SICK BETTA PLEASE RESPOND!

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I have a Betta and his is sick right now, but i don't know anything about Betta so i was hoping i could figure out what to give him. He barely eats at all, gasps for air, stays in one spot at the top of the water, isn't active, and once i found him on his side.  I don't know what clumped fins look like so i don't know if he has it.  I think he might though, but i'm not positive.  On a site I saw that it said if he has white stuff on his body..... than so and so....and i don't know what white stuff on his body should look like so i don't know if he has that either. PLease help me, thanks.
Answer -
Hello Katy!

Your betta's behavior makes me think he has fungus disease. You can tell if he has fungus disease by looking close at his body and fins. If there is any spot that looks sort of like mold growing on him, then it is probably fungus. If this is so, immediently give him at least a 50% water change and be sure to add extra water conditioner and make sure the temperature of the water you add is the same as his bowl/tank.
As soon as you can, get him a medication for fungus. The best one that has worked for me is MARDEL brand MAROXY does an excellent job at getting rid of fungus fast! Despite what medications say on the label, always try to do a 50% water change every day or at least every other day if you have a tight schedual. When fish get sick, and you add medication, not only are they stressed from the disease itself, they are greatly stressed from the medication in the water which can also cause the water quality to drop to horrible conditons. So please do water changes every day! Fresh water is one of the best ingredients for curing sick fish and keeping them from becoming too stressed. Be sure to keep the filter in very good condition in order to keep the water well oxygenated. If your betta is in a bowl though, he should be fine but you must do water changes everyday.

If you don't see any fungus then study your fish as close as you can. Get a good light over him and check his eyes, fins, and every centimeter of his body for any spots, or anything that is abormal looking. If you notice anything else strange looking, then email me again and we can talk it over and decide on what to do. What it could be. And what medications would be best.

~ANY spots on his body that are strange looking or any tufts of stuff that looks like mold or cotton should be noted and please let me know about it if you can, so I can help your betta. Clamped fins are a sure sign of stress and appear like the fish has thin fins in that they are not loose and relaxed. If that helps any.

Please do a 50% water change before you do anything else. That should really help revive him somewhat. Just be sure to add a good amount of water conditioner and be exact with the added water's temperature being the same as his old water...A little warmer is fine, a bit colder is risky!
Be sure your betta's home isn't too cool. If it is below  the 73 degrees F. Then he might be very cold.

~Please email me again on any spots or anything else strange you see growing on him. Let me know if the water change helps. Hang in there, Katy, I know we will be able to figure it out and help your betta!

~Here's wishing you the very best to your betta...I hope you wil be able to figure out his sickness!

Take care,
Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~






reponse:
He is pale in his face and it looks like there might be white stuff on his head...it doesn't look like cotton i think.. and i think it might be from him being pale so are his fins... i don't know if he has cotton on his body or mold...
how do i get his water warm?
Answer -
Hello Again Katy!

From your description he most likely has fungus infortunately... Please immediently do the 50% water change and try to find Mardel brand Maroxy medicine. Treat him as according to the directions. And remember to change the water every day or at least every other day despite what the labels say.

~Keeping the water warm~
If your betta lives in an aquarium, then you can get him a heater with the correct wattage for how ever many gallons the aquarium holds. You didn't say what size container or aquarium your betta lives in... If it is at least 2 gallons and over then you can find him a little aquarium heater at the local petstore...Just be sure to get the right wattage. The general rule is 5 watts for every gallon of water. So a 20 gallon tank would require a 100 watt heater.

Bowls can be difficult to heat. Bettas do fine in room temperature. They should have their water above 72 degrees. Bettas do prefer their water to be 75-80 degrees but they will do fine with a bit cooler water. If you have an aquarium thermometer (which is a must!) stick it in the water for about 30 seconds to one minute and then check the temperature.

Remember, I am more than happy to help you out all I can! Please email me again if you have anymore questions!

Wishing the very best for your betta!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~


is bettafix okay to use because i'm using that right now a person at the store said i should try it but wasn't sure it would work.
Answer -
Hey Katy!

Bettafix should work. It is made from the tea tree oil "Melaleuca" It is known for it's anti-bacterial properties and ability to help fish rejuvinate fins faster!

Treat him according to the directions and remember to do those 50% water changes. Tip: To make water changes quick and easy, if your betta lives in a bowl, you can use a empty milk, juice, or soda bottle that has been rinsed at least a dozen times with hot water. After rising, fill it up but leave a little air space. Add the proper amount of water conditioner and let it sit overnight next to your betta's bowl. This will allow everything to really settle and also very importantly allow the set water to adjust to the room temperature if that's what your betta bowl's temperature is.

I hope your betta boy gets better very soon! I'm wishing the very best for him! Good luck!

Remember you can email me again as many times as you want! I welcome anybody to send me hundreds of questions in order to get their problem solved! I am more than happy to help!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~


it hasn't been working so far but there is white stuff on the bottom of the bowl like white dots. could it be from the bettafix? ive been giving it to him for about 6 days.  how often am i suppose to clean his bowl with the bettafix?
Answer -
Katy,

Those white dots on the bottom of his bowl could be either fish waste, or from my experience with bettas infected with fungus, it seems that either the fungus or the little bits of your betta boy's fins sort of drop off. I think it is most likely the fungus at the bottom too! :(

Oh no!....... bettafix is not working!?! Maybe you should then look for Mardel brand Maroxy, specially for fungal infections. It is really worth it, claimed to be safe and very effective. I have used many of the MARDEl products and it has proven itself countless times. Their medicine has saved many of my fish from sickness. Please get some Maroxy!

Please, as I've noted before...Water changes are one of the best things you can do for any sick fish. Clean water is so very essential in helping them heal. It just makes sense that a fish would heal better in clean, fresh water with medicine, than in dirty water with the medicine stressing him out even more. Clean water will help your betta heal SOOOO much faster! I recommend that you clean his bowl every day or if that is too much to fit in your schedual, then every other day will do him lots! Be sure to get all that white "gunk" out of the bottom of his bowl and it's good to rinse the bowl out with hot water, then lukewarm then add your de-chlorinated, room temperature water and add your little boy back in his clean home. The hot water rinsing will help kill the fungus present but be sure to rinse it again with lukewarm water to cool it off.
Let a gallon of water sit out overnight by his bowl to equalize the temperature and add a de-chlorinater too!

I'm sorry if your bored reading about water changing but I simply CANNOT stress this enough! It is so important! ;)

Wishing the very best to you and your betta!
I hope he heals very soon! I would feel so bad for you to lose him, keep up hope! Good luck! ;-)

Remember, email me again for anymore questions that may be on your mind!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~


I looked up the maroxy medicine online and it said that you should give him 1/2 a capful per 10 gallons! My fish is in a bowl.... what do i do?

Answer
Hey Katy!

The dosage for Maroxy in betta bowls is simple-
One drop per gallon.

Always be sure to follow through the whole treatment period even if he looks completely healed. This will insure all the fungus is gone completely. And please do those daily 100% water changes!

Wishing the very best to you and your betta boy!
Hope he gets well soon! ") He will thank you for caring so much and being so concerned about him! :)

Just send me a note if you have anymore questions at all!

Have a good day and a nice forever and beyond!
Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~