| Many of you
have emailed me over the years with many questions about sick bettas. So I
decided I would put together the most comprehensive listing of betta
diseases and ailments, how to diagnose a sick betta, treat it, and
hopefully save it. I also added a page on how to
sanitize/sterilize jars and tanks that contained sick contagious bettas.
If you have a sick betta, please read this page thoroughly. If you don’t
have a sick betta, read it too, because you will get a sick betta sooner
or later (probably sooner :)) ). Thank you for caring for your sick betta with love and
compassion. And remember, if you are not sure, or if you cannot find the
answer on this page, don't take chances. I am only a phone call away.
To receive personal attention and a betta health consultation, click
here.
|
STEP ONE: be prepared, be very prepared! |
I think the biggest
problem people have when they have a sick fish is that they are not
prepared. Oftentimes when a betta gets sick, people waste a lot of
time. Because a)- they don't catch it early enough, b)- they
don't know how to diagnosis the sick fish and last but NOT
LEAST, c)- because they don't have the proper meds on
hand!!
Oh, I know what you are
thinking. Heck you are thinking it sooo loud I can hear it all the way
down here in Los Angeles LOL. And it sounds something like this:
"Well, if my betta EVER gets sick, I'll just run to the store and
buy what I need then. Why worry about it now? Let's worry about it
when we cross that bridge..."
Well, if you think you
can just run to your local pet store and buy the medicine your betta
will need, think again! Most effective betta medications cannot be
found at pet stores, and many of you live in areas where even your
fish store will not carry them. heck, some of you don't even have a
fish store in your town! Ordering them online will take time
(several days) before the meds reach you. By then Mr.Betta may be
loooong gone. Hence, if you care about Mr. Betta at all, you should
create a basic (but effective) 'Betta First Aid Kit" :). No, I'm
not kidding. You will only need but a few meds in there to be ready to
battles most of Mr. Betta's foes. And cause so many of you can't find
all these meds at your local store, I have decided to step in to help
out and now sell the Betta First Aid Kit
right here :). And remember, when the going gets tough, the
prepared get going. :)
|
medication |
best
used for |
where
you can find it |
BettaZing
(a great substitute to bettamax - anti parasitic, anti protozoan
& anti fungal) |
Great
all around preventative. Very effective against velvet
& clamped fins. Use anytime you add new fish or
acclimate. |
only
sold on bettatalk |
tetracyclin
(antibiotic) |
Good
for bacterial infections |
good
fish stores &
right here on bettatalk!
(see our Betta
First Aid Kit) |
kanamycin
(antibiotic) |
Good
for serious bacterial infection |
top
fish stores, few online stores |
Ampicillin
(antibiotic) |
Great
for pop-eye and gram positive serious infections also
effective on some gram negative bacteria |
some online stores
and
occasionally, good fish stores |
maracin
1 & maracin 2
(anti
fungal and antibiotic) |
OK
for mild infections such as slight fin rots, but not very
effective for serious stuff. |
most
pet stores
(note:
these are hard tablets and can be harder to
administer in bowl applications)
|
jungle
fungus eliminator
(anti
fungal) |
Great
for fungus infections |
a
few fish stores, some online stores & right here on
bettatalk!
(see our Betta
First Aid Kit) |
|
|
|
STEP TWO: recognizing the early signs of a sickness |
Everyday, when you feed
your bettas you should examine them. Over time your eyes will become
trained and you will be able to immediately detect the slightest change in
your bettas appearance or body language. How can you tell if your betta is
"under the weather"? Just compare the two columns in the chart
below (note that having one or more of the red column apply to your
fish probably means he is in deed sickly).
|
HEALTHY BETTA
|
SICK BETTA |
| Eats like a little pig |
Does not eat at all or
eats reluctantly and may spit out his food. |
| Swims around and is active |
Is not active. May lay at
the bottom and come up only for air, or may stay at the surface in a
corner. |
| Acts normal |
May
darts and purposely runs
into anything he can (gravel, rocks, etc) in an effort to scratch itself. |
| Is colorful and vibrant |
Looks paler, color is
dull, may turn gray |
| Fins and tail are spread
out like fans |
Tail and sometimes fins
are clumped, closed, stiff looking or falling apart |
| Body looks slick and clean |
Body may have: open sores,
white cottony patches, red spots, lumps or white spots. |
| Eyes are normal |
One or both eyes are
protruding and swollen |
| Gills are normal |
One or both gills do not
close all the way and stay half open (swollen/inflamed). They may look red. |
| Scales are smooth |
Scales are raised (like a
pine cone) |
| Belly looks normal |
Belly looks too hollow or
on the contrary is abnormally swollen and big. |
|
STEP
THREE: Isolating the unhealthy betta |
If your betta exhibits one or more of the above right column symptoms
then it is sick.
