BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Sick Betta, Need Help FAST

Tie, my beautiful blue betta boy is sick. It started out with a little bit of a whitish patch near his gill. A round of Bettafix took care of it. Now, a month later, he's completly covered in it. He's pale, not very active, wont flare, his fins seem to look melted together, not pretty like they used to be, and he is very skittish when I put my hand anywhere near his tank (He'll swim away really fast and bump into the sides of his tank, then will go behind his plant and rest on the bottom). He isn't eating like he used to, and the Bettafix hasn't helped any. Im trying raising the temp in his tank a bit, and I think he's a little less lethargic, though it's hard to tell.

Any ideas on whats plaguing my baby or how to help him? I'm starting to think he might be getting old... he was the biggest at the pet store when I bought him <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

So Worried!

Megs

Ive looked at some pics of different diseases, and it doesnt look like ich, velvet or body fungus, but maybe the pics were misleading. I still need an answer

Hi Mega, if you're like me these last few days you're checking back for some answers. I am very new to Bettas myself (a week today lol) but mine developed fungus yesterday. Fungus is fluffy whitish-grey patches, and Ich is more like spots if that helps you any. Our betta was also bumping the tank and very agitated before I really noticed the problem. Sorry, that's all I know... hopefully someone else who knows their stuff will tell you more.

Thanks. Right now I have him in the little cup they come in at walmart, floating in his tank with bettafix.... i heard that table salt isnt bad for them and can substitute aquarium salt (bad betta mom... dont have any aquarium salt!)... the pics of body fungus that I saw looked like mold... maybe thats what threw me off... but im thinking its the fungus... ugh.... no to time get to the pet store before next weekend... if the betta fix doesnt kick in, i might have another dead betta... My red boy was a jumper, and i didnt catch him :'( so i have a new red boy, and i leave the lids down lol! Will keep updated

I don't know about the table salt Mega... I think I read non-iodized but I believe most table salt is iodized. I hope all goes well with your little guy.

hi there
dont use table salt its not the same personally i have never used salt and i have never had finrot ,ick, or anything (touch wood) all i have ever done with my bettas is weekly water changes no matter what and i use 1 gallon bowls.although when i bought one of my bettas he was very sick and i used jungle fungus eliminator once. As directed on the bottle (it also helps ...cotton fungus,red sores,gray skin,fish bloat,mouth rot,white film on eyes,red streaks on fins and swim bladder disease.)i used this product once and he was fine for another 7 months,sadly he passed away:( a few weeks ago but at least was given a chance <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> all my others have been fine <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> i hope this helps.

Hello Mega..welcome to the forum ! Hope we can help you out with your little guy... <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Is this white stuff fuzzy? If it is it's a fungus and bettafix is a fungus medication so it should help...though for especially tuff crops of fungus you may have to go to a stronger fungus med...However...NO table salt ! You need to pick up some aquarium salt when possible and start with 1 teasp per gallon of water and gradually add more each day up to 3 teasp per gallon as suggested in another thread.

Clean fresh water is always a good thing..but when treating with bettafix you aren't supposed to do water changes....however, IF you have another bowl of the same size and you add bettafix to that when you put it in the fish's bowl...then you can pop him over into the clean bowl every couple of days...and fix up another clean bowl with the proper amount of bettafix in it for another change if necessary. That way you can get rid of whateve is multiplying in his bowl which will keep the levels down and help him recover.

Keep looking online for a picture which resembles the issue you are having with him...I know there are some illness that can cause a slimy milky looking coating to cover a fish, but I have never had to deal with anything like that so I couldn't help you much if it were something like that.

All the best, do come back and let us know how he's doing !

The stuff thats covering him doesnt look fuzzy like what I've seen. When I came to check on him this morning, it looked like some of whatever it is has come off because his water was cloudy.
I wont be able to get any other treatments for him until the 29th...

His appetite has come back, thank god... gives me a little hope.

Will keep y'all posted


Megs

Ugh, the horror never stops... add fin rot to the list... <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Good luck with him, Mega... will keep my fingers crossed for you. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />