New Print and eBook on Amazon Betta Success Doing what it takes to keep Bettas healthy long-term by Robert (Bob) Fenner

RE: Silver Dollar with single white spot on eye and hole in dorsal Now; Betta damaged        8/14/16 Hi, Bob/Neale! Silver dollars all good now. <Cool.> However, my Betta male is now acting strangely: not eating and alternating between sitting on his leaf (normal spot) and sitting on the bottom of the tank. My parameters are the same as last I emailed you (see below) and I did my regular 50% water change last Sunday. He has bright red blood (?) on his lower fins. <This is physical damage and incipient Finrot; identify the source of the damage and medicate appropriately. So far as source of damage goes, your checklist includes aggression from other fish, being sucked into/onto a filter, pushed against jagged/abrasive ornaments, and exposure to less than perfect water quality. On the medication front, something tried-and-trusted (i.e., antibiotics and Antibacterials) rather than tea-tree oils and similar.> No one is picking on him....I have watched and watched and I even placed a camera overnight to watch the silver dollars 2 nights. ...no aggression. Please see pics...any suggestions? He's pretty special...a rescue from LFS. Thanks in advance! KRISTI <Hope this helps, Neale.>

Cut/ gash in side of Betta fish Bob's try        8/9/16 Hi, I wonder if you can offer any advice. About a week ago I noticed what appeared to be a hole on the side of Sapphire, one of my female Betta's. It looked like another fish had taken a bite of her. <Certainly does look like a trauma... is there something sharp in this tank?> She was in a community tank which is usually peaceful. We had added some Pakistani loaches that were new and I am wondering if one of them had bit her. <Possibly> I have nothing sharp in the tank. I quarantined her and put some Methylene blue in her tank and it appeared to be healing. I probably moved her too soon and I put her in a female Betta only tank (Was running out of plug sockets for heaters, filters etc). I have noticed it now looks like a deep cut, her tummy looks a little bloated. I have put her back in a tank on her own. Her stress lines are gone and she is spending her time lying on a plant. She isn't eating. She is only little and doesn't normally eat much. I have put Methylene blue in her tank. Is there anything else I should be doing? <Mmm; as reserved as I am regarding such, I might treat this fish with an antibiotic (my choice either Kanamycin or a Furan compound); per the recommended S.O.P. archived on WWM> I don't want her to die but I don't want her to suffer either. I am really hoping that she will heal. Thank you. Sammie <Bettas are very tough... given good conditions and nutrition. Bob Fenner> Cut/ gash in side of Betta fish Neale's go        8/9/16 Hi, I wonder if you can offer any advice. About a week ago I noticed what appeared to be a hole on the side of Sapphire, one of my female Betta's. It looked like another fish had taken a bite of her. She was in a community tank which is usually peaceful. We had added some Pakistani loaches that were new and I am wondering if one of them had bit her. I have nothing sharp in the tank. I quarantined her and put some Methylene blue in her tank and it appeared to be healing. I probably moved her too soon and I put her in a female Betta only tank (Was running out of plug sockets for heaters, filters etc). I have noticed it now looks like a deep cut, her tummy looks a little bloated. I have put her back in a tank on her own. Her stress lines are gone and she is spending her time lying on a plant. She isn't eating. She is only little and doesn't normally eat much. I have put Methylene blue in her tank. Is there anything else I should be doing? I don't want her to die but I don't want her to suffer either. I am really hoping that she will heal. Thank you. Sammie <Hello Sammie. Hard to say exactly what caused the gashes on your Betta. Yes, it is possible the loaches are at fault, though it's unlikely they actually bit her directly. What loaches are more prone to doing is alarming placid fish, causing those fish to jump at the hood or into rocks/ornaments, and thereby getting the poor fish damaged. Like carps, loaches don't have teeth as such, instead possessing something called pharyngeal teeth in their throats that are used to grind up the algae and small invertebrates they consume. But what loaches do possess are spines just below their eyes, used primarily for defence. Again, it's unlikely loaches would use these as offensive weapons, but if the Betta accidentally or otherwise got too close, it might get scratched. Bottom line, loaches and Bettas make a poor choice of tankmates (with the exception, perhaps, of Kuhli Loaches that should cohabit with Bettas just fine). This is especially true in a smallish aquarium where the Betta might find it hard to keep out of the way of the Yoyo / Pakistani loach (Botia almorhae). Anything less than, say, 30 gallons is going to be risky. In any event, medicate as per Finrot (in the UK, I'd recommend eSHa 2000 as reliable against bacterial infections) and don't forget to remove carbon, if used, from the filter. Thus sort if damage usually heals well if medicated promptly and the fish is kept in good water quality. Hope this helps, Neale.>