It must immediately be removed from any community or shared tank and
isolated in a bowl/jar. I recommend using a one gallon bowl for sick fish,
both to insure the water quality remains better between
water changes and to make it simpler to administer the
proper dose of medication.
Use the same tank water to avoid an abrupt
change of water condition when you first jar the sick betta. before you do
your next water change, you should acclimate the betta
slowly to the water you will be using for the water
change. I recommend that you remove 75% of the water and
gradually add a bit of water every hour until the bowl is
full. This will ensure the betta acclimate smoothly from the
previous tank water to tap water or whatever other clean
water you are going to add. Remember that tank water may
be different in quality because of plants, rocks, heaters
and filters you are using in there. Whereas a bare bowl
adds nothing to the water. And that is why you should
acclimate the betta when you do the first water change.
After that you will not need to worry about doing a normal
100% water change.
Now if the
sick betta was in a jar to begin with, then simply do a full water change to provide a clean
environment for treatment. I recommend putting him in a new, sanitized
jar. This way you will get rid of some of the koodies. :) Jar should be kept in a warmer room.
Important:
Be sure to wash your hands with a
good antibacterial soap after handling your sick fish to not spread
diseases to your healthy ones. Anything that comes in
contact with the sick
fish (fish net, fingers, spoon, jar, etc) will have to be disinfected
prior to being used for other fish.
Click here
to learn how to disinfect/sanitize.
|
STEP
FOUR: Diagnosis and suggested treatment |
Next you must try to make an accurate diagnosis of your betta‘s
disease (goodluck!). Once you know what disease you are dealing
with (hopefully), then you can
pick the best course of treatment for it.
Below, I have listed the
most common betta diseases, their individual
symptoms, and listed the medications I have used in the past to try to
fight each disease off. Please go down the list and see which symptoms/disease seem to qualify.
Please note that I do not guaranty that the treatment I recommend will
work and cannot predict what effect it will have on your specific betta.
Therefore you use this chart and info AT YOUR OWN RISK.
| DISEASE: FUNGAL INFECTION
uGENERAL INFO:
If you always add
aquarium salt to your betta’s water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2
1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of Aquarisol per gal, your betta will
probably never get fungus. It is contagious, but bettas will more than
likely recover if treated promptly. |
| uSYMPTOMS:
Betta
has white cottony like patches on its body or head. He may be less active,
may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped, color may be pale.
|
| uTREATMENT:
Do
a full jar water change. Add “Fungus Eliminator” by Jungle (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit). These are
crystals are dosage should be about 30-40
grains per 1/2 gal. Water should
have a nice gold color, not too dark. Do not overmedicate! Change water
every third day and add a new dose of same medication. Continue until all
fungus has disappeared. Then switch to BettaZing (8 drops per gallon) to clean any other bacteria/fungus
that may still be present.
for
very stubborn or very fast invasive fungus use: Fungus
Eliminator AND Bettazing TOGETHER, both at full dosage. (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) - Not very many fungus can
survive this powerful duo!
|
| DISEASE: TAIL ROT OR FIN
ROT (OR BOTH!)
uGENERAL INFO:
This disease comes
mainly from dirty water. If you keep his water VERY clean Mr. Betta will
never get tail/fin rot. It is not overly contagious, and bettas will more
than likely recover if treated promptly. Fins/tail will grow back, though
may not have same color or may not look as good or be as long.
frayed fins and a darker edge are clear
signs of fin rot |
uSYMPTOMS:
Betta’s
fins and/or tail seem to be getting shorter and shorter. Or they seem to
be falling apart and dissolving. There may be a darker color (or a reddish
one) to the edge of the betta’s fins/tail. He may be still active and
eating normally, or may have stopped eating, fins may be clumped, color
may be pale. |
uTREATMENT:
Do
a full jar water change. Use tetracycline or Ampicillin (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit) combined with Fungus
Eliminator (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit). Change water every third day and
add a new dose of same medication. Continue until fins/tail stop receding
and start showing some new growth. This may take up to 4 weeks, so
don’t give up. Once rot stops and fins start
growing back you can stop treatment, but not before then.
