Sick bettas

Question

Pico   QUESTION: Hi Jaymie,

My roommate and I share two bettas, and both are sick. :(

First, our betta Pico is very sick. It's hard to explain so I'm attaching a picture but basically it looks like his skin is rubbing off or something. From doing a little research on the internet it looks like he might have a bacterial infection, which the sores are a symptom of. So, we started treating him with Tetracycline and have been treating him for over a week now. Pico doesn't seem to be getting any better! :( Other than the sores he seems fine, he swims around, has an appetite and still flares, so we're very confused. Should we try a different medication or keep treating him with the TC?  

Now, another one of our bettas, Jayden is not doing well either. He is ALWAYS bloated/constipated. He's very small and it seems like even if we only feed him a pellet every other day he still gets bloated/constipated. Then we give him a pea and he's fine for a day or two...then he's bloated again! What do we do? Is there some sort of special food we can give him or something?

Thanks so much in advance!

ANSWER: Crystal,

 Sorry to hear you have 2 sick Betta's. My first question is, are they in the same tank? I hope not, 2 male Betta's can NEVER be in one tank. Lets start with Pico.If the medication isn't working then I wouldn't give it to him. I would simply give him salt water baths, instructions below. If after about 5 days doing the salt bath, he doesn't look better, let me know.

Now Jayden. Fast him for 3 days before you give him the pea, then fast him for 3 days after. If the first time doesn't work, repeat the whole process. Make sure you remove the outer shell of the pea before you feed him. They cannot digest that. For both Betta's, it is a good idea to fast them once a week. This helps them digest what they have before adding more. Swim bladder disease is almost 100% preventable. Never over feed them. They will eat everything you give them even if they are not hungry.

If they are together, I suggest move one as soon as you can. Make sure they are in a 2.5 gallon tank and never a Betta bowl. Make sure they both have a heater set at 82 degrees at all times. If that plant in the water is on the side of the tank, move it to the bottom. When they plants are at that angle, they have a different texture and are a lot harder and your Pico might have an injury from the plant, or an injury from the other Betta if they are in the same tank. Make sure you do 25% water changes every week and that the new water is the same temp as the water they are in.

I would suggest that you change Jayden's food. It is good to give them a variety of different foods such as, flakes, pellets, frozen and freeze dried blood worms and brine shrimp. If you can, try to order Atison's Betta Food. You can find it online. It is one of the best foods for Betta's and that is what I feed all 11 of my adults, along with the other foods I mentioned.


SALT WATER BATH (DIP):

 Get a container that can hold 1 gallon of water the same temp as the tank water. Add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt that has been dissolved before adding your fish to that water. If you don't dissolve it first it can burn your fish. Let him swim in this water for 5 minutes the first day, both times, 10 minutes the second day and 15 minutes the third day and every day after for 5 days. watching him closely the entire time he is in there. I want you to watch him in case he starts to have a problem, you can remove him from the salt water immediately. I would do this 2 times a day, but never in the same water. Always make fresh salt water every time you put him in.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again,

First, thanks so much for your fast reply! Both bettas are separated. Both have 1 gallon filtered tanks but currently Jayden is in a smaller isolation tank with no rocks or plants so we can better track how much he...well, poops.

We'll try your fasting technique with Jayden and see how that goes. We usually fast all four of our bettas once a week and have been fasting Jayden more since he's been constipated but haven't tried the 3 day thing yet. Also, thanks for the food recommendation. We usually alternate between pellets, flakes, and freeze dried bloodworms, but could always benefit from something new. :)

I have a quick question about the salt water baths, though. We always dissolve 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in a gallon jug to add to their water. So, they always have salt in their water. It doesn't really make sense to do a salt bath with a teaspoon of salt if it's always in his water already. Should I maybe double the amount of salt, for the purpose of the salt bath?

Thanks!

Answer
Crystal,

  Ok, so we have 4 Betta's not 2. Are they all in their own 1 gallon tank, or bowl? If they are, the first thing I suggest is get them out of there and into bigger homes. The smaller the tank, the more stress you put on your fish. Each one needs his own 2.5 gallon tank. That is a minimum size. Second, remove the filter. Betta's do not like them, and do not need them. Third, you didn't mention heaters. Since Betta's are tropical fish, they need their water warm. Set the heaters to 82 degrees. If they don't have heaters, they will become lethargic and stop swimming and will become sick. Fourth, only feed the freeze dried blood worms once a week. I would stop feeding the blood worms to Jayden. If you can, get the frozen ones they are better. Fifth, do 25 % water changes every week, making sure that the new water is the same temp as the tank water, or they will go into shock. Also, make sure you add conditioning drops to the new water going in. These drops should be the kind that removes chlorine, ammonia, nitrates and nitrites from your tap water. Sixth, do not put salt in their water. I know that you most likely have read that it is a good idea, and I am sure it is, but none of mine get salt. Here's why, If I have a Betta that has the beginnings of Ich or fin rot, I right away start the salt baths. They enjoy it, and it works very well for me. I do not need to use any kind of medicines every time there is a problem. My motto is no meds unless they truly need it. I guess you can say I am breeding organic Betta's lol. DO NOT DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN THEIR WATER. Any more salt, and you will burn them.

There is an awesome product that I found, and it is the best conditioner for Betta's. It is called Black Water Extract by Tetra. It makes the water more like their natural environment. It will tint their water yellowish brown, but since I have been using it my adults are a lot happier and healthier. I can't find it here but I have a friend in Canada that found it for me. She found it at Petland so if you have one you might be able to get it. My adult males give me nice bubble nests every day, their colors is brighter. Since my females are now building me nests I can say this is an excellent product. I have 11 very happy, healthy adult Betta's. I hope this has all been helpful and do not hesitate to come to me with any other questions.