Re: Cut/ gash in side of Betta fish       8/9/16 Thank you for your quick reply. Unfortunately she passed away over night. <Ahh; BobF>

Sick Fish, need help       8/6/16
Hello,
<'Ello Elle>
I've had my Betta for the past year and up until a week ago, he was energetic and healthy. Last Friday morning, I noticed that he was lying on the bottom of his tank on his side but I didn't think anything of it.
However when I got home after work, I realized he was still lying on his side. Over this past week, he's been lying on his side, will not eat, and swimming up to the surface for 5-7 seconds to breathe.
<Bad.... environmental likely... but what?>
He has a solid white spot in the center of his eyes that hasn't grown since I saw it last week.
<Either a trauma or env...>
During this past week, I've given him Daphnia for constipation, Bettafix, done a 50% water change and a full water change in case it was an ammonia issue, along with changing filter pads. His tank is a 2.5 gallon with a filter, heater, and water between 76-82 degrees.
<Should be steadier than this... in the low 80's F side>
Is he just getting old and doesn't have much life left or is there something wrong with him?
<Do you have test kits for pH, NH3, NO2, NO3?>
Thanks,
Elle
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>

Betta eating tail fin?       7/20/16 Hi, I have a Betta, Finn, in a 10 gallon heated, filtered, partially planted tank, by himself. I have had Finn since Saturday. I think he is a Crowntail. I noticed today that the top part of his tail fin looked shorter than when I got him, but the rest of his fins look great, he explores his tank constantly. <The tail is damaged... from what? What other livestock is in this system?> I haven't him eat yet, but he showed a little interest in Betta pellets I put in the tank. Should I step up water changes to every week instead of every two and that will take care of it, or is this possibly the beginning of something and I should get medicine? <I would treat as per Finrot. Please read here re: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/FWFinRot.htm Thank you! Heather Here he is: <Well; Betta's will chase their own tails, and some can/do rot off if physically damaged... but, this occurred so quickly... am thinking some other organism is involved. Bob Fenner> Betta eating tail fin? Neale's alternative      7/21/16 Hi, I have a Betta, Finn, in a 10 gallon heated, filtered, partially planted tank, by himself. <Nice! Can I congratulate you on keeping this chap so well.> I have had Finn since Saturday. I think he is a Crowntail. I noticed today that the top part of his tail fin looked shorter than when I got him, but the rest of his fins look great, he explores his tank constantly. <Cool. Given space these fish are very interesting (and interested) animals.> I haven't him eat yet, but he showed a little interest in Betta pellets I put in the tank. <If he's new to the tank, it may take a few days to settle in. Don't bother feeding him if that's the case, and remove uneaten food. But if he's been in the tank a couple days, then there may be an issue. Am I correct in suggesting the tail fin has become raggedy? That can mean two things. First option, he's getting trapped on an over-strong filter. As he pulls away from the filter inlet his fins get torn. Turning the filter power right down can help. Air-powered filters are best for Bettas and generally work fine without fuss. But if this is a small internal canister filter or hang-on-the-back filter, then turning down the suction will be required because these suck rather too hard for Bettas. If you can't tweak the flow rate, it might be possible to jury-rig some sort of plastic mesh an inch or so away the filter inlet to keep the Betta from getting too close. Second option is Finrot, usually associated with water quality. If ammonia or nitrite aren't zero, there's a high risk of Finrot. Finrot typically results in white or pink patches on the raggedy fins as evidence of dead tissue and inflamed blood vessels. Medicate as per Finrot using commercial medications, but also do daily water changes (before adding that day's medicine) of around 25%. Don't feed while ammonia or nitrite aren't zero. It takes about 6 weeks to cycle a brand new filter. In 10 gallons your Betta should sail through the cycling process, but you will need to do regular water changes. I'd suggest 25% water changes every day for the first couple weeks, then every couple days thereafter.> Should I step up water changes to every week instead of every two and that will take care of it, or is this possibly the beginning of something and I should get medicine? <See above; if Finrot, medicate; if not Finrot, then frequent water changes should fix things, and the fins will heal naturally.> Thank you! Heather <Welcome, Neale.>