Note:
If the rot is very slight or mild, you could use Maracyn I
and Maracyn II (together at half the dose each) by
Mardel. These med can help but are not very
powerful. They come in hard tablet which is a real
pain to administer. You'll have to crush
them into a powder before you can administer to
a betta in a bowl. A tablet treats 10 gal of
water, so you do the math. Do not overmedicate!
If you are caught by surprise and do not have a
First Aid Betta Kit (naughty naughty), then you
can run to a local Petco or something and
probably find the Maracyn I & II and at
least try that. My advice though? Be ready! Get
your Betta
First Aid Kit now so you have the real
powerful stuff at hand and are ready when the
you-know-what hits the fan! (or life will get
real messy LOL).
|
| DISEASE: ADVANCED FIN AND
BODY ROT
uGENERAL INFO:
This disease starts
as a regular fin rot, but the rot progresses quite rapidly and is harder
to stop. Soon no fins are left as all tissues have been eaten away. Then
the rot proceeds to attack the body. Not a pretty picture.
close up of a tail and fins that are
being eaten away by the advanced rot, you can see the top dorsal is almost
all gone and the bacteria is getting ready to attack the body now.
|
| uSYMPTOMS:
Fins
and or tail start rotting away, usually starting from the edge, but
sometimes it starts at the base of the fin (especially dorsal) and attacks
the body directly. Diseases progresses rapidly and as the tissues are
being eaten away, you might see the fins bones stick out (yuk). Once fins
have been consumed, rot will proceed onto the body. At this stage the
disease is hard to reverse although the betta might continue to live for
months if treated properly. If not treated, it will die promptly (and
probably suffers quite a bit :(( ).
|
| uTREATMENT:
Do
a full jar water change. Preferably provide a new jar. You must combine
several medications to have a chance to stop this thing. Use Ampicillin and double the dose if needed, and use at the same time
tetracycline (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit). These
medications usually come in capsules. A full capsule usually treats 10 gal of water. So
for a 1/2 gallon of water, open the capsule and take the right proportion
of powder and sprinkle on jar water. You may steer gently with a
disposable plastic spoon. Tetracycline might turn the color of the water
to a dark yellow or red. Overmedicating a little might help! Change water every third day and
add a new dose of same medication. Continue until fins/tail stop receding
and start showing some new growth. It may take up to 4 weeks to work, so
don’t give up. Once healing starts you should treat for one more week to
be sure. Then you can ease up on the heavy
medication and switch to BettaZing (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit), which will prevent the bacteria from
multiplying again. Change jar and sanitize old jar every week until
healed.
|
| DISEASE: ICK
uGENERAL INFO:
Ick is a pesky
little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s water
(1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of
Aquarisol per gal, your betta will never get ick. It is very contagious,
but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Frozen live food may
carry ich.
tiny
white dots on body, head and fins,
typical of ich |
| uSYMPTOMS:
Betta has
white dots (looks like he was sprinkled with salt) all over his body and
head, even eyes. He may be less active, may have stopped eating, fins may
be clumped. he may also be darting and scratching against rocks, plants
and whatever else he can find.
|
| uTREATMENT:
Ick is a
parasite. Because ick is contagious, it is preferable to treat the whole
tank when one fish is found to have it. Ick is temperature sensitive:
Leave your betta in the community tank and raise temperature to 85 F and
add one drop of Aquarisol per gal every day until cured. It will only take
a few days to get rid of the pesky little parasites. If your betta lives
in a jar/bowl, then you cannot raise the temperature. Do not attempt to
put a heater in a tank smaller than 5 gal. You cannot control temperature
fluctuation in a small tank/bowl and will probably end up boiling your
betta!!! Do a full water change and add one drop of Aquarisol and salt
(per above proportions) to the water. If you have empty tank and heater,
then move betta to it and raise temperature of water to 85 F as per above.
