevention is the best approach, of course, but what if it's too late?

When your Betta fish gets sick, it's good to already have some idea of where to go for help. I suggest building a little home library with information about Betta fish diseases, their causes, prevention and treatment. In addition, get a supply of most commonly used remedies used in dealing with betta fish diseases. As you may suspect, your little one is most likely to get sick when the stores are closed.

The most popular ebooks on Betta fish care each have a section on Betta fish diseases:

Betta Fish Secrets by Mike Worthington has a 4 page discussion on Betta fish diseases covering their symptoms, the analysis of the problem and treatment. He goes over not only the most typical Betta fish diseases, but what to do in case of injuries, poisoning, clogged or dirty filters, damage caused by other fish or tank ornaments, high levels of chemicals in the water, etc.

Caring for Betta Fish: An Insider' Guide for Betta Lovers by Marcus Song has a whole chapter (15 pages) on Betta fish diseases, emergency first aid, directions for a salt treatment and boosting your Betta's life expectancy. In this chapter Marcus describes 25 different symptoms, analyzes them and presents a recommended treatment. He then gives you first aid techniques and provides instructions on salt water treatment.

Betta Care Made Easy by Adam Short devotes a chapter (8 pages) to Betta fish diseases and conditions, including cotton wool disease, velvet disease, ich, swim bladder disease, fin rot, pop eye, constipation, etc.

The few dollars spent on any one of these books are well worth it and could save you countless hours of searching on the Internet for answers regarding the topic of Betta fish diseases, looking for the right medication in your local pet store and could possibly save your Betta fish. Not all Betta fish diseases are serious and many of those ailments can be easily prevented and/or treated, if you have the right information.

What You Can Do To Prevent Many Betta Fish Diseases

One thing to remember is this: most Betta fish diseases can be traced back to dirty aquarium water. Therefore, if you want to prevent Betta fish diseases from ocurring in the first place, learn how to maintain the water in your Betta fish tank clean, warm and properly balanced.

Another major factor in preventing Betta fish diseases is proper diet – feeding your Betta the right kinds of foods, at the right times and in the right quantities.

Your hygiene while taking care of the Betta fish tank is another point to consider in avoiding Betta fish diseases. What you think is good for humans – washing your hands with soap, for example – will not be good for your Betta fish. In fact, some Betta fish diseases can be traced back to the chemicals contained in soap. In view of this, use only natural or organic soaps when dealing with your Betta fish, the aquarium or any of the aquarium decorations or supplies. Make sure that this soap contains no preservatives, additives or fragrances.

Even if you wash your hands only in natural soap, it's best to avoid handling your Betta fish, if you can. Many Betta fish diseases are directly traced to the damaged slime coat. Betta's slime coat is very fragile and can easily be damaged by a human touch. That will make the Betta less protected against bacteria and more prone to diseases.

So, as much as you may be tempted to play with your Betta fish by petting or touching it, exercise some restraint. If it's absolutely necessary to handle your Betta, use a net and do not try to hold it between your fingers. It is best to let your Betta float in the palm of your hand in a little aquarium water. If necessary, use a product like Novaqua afterwards to help restore the slime coat, if it has been damaged.

Betta's slime coat is very fragile and can easily be damaged by a human touch. That will make the Betta less protected against bacteria and more prone to diseases. So, as much as you may be tempted to play with your Betta fish by petting or touching it, exercise some restraint. If it's absolutely necessary to handle your Betta, use a net and do not try to hold it between your fingers. It is best to let your Betta float in the palm of your hand in a little aquarium water. If necessary, use a product like Novaqua afterwards to help restore the slime coat, if it has been damaged.

Many Betta fish diseases can be spotted early, if you take the time to observe your Betta fish often. Just make it a habit to spend some time watching your fish every day or every other day.

Typical Signs of Betta Fish Diseases

When you observe your Betta fish, what should you watch for? Here are some examples of possible signs of Betta fish diseases:

• Your Betta fish stays near the water surface or the bottom for long periods of time
• Your Betta fish is swimming in a strange way
• Your Betta fish is losing much if its color
• Your Betta fish seems nervous
• Your Betta fish has bright red or white lesions

Below is a brief summary of the few most common Betta fish diseases

Fungal infection

A fungal infection is one of the most common Betta fish diseases. If your Betta has a fungal infection, the first symptoms you will notice will be cloudy white patches on their head and body. Your Bettas will tend to be less active than the normally are. Some Bettas will stop eating and start losing their color. The cure for this fungal infection can be found in the pet store. It is called Fungus Eliminator and is easy to use. Another way that you can prevent a fungal infection is to add one teaspoon of aquarium salt to your tank and one drop of Aquarisol to each gallon of water. This is a way to prevent the fungus from ever showing up.

Tail rot or fin rot

Tail rot or fin rot as it is also known as is another of the horrid Betta fish diseases. This is normally caused by dirty water in the tank. As the first sign of tail rot or fin rot, Betta's fins start getting shorter or they start to separate. His tail and fins may also start to turn much darker around the edges. The first step in the treatment of tail rot or fin rot is a full water change. Clean everything the in the tank and treat the water with fungus eliminator. Every three days the water should be completely changed again and retreated. Once the tail rot or fin rot has been cured, the fins and tail will begin to grow back. Treatment of this disease can take up to four weeks, so be patient. You cannot stop treating the water until you see new growth on the Betta.

Ick

Ick is one of the most common Betta fish diseases. It is a parasite that attacks the entire body and head of the Betta. You will know it when you see it. It appears as little white dots that are sprinkled all over from eyes to tail. Some live food that you feed your Betta may be carrying ick. Ick is contagious and if not treated as soon as it is noticed, it could spread to other fish in the tank. When treating ick, you should treat the entire tank and all of its contents, even the gravel. Wash out the tank before refilling with water. When treating the tank, bring the water up to around 85F degrees. At this temperature, ick will become a free swimming parasite. It is very sensitive to heat and will loosen from the Betta and other fish in the tank. Adding aquarium salt and Aquarisol to the 85F degree water will kill the ick parasites.

Velvet

Velvet is one of the hardest of the Betta fish diseases to spot. The best way to check your Betta for signs of velvet is to shine a flashlight onto his body. If you see a very fine rusty or gold mist, then your little friend has velvet. Since velvet is also one of the most contagious Betta fish diseases, you should treat the entire tank even if only one of your fish have it. Hikari Betta Revive is one of the treatments along with aquarium salt in the tank coupled with with Aquarisol.

Dropsy

Dropsy is one of the most fatal of all of the Betta fish diseases and is usually contracted when they eat black worms or other types of live food. In the case of Dropsy the scales will rise up and fluid will start to build up underneath their skin due to kidney failure. Once the kidneys start to fail in the Betta, he will surely die. When trying to diagnose a Betta with Dropsy the first sign to watch for is a pot belly. He will look like he swallowed a big marble when seen from above. His scales will look rigid and stick out from his body. Once the Betta starts looking like this it is too late for him, his kidneys are already failing and he will soon die.

Common Preventative Against Many Betta Fish Diseases

In addition to the precautions discussed above, you can prevent many Betta fish diseases before they ever start just by placing aquarium salt in the tank. As we all know salt kills bacteria and many of the diseases that Bettas get are a form of bacteria. Keeping your Betta's tank clean and free of debris can help keep away many of the Betta fish diseases.