Re: Betta eating tail fin?     7/21/16 Hi Bob, thanks for responding so quickly. Finn is in the tank by himself with some silk plants. <Ahh: I see> Is it possible he already had the Finrot when I bought him? <Yes; this is the most likely...> This is a still image of what he looked like when I brought him home: <Very nice> Thank you, Heather <Welcome! BobF>

Splitting Betta         Ian's go        7/16/16
Dear Wet Web,
You had a post in 2008 about a Betta who split open, but Sabrina, who answered the question, was not familiar with this problem. My Betta, who is three years old, suddenly became very swollen about two weeks ago. All his scales were sticking out from his skin. Naturally, I thought it was the end of Holmes and considered euthanizing him, but did not know how to go about it. Also, he continued to eat, which I thought a sign that he was not desperate to be out of pain. Where he burst open, very pale flesh protruded--about half a pea's size of white matter--and a few pinkish wormlike things were produced in the following week, but I was unsure whether they were dead worms or feces. Certainly they were not living when they were produced. At any rate, I have continued to observe and wait.
Gradually, the protruding matter has diminished in size, and Holmes' scales flattened again. He continues to eat well. He almost looks like his old self! What do you make of it?
< Ian here today. Mm. This is quite perplexing. I would have recommended immediate euthanasia if the Betta's
abdomen split open. With the scales folding back it sounded like dropsy , another ailment I would have recommended euthanasia for as well. Hmm. And he has sealed himself back up and healed and folding his scales back down?
What is your set up like size wise with any decor or substrate? Tankmates? Food? Water parameters? I apologize for all the questions but this is so unusual for a fish, let alone a small fish like a Betta to recover and I am quite curious as to what helped him. I would recommend treating for internal parasites to prevent such an incident from happening again as from what I am hearing those were worms. Wishing your Betta a speedy recovery.
~Ian>
Splitting Betta       Bob's try        7/16/16
Dear Wet Web,
<Caroline>
You had a post in 2008 about a Betta who split open, but Sabrina, who answered the question, was not familiar with this problem. My Betta, who is three years old, suddenly became very swollen about two weeks ago.
<Mmm; "dropsy" or dropsical conditions have "strange etiologies" as in unknown causes... Some folks claim they're primary or secondarily bacterial; w/ environmental mal-influences of various sorts contributing. >
All his scales were sticking out from his skin.
<Oh! A classical condition. Please read here re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/dropsyfaqs.htm
Naturally, I thought it was the end of Holmes and considered euthanizing him, but did not know how to go about it.
<This is covered on WWM as well... the search tool, Neale's article... likely Clove oil>
Also, he continued to eat, which I thought a sign that he was not desperate to be out of pain. Where he burst open, very pale flesh protruded--about half a pea's size of white matter--and a few pinkish wormlike things were produced in the following week, but I was unsure whether they were dead worms or feces.
<Do you have a hand loupe? I'd take a closer look>
Certainly they were not living when they were produced. At any rate, I have continued to observe and wait. Gradually, the protruding matter has diminished in size, and Holmes' scales flattened again. He continues to eat well. He almost looks like his old self! What do you make of it?
<Can't tell from here; but as stated... Well, do the reading and you tell me/us.>
All best,
Caroline
<And you, Bob Fenner>

Beta fins      7/1/16 <...1.4 megs....> I have 3 beta fish in an Aqueon waterfall aquarium. <Male Betta's don't live communally; nor in continuous view of each other> My beta fish have adjusted to the flowing water, all of them except my rose petal fish. He has in a way adjusted to it, but I'm very worried about him, because I saw this(look at picture attached). A few of the strands on his rear fin are missing, <Torn off> when I purchased him this wasn't there, and I've had him for 2-3 months now. I saw this yesterday I had turned off the filter for a few days and 1 day he was fine and the next day I look at him and he's like this, all of this happened when the filter was turned off. All three beta fish are separated. What happened to him? <... as stated. READ here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/bettasysart.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>

Looks like trauma to me.