The reason is that the parasites are sensitive to the heat and at 85F they
become free swimming (detach themselves from betta’s skin and go for a
swim in the water which contains the Aquarisol. Aquarisol then kills
them). Guess their mothers never told them to never go for a swim right
after dinner!! :)))). Note, BettaZing (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) can
also do the job, in case you do not
have aquarisol on hand. if you have
both, go with the old fashion
Aquarisol recipe, it works great.
|
| DISEASE: VELVET
uGENERAL INFO:
Velvet is another
pesky little parasite. If you always add aquarium salt to your betta’s
water (1 teaspoon of aquarium salt per 2 1/2 Gal of water) and one drop of
Aquarisol per gal, your betta will probably never get velvet. It is very
contagious, but bettas will fully recover if treated promptly. Velvet is
the number one killer of small betta fries. :(( |
| uSYMPTOMS:
Velvet
is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the
light on the betta’s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine
gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick,
so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of
appetite, loss of color etc...
|
| uTREATMENT:
Velvet
is a parasite. Because velvet is very VERY contagious, it is preferable to
treat the whole tank when one fish is found to have it. BettaZing (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) contains
two agents that are proven velvet
killers, so it is EXTREMELY effective against this disease :). So
far it is the meanest velvet killer I
have ever found :). Use Bettazing at a
12 drop per gallon concentration (yes,
it is OK to do so you have my
blessings). Isolate any individual
with velvet, treat the whole tank even if other fish look OK and remember
WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Sanitize fish nets! Keep bowl or tank in a darker place, velvet will be
easier to kill if it is not getting
any light. |
| DISEASE: POPEYE
this
betta's eye has more than doubled in
size
uGENERAL INFO:
If you always keep
your betta’s water very clean, he is not very likely to get Popeye. Popeye
is a bacterial infection usually caused by poor water condition (in other words
filthy water because you were too darn lazy to get off the couch and
attend to your betta!!!). but popeye can also be the tip of the iceberg,
the external sign that something
inside Mr. Betta is going very
wrong. For example, tuberculosis
will sometimes result in popeye. In
that case, the popeye may not be
curable or even if it gets better
the fish will die (because
tuberculosis is not curable and
always kills its host). In short the
fish will have died, not of the
popeye itself, but because of the
more serious disease that triggered
it. |
| uSYMPTOMS:
One or both
of Mr. Betta’s eyes start bulging out. In about 2 to 7 days the eye
might look so grotesque you will be afraid to look at your betta. Casimodo
on a bad day will look more attractive then your betta at that point!!
Please do not destroy your betta! In many cases, the bettas make a full recovery from it
and look normal again, as if nothing had happened. Only some of the popeye
cases are caused by the terminal
diseases mentioned above and will
result in your betta dying. The
rest will heal nicely if caught
early and treated aggressively
(see below). During outbreak, betta
may be less active, may stop eating.
|
| uTREATMENT:
As
I said, popeye
is usually not fatal and Mr. Betta will often fully recover. On occasion he may lose
an eye. But if you catch it right away, he should be fine. Immediately do
a full water change. Keep his water very clean, changing it every third
day. After putting him in clean water, add the antibiotic Ampicillin (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) to his water.
This medication
usually comes in capsules. A full capsule
usually treats 10
gal of water. So for a 1/2 gallon of water, open the capsule and take the
right proportion of powder and sprinkle on jar water. You may steer gently
with a disposable plastic spoon. This is a white powder and will not
affect the color of the water. Do not overmedicate! Once Betta’s eyes
are back to normal, keep treating for one more week (just to be sure) and then stop the medication. And keep his water clean from now
on darn it!!
|
| DISEASE: DROPSY
bloated belly and
raised scale =
dropsy
close up of raised scales
uGENERAL INFO: This is a most
common and most fatal betta disease. oftentimes linked to the feeding of
live foods, especially black
worms. Very little is know about it,
but what causes the raised scales
is fluid building up under the
skin, inside the betta's tissue.
Usually what causes fluid to build
up is simple kidney failure. And
as you know, once the kidneys
fail, the body dies. I think that
is why we have had so little luck
(mmmmm... Let me rephrase, NO LUCK
AT ALL) in treating successfully
bettas with dropsy. Although
dropsy (the symptom) itself is not
contagious, BACTERIA THAT CAUSE
THE KIDNEY FAILURE in the first
place usually are very very contagious.
Since I stopped feeding live worms
to my bettas I have not seen one
single case of dropsy in my
fishroom :). Thank God! |
| uSYMPTOMS:
It
is easy to diagnose a betta with Dropsy: Look for two signs: an abnormally
big (bloated) belly and if you look at betta from the top, raised scales.
