Beware of These Common Betta Fish Illnesses

By Sarah Munn

Betta fish make fun and beautiful pets, but more than likely your betta fish is going to get sick at some point in time. It is important that you are prepared to treat your betta when he is sick and this includes being aware of various diseases that affect betta fish, their symptoms, and how you can treat them. Once you know the basics of betta fish diseases you will be better prepared to recognize and treat your betta to prevent the disease becoming too serious or even fatal. The following are five of the most common diseases that affect betta fish.

Tail or Fin Rot

Tail rot and fin rot are common betta diseases that are caused by water that becomes too dirty. You can actually prevent this disease from ever affecting your fish if you are careful to always keep their water clean. As a general rule this is an easy condition to treat and it does not seem to be contagious either. If you treat your fish as soon as possible you will be able to stop the progression of the disease and their tails and fins will grow back.

Some of the symptoms to look for include the betta's tail and fins getting shorter and shorter. Their fins may also start to have a darker color and they may appear as if they are dissolving or actually falling apart. While some betta's may not even act sick, others may stop eating, get clumped fins, and start looking pale.

Thankfully treating tail and fin rot is fairly easy and will provide results in a few weeks. For treatment you will need to do a full jar water change and use Fungus Eliminator, as well as either tetracycline or Triple Sulfa. After the initial change you will need to be sure to change the water every three days and when you do you should add more medication to the water as well. It is important that you continue the treatment until you fish improves and you seen new fin and tail growth occurring. This may take a few weeks, so continue the treatment until your fish improve.

Ick

Another very common disease in betta fish is ick. Ick is actually a type of parasite and many times it is present in frozen food that is live. Although ick is one of the most contagious betta diseases, it can be treated. You can prevent your fish from getting ick by adding Aquarisol and salt to your fish's water.

If you start to see white dots appearing on your betta's body, including the head and even his eyes, this is a sign that your fish has ick. More than likely your beta will also become much less active than before and may appear sick and have clumped fins as well. They may feel itchy, so you may see them darting and rubbing against rocks in their tanks.

Since ick is such a contagious disease it is best to go ahead and treat the entire tank of fish for disease. Ick is very sensitive to temperature, so you should raise the temperature in your tank to about 85 degrees F. For every gallon in your tank, add one drop of Aquarisol every single day until your fish are better. Usually it will only take a few days to get rid of this disease.

Dropsy

Dropsy is actually the most common disease among bettas and it is also the most likely to be fatal to your fish as well. While not a great deal is known about this disease many feel that it is linked to live foods, and it especially seems linked to feeding them the black worms. Many people have found that they can prevent dropsy all together by not allowing their fish to eat black worms.

The symptoms of dropsy are quite easy to recognize and they include a bloated belly and scales that appear as if they are raised. The raised scales may actually appear very similar to a pine cone.

Unfortunately there is not a known cure for this betta fish disease. It is, however, very important that you isolate the betta that appears to have dropsy as soon as possible so the other fish will not contract the disease.

Swim Bladder Disorder

Another very common disease that betta's may get is swim bladder disorder. This actually comes as a result from feeding them too much. This disease is not contagious, and as a general rule it affects the younger bettas if they have eaten to much or have become very stressed.

If you see a betta that is having a hard time swimming, seems off balance, or prefers to just lay near the bottom, there is a good chance they are suffering from swim bladder disorder. Many times you will see them just sliding along on the bottom of the tank as well.

Many times you will find that your betta will recover by himself, but it is probably a good idea to not feed them as much for a few days. It is also helpful to eliminate brine shrimp from their diet as well, as this can actually cause part of the problem. In the future, try to be sure that you feed your fish a balanced diet to prevent this from happening again.

These are just a few of the common betta fish diseases that you my deal with in your bettas. Other diseases that bettas may have to deal with include external parasites, bacterial infection, fungal infection, depression, and velvet. Having medications on hand such as tetracyclin, Ampicillin, jungle fungus eliminator, and maracin 1 and 2. Just taking some simple preventive measures can help keep your fish from developing many of these diseases, but it important to know what to do if these diseases occur in your fish.

For more information on betta fish illness, try visiting http://www.bettafishcenter.com, a popular website that provides tips, advice and resources on caring for betta splendens.

 

How to Choose a Betta Fish

By Bosun Sogeke

Betta fish, also famous by the name of Siamese fighting fish are a great first pet for children's, in addition to people who don't have sufficient time or money for bigger pets. Bettas are reasonably priced, resilient, and easy to care for. Betta fish are a great substitute to goldfish as they require less space. They are contented in a fishbowl or aquarium and have the need of less maintenance as they produce a lesser amount of waste and don't infect the water as much. There are very few materials needed for acquiring a new betta fish: an aquarium or bowl, water conditioner, a net, and a few gravels. The fish will also be more contented with a small number of accessories, such as a plant and a place to hide.

