Betta Diseases and Symptoms

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     In the article below, I've talked about causes and the best treatment for most Betta Fish diseases. Make sure to read Betta Diseases before reviewing this post, so you accurately diagnose the disease, and also understand the way to take care of isolating your sick Betta fish from your remaining underwater creatures.

One of the biggest errors you can make when treating the fish is overmedicating, or not dispensing the correct dose. Dosage is crucial, so be sure to measure accurately and utilize the exact amount!

Betta Illness - Fungus Infection
Water for Bettas are Water Temperature for Bettas are excellent posts that will teach you the best water conditions for Bettas. Fungus is easily preventable by adding either aquarium salt or Aquarisol to your tank regularly. While fungus is contagious to your other fish, your Betta should make a full recovery if treated quickly. Once your Betta fish is healthy, be certain to sanitize the entire tank completely.

The surest method to get rid of almost any type of fungus is by combining the use of Fungus Eliminator and BettaZing simultaneously. Use around 80 specks of Fungus Eliminator for every gallon. The correct amount of BettaZing is 4 drops for each half gallon of water. Most neighborhood pet stores will carry both of these medicines. If not, you'll find them the internet.

Betta Disease - Ick
Adding Aquarisol or salt to your water after each water change will make your fish safe from Ick in the future. Ick means you need treatment of your whole tank and all the fish in it, since it spreads so quickly.

Ick is extremely sensitive to heat, so if you use a heater, raise the temperature of the fish tank to 85 Fahrenheit. Use one drop of Aquarisol per gallon of water. Do this every day until a day or two after your Betta is recovered. It shouldn't take more than 3-5 days to heal your fish.

Betta Fish Illness - Fin Rot
Fin rot originates from dirty water or a dirty fish tank. Your Betta fish will never catch Fin Rot if you are vigilant about cleaning and changing his water. Fortunately, it's not contageous and is easily curable. Your Betta fish's fins and/or tail usually will return, but could be smaller with another color.

If it has just started, you can usually treat it with Maracyn I and Maracy II at the same time at half the recommended amount each. These medicines are easy to find at most local pet stores. Before putting them in your fish tank, the tablets should be thoroughly crushed. A single tablet is used for a ten gallon tank - be certain to use just half of the recommended dose but use both meds.

You may require something stronger if the Fin rot is in the advanced stages. You should utilize Tetracycline or Ampicillin. These medicines are difficult to find. Try a large pet shop or buy them on the internet.

It can take as much as a month for the fins and/or tail to stop declining, so be certain to use the meds religeously. Once the extremeties start to grow back, you can stop using the medication.

Betta Disease - Velvet
Velvet is the top destroyer of newborn Bettas. Keeping your tank sanitized by using Aquarisol will stop this illness from developing. Velvet is very spreadable so you must treat your entire tank, but you still need to quarantine your Betta in a one gallon fish tank if it has Velvet and the other fish look ok. Make sure to sanitize your fish net and all other things in or around the tank. Put your tank in a dark location, and administer 12 drops of BettaZing per gallon of water.

Betta Fish Illness - Popeye
Dirty water is the main originator of Popeye, which is from bacteria if you do not change the water often enough. It's usually not going to kill your fish. Your Betta fish will most likely make a full recovery if you treat it early (although he could lose his eye if you start treatment too late). To heal Popeye, it is critical to make sure the tank water is super clean. Change the water every three days. Ampicillin is super effective with Popeye, but is sometimes be challenging to utilize the right dose for smaller tanks, because it arrives in a capsule meant for a full 10 gallon tank. Continue using the antibiotic Ampicillin until a full week to ten days after the Popeye is gone.

Betta Disease - Dropsy
Black worms and other unclean or contaminated live food may spread Dropsy. Make sure to move away your Betta from the other fish since the Dropsy bacteria can be very contageous. Once in a while with a mild case your Betta could recover, but unfortunately there is no cure for Dropsy.

Betta Illness - Tuberculoses
This can be caused by dirty live food. It may be as long as six months before your Betta displays outward indicators of infection. Tuberculosis is very tough to destroy and is very dangerous to almost all other fish. Even bleach can't kill it. You will probably need to get rid of your tank, fish net and all other gear.