Scales will look like an open pine cone. If you see this, you are out of
luck, and so is Betta. He will soon go to betta heaven :((…
|
| uTREATMENT:
No
known cure. Keep water clean, keep him AWAY from any other bettas etc…
On occasion, in the case of a
very mild raised scales, I have
seen bettas recover on their
own. But I suspect that this is
because those cases are NOT real
dropsy. Real dropsy always kill.
So I guess you have to wait and
see what happens. Treating is
pretty useless. It may take up to 15 days for betta to die,
though usually about 5 days. Any betta with dropsy should be immediately
ISOLATED!!!! Prayer may not hurt.
|
| DISEASE: SWIM BLADDER
DISORDER
uGENERAL INFO:
This is also a
common betta problem. It is not contagious. It comes from overfeeding. It
is especially common in very young bettas (30 to 60 days old) and can
affect some Double Tail bettas
when overfed or stressed.. |
| uSYMPTOMS:
Bettas
with a swim bladder disorder will have difficulty swimming, because their
swim bladder (located alongside the spine between the belly and the tail)
is either too short (causing them to not be able to swim horizontally) or
it is swollen (causing them to float on one side). Double Tail bettas,
because they have a shorter body, are especially prone to the “floaters”
problem. In the case of a short swim bladder, the bettas will not be able
to maneuver and swimming becomes so difficult, they prefer to just lay at
the bottom, sliding on their bellies, which is why they are called “belly
sliders”. And they do look like a pathetic bunch, at that point. :)
|
| uTREATMENT:
Bettas
may recover on their own, but since overfeeding induces swimbladder
disorders in most cases, the first thing to do is feed a lot less. Brine
shrimp and too much of it is the biggest culprit, so if your bettas are
bellysliding, stop the brine shrimp for a while and thereafter learn to
have a more balanced diet, alternating brine shrimp with microworms or
worms (depending on how old your bettas are). Do not kill a betta with a
swimbladder disorder. It may recover on its own at any time, and is not
suffering. Further more, the ailment is NOT contagious. To help the fish
if it cannot eat, lower the
water level. Adding some
BettaZing to the water for a
few weeks may not hurt either
;).
|
| DISEASE: EXTERNAL
PARASITES
click on image to see some
external parasites (I circled
them in yellow)
uGENERAL INFO:
If you do not add
some aquarium salt (1 teaspoon per 5 gal) to your betta’s water to
prevent parasites, your
betta may get some parasites, but I cannot say it is common as I,
personally have never seen the
little pests in my fishroom (hehehehehe...). A
reader sent me a photo showing
his pet store betta with
anchor worms near the gills
and fins. It might give you a
reference point. but note that
each parasite has its own
shape. The use of a magnifying
glass will be helpful to help
SEE them on your fish's skin. |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
It
is easy to diagnose a betta with external parasites: It will dart and
scratch itself against anything it can find, such as gravel, rocks,
heaters, tank walls, etc… You may or may not actually
be able to see the parasites themselves. Look instead for a behavioral change in your
betta. If it looks like it is on speed or acid, then it has parasites!!
:))))
|
|
uTREATMENT:
Do
a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid
of some of the parasites and their eggs, etc..). Add BettaZing (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) at the
rate of 3 drops per quart
(or if you prefer 12 drops per gallon).
|
|
DISEASE: INTERNAL
PARASITES
uGENERAL INFO:
If you feed live
brown worms, you can easily give your bettas some internal parasites.
Those are a real pest because you can’t see them, the bettas behavior
does not change, except they start looking skinny despite the fact they
are eating normally. This is
a somewhat rare disease,
meaning you may or may not
have to ever deal with it. |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
Bettas
are losing weight despite
their eating normally.
WARNING: there are other
serious diseases that
mimic internal parasites because
the fish start looking emaciated
(fish tuberculosis). So it
is easy to confuse the
two.
|
|
uTREATMENT:
Do
a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid
of some of the parasites and their eggs, etc..). In the past many serious
hobbyists have used the same meds the vets give to
dogs Metronidazole,
with fairly good rate of
success :). Aquatronics
used to have Hex-A-Mint
(same ingredient) but
since they went out of
business, we have to look
elsewhere :). You can also
try "Clout", but
it is not as
effective for internal parasites, although works good for ich and other
external pests. You can also try BettaZing, as it contains an ingredient
that has sometimes been
effective against internal
parasites.