Beta fins /Neale       7/2/16 I have 3 beta fish in an Aqueon waterfall aquarium. <Two gallons for three Bettas? Would need to know about water quality before discounting Finrot, the usual cause for raggedy fins once you discount physical damage. It's a clever aquarium design for sure, but whether it works as good as it looks is unknown to me. I'd need proof in the form of, at minimum, a nitrite test result. I'm also staggered something sold for Bettas doesn't have a heater. That's insane! These are tropical fish that will die at room temperatures (unless of course your room is a constant 25C/77F or warmer!). It sucks that companies that should know better are misleading inexperienced fishkeepers into thinking Bettas don't need a heater. That'd be like telling someone a dog doesn't need walks! So I assume you've installed a heater, otherwise environmental stress and consequent Finrot are extremely likely. For sure this fish is sick before the others, but any Betta kept at room temperature is a Betta that's going to die sooner rather than later.> My beta fish have adjusted to the flowing water, all of them except my rose petal fish. He has in a way adjusted to it, but I'm very worried about him, because I saw this (look at picture attached). A few of the strands on his rear fin are missing, when I purchased him this wasn't there, and I've had him for 2-3 months now. I saw this yesterday I had turned off the filter for a few days and 1 day he was fine and the next day I look at him and he's like this, all of this happened when the filter was turned off. All three beta fish are separated. What happened to him? <As Bob F. suggests, physical damage is one possibility. Bettas aren't adapted to flowing currents. They come from ponds and ditches, and the long-fin forms are artificial fish at that, selected for looks rather than swimming ability. In tanks with currents they're easily "sucked" into inlets or washed against rough objects by the current, and the result is damage to their fins. The ideal system is something around 3-5 gallons per Betta, with an air-powered sponge filter and a heater. Cheers, Neale.>

Sick Betta with swollen belly      6/20/16 Hello, I have an older Betta, at least 3 years old now, that has a swollen belly. From all that I've read I assume he is constipated with a possible swim bladder issue? <Mmm; most all such complaints are a matter of environmental and/or nutritional issues> He is in a 3 gallon tank with a filter and heater. I keep the temp around 79. The water quality was not the best for a few months <Bingo> when my Mom had to take care of him and his fins got a little beat up, but that was a couple months ago, water is great now. I didn't know Bettas were notorious for over eating, which I'm now guilty of the last couple months. <Ditto> I normally feed Hikari Betta pellets, which I've now stopped. I added a teaspoon of Epsom salt to his 3 gallon tank and will be offering peas over the next week. I have a new Betta that will be arriving next week and planned to set up my 6 gallon divided tank to put both of them in. )I had this custom made for the 2) My question is, is it safe to put the old one and new one in the same tank? <No; see WWM, my book on Bettas re... Not okay for them to be in constant vision of each other> I assume from all that I've read that swim bladder problems are not contagious since it's an organ problem? <.... this condition is NOT a disease per se; but a symptom. Again due to poor env./nutr.> I obviously don't want to risk getting the new baby sick. Also, will the Epsom salt in the water be ok for the new one, should you say it's ok to house them together? I'm including a picture of my sick Betta. I've noticed a slight swelling starting a couple months ago, but they swelling grew pretty fast over the past few days which leads me to believe it's most likely constipation combined with my overfeeding. I won't be making that mistake again. In a couple of your articles you mentioned feeding some brine shrimp, but there aren't any fish stores within about 15-20 miles of my home, so I'm hoping peas for now is fine? Thank you for your help, Blaire <Read on! Bob Fenner>