Betta fish are a fun fresh pet as they come in a range of unusual colors and types. While selecting a betta fish, look for one that shows energy and has its fins unharmed. A healthy betta fish will show awareness during feeding times, and they should be fed on a habitual schedule so that they become used to expecting food. Betta fish can be fed on a mixture of foods, from dried arranged foods to frozen brine shrimp. Some betta fish have even got trained to rise out of their water during feeding times. They should only be given to eat once a day, and be alert not to overfeed. Fish will keep on acting hungry until they overeat, which can kill them, and extra food can also pollute the water.

Betta fish are disreputably resilient, and many have lived through ordeals that would kill most fish. This is not a justification to keep the fish in a tremendous environment, as they are displayed in most pet stores. Some of the containers sold specially for betta fishes are better than others. While it may be enjoyable to place two betta fish in a small container divided by a divider as the fish will regularly want to fight, the fish will in fact be happier in its own spacious container. With sufficient space, betta fish will swim around energetically, flaring their gills and showing off their fin display in order to be a focus for mates.

While betta fish are time and again placed in very small containers in a pet store, they will be happier with more room to roam. On the other hand, they might feel frightened by very large aquariums. Betta fish do not take pleasure in company and will not bear other fish trespassing within their territory. While most tropical fish can only have the need of a filter and heater, betta fish can get familiarized to incredibly small environments and do not require any more than a small bowl to live in.

The majority of the betta fish sold at a pet store are the more radiantly colored males. An unhealthy fish will not swim around a lot and will not show awareness in food. The state of its fins may also get worse. Do not purchase a fish that appears to be less healthy, even if all of the fish in the store that day appear lethargic and unwell. Consult a pet store expert if your fish starts showing these symptoms--many fish ailments can be easily cured. Symptoms of a healthy betta fish are the similar signals that a male will give off when he is prepared to mate. A healthy male will make bubble nests and move rocks to make certain that his territory is the ideal place to attract mates. After mating, the seemingly violent male will for a time quietly clean the eggs and place them in his bubble nest, while the female has no part in caring raising young. On the other hand, the young baby fishes must be removed soon after hatching before the male becomes territorial and tries to eat them.

Even though it is a betta's normal propensity to fight, they should never be put together for amusement, and two male betta fishes should never be permissible to live together in an aquarium. Unlike in the wild, there is no space for the losing fish to go and high, and so, generally putting two bettas in a tank will end result in the death of one or both fish. Even mating the fish is a very dangerous endeavor, and hobbyists watch their valued specimens very watchfully during the entire process. Betta fish are some of the most satisfying pets to maintain for very little work.

For more information or to learn more on Betta Fish, please visit my blog

 

Betta Fish Is The Perfect Pet Fish

By Rosalinda Zamora

I still remember the first time I saw two beautiful looking fish in a friend's house. One fish was blue and the other was red, and they were swimming majestically in their fishbowls. That was my first encounter with a fish species known as Betta fish or Betta Splendens or Siamese Fighting Fish (three names that refer to one fish).

Up until today, I'm still keeping a few of them in my house, and they make perfect pet fish for my family. Every member of my family loves them.

Why do I like most about Betta fish, you may ask. Definitely, I have many different reasons, but here are three of them.

1. Betta fish are beautiful pet.

It's a tropical fish that comes with different colors such as red, blue and yellow. Some Betta fish have more than one color on their bodies. Believe it or not! I can spend hours looking at how Betta fish move in their bowls but even if you don't know a thing about Betta fish, you will be mesmerized by their colors alone.

2. Betta fish are easy to care.

Betta fish are hardy type of fish and they can live in a small container. A small fishbowl is enough to house one Betta fish, but be aware that two male Betta fish shouldn't be placed in one container. Or else, these two Betta fish might fight until death (that's why they are also called Siamese fighting fish).

3. Betta fish are responsive.

If you have a Betta fish in a small fishbowl and you move closer to the fish, you'll see that your fish will turn its head to look at you. That's what makes me fall in love with Betta fish. They are responsive to your presence and aware that you are there, unlike many other pet fish.

So, you can now consider if you want to adopt Betta fish as your family pet or for your kids. They are lovable creatures and you will know it immediately one you have a Betta in your house.

Rosalinda Zamora is a betta fish lover. She cares for her Bettas like no one else, and she highly recommends you to visit http://www.bettafishsecret.com/ebook to learn the secrets of caring your own Betta fish.