|
|
DISEASE: BACTERIAL
INFECTION
red body sores typical of advanced bacterial infections
uGENERAL INFO:
If the betta‘s
water becomes fouled with uneaten food and fish waste, if it is not well
filtered or if the jars are not kept sparkling clean, bacterial bloom
will promptly occur and infect your fish. Sometimes you keep the water
clean and the fish still
gets a bacterial
infection!! >8[. Why?
because bacteria is
resident in your tap
water, in the air, on your
hands etc... Usually
healthy bettas have their immune
system to protect them
against these attacks. But
bettas with a deficient immune system (when a betta is
stressed, because it was scared, or moved or shipped, its immune
system will become deficient) will catch whatever is lurking in the water,
including the bacteria. They will have a “bacterial infection”. VERY
CONTAGIOUS!! |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
Betta
may have clamped fins, lay at bottom or at surface, not eat, lose its
color, turn gray, barely swim around. In more advanced cases, its body may
start developing red patches, open sores and all kinds of nasty looking
stuff. (Even holes in its head!! YIKES!!) Different bacteria affect fish
differently. Some will
attack the internal
organs while others
prefer to munch on the
skin.
|
|
uTREATMENT:
Do
a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. (To get rid
of some of the bacteria present). Clean filter, change filtering system,
remove any uneaten food rotting, or any dead fish!!! Isolate
any bettas with symptoms if in a community tank.
You should also treat the whole tank.
There is a wide variety of antibiotics available for fish. REMEMBER:
Remove carbon from your
filters before you add
the meds!! The carbon
would otherwise absorb all the medication and you would be flushing your
money down the tube. Oh, and did I mention money?? Yes, brace yourself,
cause your little fishies are gonna cost you a bundle, fish antibiotics can get
pretty darn expensive - just as people's antibiotics are, as you well
know!!
If the sick bettas are small fries, I
truly recommend using Tetracycline or Ampicillin (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit) combined with Fungus Eliminator (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit), or
whatever you find at your store (look for “broad spectrum” antibiotics,
though a good one is Kanamycin
if you can find some). Follow manufacturer’s instructions and don’t stop the
treatment until your bettas are well again. If betta is jarred, then as
usual, figure out how much water your jar contains and divide the quantity
of medication accordingly. Capsules are easier then tablets, because one
can open a capsule and just sprinkle a tiny itsy bit of powder in jar.
Tables, you will have to first crush, then divide. Well, have a blast!!! |
|
DISEASE:
TUBERCULOSIS
uGENERAL INFO: This
is probably the
deadliest of fish
diseases, yet most
people have never
heard of it or know
little to nothing
about it. It can mimic a
large variety of other
diseases, making it
hard to diagnosis.
Only an autopsy can
confirm
mycobacteriosis. This
is a slow blooming
disease that may take
up to 6 months to
affect fish.
Ultimately, the
bacteria will attack
the internal organs,
especially liver and
kidneys and cause
organ failure
(followed by sudden
death). This is the
only fish disease
known to be contagious
to man. The good news
is, unless you have a
very infected tank and
stick your hands in
there and have a big
cut or a weak immune
system, you will
probably never catch
it from sick fish. And
even if you did, it
will not kill you,
mostly give you a
nasty skin infection
which may take a long
time to heal. The bug
does not like people
much (it is a
temperature thing),
and seems to remain on
the skin surface only.
Also, just so you
don't become all
paranoid now, I must
add that there has
been VERY FEW
documented cases of
fish TB infecting
people. And in most
cases, as I said, the
people either had a
deep cut or immune
system deficiency. The
only reason I am
mentioning all this is
so you are aware of
it. Don't worry, Mr.
Betta is not out to
get ya! LOL. Fish
tuberculosis can be
resident in water but has
also been linked to
live foods
(researchers found
cases of live foods infected by
tuberculosis etc...),
and is mainly passed
by injection (eating
contaminated live
food, or eating a dead
fish that was a
carrier, etc...) Now
you can understand the
importance of staying
away from fish stores
where you can see a
lot of dead fish! Pick
your fish suppliers
very carefully and
favor a store or
breeder that has high
hygiene standards in
their fish rooms or
stores. As for
me, as an added
precaution, I have
decided to not feed
any live foods to my
bettas (live worms
etc), just to be
on the safe side. ( However,
microworms, vinegar
eel as well as any
home hatched brine
shrimp are 100% safe
and mycobacteriosis
free :)) ). |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
Affected
fish will start deteriorating
for no apparent
reasons, losing
weight (or not),
showing deformities
(or not), having
raised scales (or
not), fin and body
rot (or not), gray
lesions (or not),
red patches inside
the belly (or not).