Betta tank... Leaping....      6/11/16
Hi! My name is MaKayla and I have the Top Fin Aqua scene 2 gallon desktop aquarium starter kit and i bought it 2 days ago, set it up, and let it settle for a day before I went and got my Betta fish the next day (today)...long story short the tank is overproducing very small bubbles that are sitting at the top of the tank...I already tried filling the tank a bit more and it lessened the bubbles but not by a fraction. Because of this my fish doesn't wanna swim up to the top of the tank to breathe. Any advice??
<Yes! Kayla... this system wasn't, isn't ready for a Betta.... Please read here re:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/fwsubwebindex/bettasysart.htm
I'd return this fish to the store for now... ask them to hold onto it for you... otherwise it may die under present
circumstances. READ dear; and quick. Bob Fenner>
Re: Betta tank     6/11/16
But what is the problem with it?
<....? Read... the system isn't cycled. You're killing this fish. B>
Re: Betta tank     6/11/16
You sent me to a general link so I was confused ... but okay thanks
<Ahh; continue with the linked files at top. B>
Re: Betta tank /Thank you ever-patient Neale      6/11/16
You sent me to a general link so I was confused ... but okay thanks
<<The point Bob is making is that a new aquarium takes 6 weeks to mature *before* you add any fish. The easiest way to do this is by adding pinches of fish flake every few days, and as these rot they release ammonia that feeds the bacteria that will be colonising the biological filter. While it is possible to cycle an aquarium using actual fish (this was the standard
approach right through until the 1990s) that does assume the tank is big enough that the ammonia that accumulates won't reach a high enough concentration to kill the hardy livestock (such as danios) chosen for this process. Half a dozen danios in a 40-gallon tank aren't going to be seriously stressed if you're doing substantial water changes every day or
two. But a Betta in a two-gallon tank? Nope. The ammonia level will rise so quickly that the poor fish will be stressed, if not outright killed. Use an ammonia kit to measure the ammonia level, and anything above zero is toxic enough to make them prone to diseases such as Finrot, and anything above 0.5 mg/l can kill fish very quickly, with a day even. Personally, I'd say any aquarium smaller than 4 gallons is a waste of your money, if you are going to use a 2-gallon tank, at the very least cycle it properly first, and then once you've seen the ammonia and nitrite levels rise up and then drop down to zero, which takes about 6 weeks, only then are you good to go.
At the very least buy a nitrite test kit as this is probably the most intuitive test kit: so long as nitrite is zero, your tank is working fine (ammonia test kits can be misleading because it's possible to detect neutralised ammonia in tap water after using the dechlorinator, which makes identifying "harmful" ammonia from the fish difficult to distinguish from the "safe" ammonia in the tap water). Sadly for Bettas, they're super-popular with teens and students looking for small pets they can keep in bedrooms and dorms, and such fishkeepers often have very little idea about what they need. You'd be surprised how often Bob and I handle questions from such people who have ended up with sick or dying Bettas, often one or two such emails per day! If rehoming the Betta for a few weeks isn't an option, at least buy a nitrite test kit, don't add any food when there's a non-zero nitrite level, and do 50% water changes every day or two. Ensure the filter is working properly and don't over-clean the filter media (bear in mind it containing living bacteria, so washing under a hot
tap for example will be a disaster). Ensure the heater is working properly too, as Bettas won't live long at room temperature. Some folks misunderstand the whole "Bettas live in jars" thing. Yes, breeders keep them that way before selling them on -- but breeders keep them in heated fish rooms (so don't use a heater in each jar) and change all the water every day (which is why they don't use a filter). This approach requires an insane amount of skill and time, which is why it can't be taken as a template for the home aquarist. A reasonably big filtered, heated aquarium is what you need! Do read the links Bob sent you to; he's an expert
Betta-keeper, and there are VERY MANY similar situations to yours described and explained in the linked FAQs. Cheers, Neale.>>
Betta tank     6/11/16
Hi! My name is MaKayla and I have the Top Fin Aqua scene 2 gallon desktop aquarium starter kit
<This unit DOES NOT contain a heater... Bettas are *tropical* fish... they will die at room temperature (outside of the tropics, anyway).>
and i bought it 2 days ago, set it up, and let it settle for a day before I went and got my Betta fish the next day (today)...
<Unfortunately this isn't how aquarium works. Unless you provide a source of ammonia, "letting a tank settle" achieves precisely nothing beyond demonstrate the tank isn't leaking! Can you return the Betta for a few weeks? You need 4-6 weeks for a tank to properly mature, i.e., for the biological filter to become properly active, assuming an input of ammonia for the bacteria to use, such as small pinches of fish flake every couple of days.>
long story short the tank is overproducing very small bubbles that are sitting at the top of the tank...I already tried filling the tank a bit more and it lessened the bubbles but not by a fraction. Because of this my fish doesn't wanna swim up to the top of the tank to breathe. Any advice??
<The bubbles are probably not a major issue, but can indicate a variety of things. When cold tap water warms up bubbles of oxygen appear, as you notice if you have a glass of water sitting by your bed overnight. Such bubbles will eventually go away. Bubbles can also indicate over-filtering, in which case dial back the flow rate a bit if possible. Some tap water
contains gas under pressure, often CO2 in well water, and again, this tends to fix itself over time, but will cause a dramatic pH change that can stress your fish. I'm a bit more worried about the Betta being inactive -- that usually means the Betta is stressed. Bear in mind it MUST breathe air, and if it's choosing not to, that usually means it's too cold (Betta
respiration rate decreases as they get colder, so the colder they are, they less air they need) or else they're stressed (in which case they try to slink away quietly somewhere safe). This Betta probably isn't happy, so review the tank in the ways Bob and I have suggested, and act accordingly.
At the moment he's merely unhappy; carry on like this and you'll see him sicken and die. Act NOW. Cheers, Neale.>
Re: Betta tank     6/11/16
Okay thank you for the help
<Glad to help. Should have mentioned: a 25-watt heater is what you need for an aquarium below 5 gallons in size. Cheers, Neale.>