Sometimes they will
seem fine one day
and be oh so very
DEAD the next. The
one thing all the
bettas affected by
this terrible
diseases have in
common is that they
will all (as in
every single last
one of them) die. So
if you suddenly find
a large number of
dead fish in your
tanks, and more die
each day, there is a
strong possibility
you might be at war
with fish
tuberculosis
(careful though,
other bacterial
infections can also
have similar
dramatic death
rates).
|
|
uTREATMENT:
I
am sorry to break
the news to you but
you will NOT win
that war because
there is NO cure.
Furthermore you will
probably have to throw away
all bowl, tank and
fish gear because regular
bleach does not kill
this nasty bug. My
advice? Stay away
from live food and
from sickly looking
pet store bettas and
as I said select
your fish suppliers
carefully. Oh, and do a lot of
praying ;).
|
|
DISEASE: UNKNOWN –
POSSIBLE DEPRESSION
uGENERAL INFO:
Sometimes a betta
will act sick but not exhibits any symptoms. He could either have internal
parasites, or some mild bacterial infection, or simply be depressed.
Bettas often become depressed when they are first jarred as young fries,
and get separated from their siblings. Also, males often become depressed
after spawning. A depressed betta will stop eating and swimming around and
may let himself starve to death. This is not as unusual as one may think! |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
Bettas
may or may not have slightly clamped fins, lay at bottom or at surface, not eat,
barely swim around. They will not flare or build bubble nests.
|
|
uTREATMENT:
Do
a full water change for jars or a 70% water change for tanks. Isolate any
suspected sick betta. Add two drop of BettaZing (included in our Betta
First Aid Kit) to each quart of water (so
8 drops per gallon). If the betta was just spawned or just jarred, and it is likely to
simply have depression: In the case of a newly jarred young betta, float
his jar inside the tank where his siblings still are. This should help him
cope with the isolation. In the case of a male who has just been spawned,
try floating him inside a tank containing lots of other bettas, females
preferably. It has always worked for me. When floating a jar in a larger
tank, be careful: if you have a power filter or canister filter the water
flow created will slowly but surely pull in the floating jar and once the
jar is under the water flow, it will fill up with water and sink,
releasing the betta into the tank!! Therefore, make sure the jar is
secured somehow and cannot drift.
|
|
DISEASE: INFLAMED GILLS
uGENERAL INFO:
The gill or gills
of a betta may become inflamed, because of nitrate poisoning, and possibly
bacterial infections, or even a defective gill (if it was born that way). |
|
uSYMPTOMS:
One
or both gills will not close all the way (look at betta from the top it is
easier to see it then), gills may look red on the inside (inflamed) or not, in the last
stages, the betta may be gasping for air, unable to breath and ultimately
die.
|
|
uTREATMENT:
Isolate sick
betta. Do a full
jar water change
every third day.
Every time you
change water, add Ampicillin (included
in our Betta
First Aid Kit) to
the water. In the case of nitrate poisoning, simply add one drop of methylene blue in betta’s jar.
|
|
REMEMBER!
Better prevent than try to cure! |
Here
are a few extra pointers
to help you prevent your
betta from getting sick
in the first place :).
1- Always QUARANTINE new bettas your are bringing home
2- Always keep your betta’s water clean.
3- Avoid abrupt changes of water conditions. Replace old jar water
with newly prepared water with same provenance, temperature, ph, etc...
4- Always add aquarium salt to your water.
5- Don’t overcrowd your bettas
6- Don’t overfeed and especially don’t let uneaten food rot in
his tank/jar.
7- Any dead fish should be immediately removed.
8- Any sick fish should be immediately isolated and treated.
9- Wash your hands!! Don’t spread infections around!!
10- Disinfect sick betta’s jars, tanks, filters, fish nets etc…
(see below)
11- Don’t play God and terminate sick bettas, they often recover!!
How would you have felt if your mother had shot you in the head the
first time you had the flue? Yop, a little compassion has never killed
anyone! Bettas are living beings and they should be treated with the
utmost respect.
12- Last but not least, have a Betta
First Aid Kit
ready at all
time!
|
|
I hope this page and
the incredible amount of info, photos and advice will help you save your
next sick fish!
|
