Betta Fish Facts

Most people get fish because they are easy to care for and maintain. And there is no better fish, example wise than a betta fish since they are just about as hardy as a goldfish. Because of this, many people won't maintain their siamese fighting fish as well as they should. If you are one of those people that don't do things like cleaning your fish tank on a regular basis, then it is possible for your beta to get Fin Rot, a horrible disease that can be fatal. It actually affects all freshwater tropical fish.Let's discuss this for a second.

First of all, Fin Rot is a bacterial infection and thus could be easily prevented by simply regularly making sure the tank's water is clean. It is as easy as that. Think about this for a second. If you didn't have a toilet in your home and was forced to use the bathroom in your bedroom, do you think eventually that you would catch some form of bacterial infection?

Well, in a betta's world, the water is his bedroom. If you don't clean the water on a regular basis, then your betta fish will be swimming around in an unsanitary environment....fish feces and uneaten food particles. So the bottom line is that if you can keep the water clean, then you will be able to prevent Fin Rot and will likely never experience this.

If you have your Betta in a fish bowl or some other environment that is smallish, then it is absolutely important to keep the water clean. Since fin rot is due to an unsanitary environment, if you aren't using a filter or heater, then chances are that you will need to change the water out weekly and in the very least bi-weekly. Of course, the more frequently you change the water out, the more differientations in pH and temperature you will have which will stress out your betta even more (which is why you should go ahead and invest in a fish tank with a heater and filter). That is another story altogether though.

How to Treat Fin Rot

First, you need to determine if Fin Rot is the cause of your Betta's troubles. The easiest way to determine this is to do a test for the amount of ammonia in your fish tank. Ammonia is a by product of your Betta's feces. Any more than a pH of 7.0 for ammonia and you have a toxic recipe for a floating fish. Of course, ammonia even in the smallest of amounts can become an issue.

Once you have determined that Fin Rot is indeed the culprit, then you will need to start the treatment process. If you have caught it quick and early, the treatment can be as easy as simply changing out the water and if you have a gravel bed, changing out the gravel as well. You can also make the area less "hospitable" to bacterial organisms by adding a little aquarium salt to your tank. Aquarium salt will help speed up recovery. If you are going to use aquarium salt, a good preventative dose is usually 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon to every gallon of water....if your fish is already sick, you can up this to 1 teaspoon.

In really bad Fin Rot cases, you will most likely need to medicate the fish. Jungle Fungus Eliminator is one of the medications that most Betta Fish owners use. However, there are other medications that you can try as alternatives. These include:

• Tetracycline
• Maracyn
• Minicycline
  

You can use these two together along with other sulfur medications.

Once recovery has started, you can add Bettafix or MelaFix to the equation. Many Betta fish owners actually use BettaFix as the primary medication for treating fin rot. However, if your betta is suffering from an acute case of fin rot, you will likely need to treat with the above medications and move onto bettafix after the fact. BettaFix is great for helping your betta regenerate new fin tissue after the fact. If you are going to use MelaFix, then you will want to add 10 drops per gallon. If you use BettaFix, use 1/2 teaspoon for each gallon.

It is also important to understand that fin rot can be a real problem if you have more than one fish, as this bacterial infection can spread between fish. In other words, if your betta fish is suffering from fin rot, then the other fish you have in the tank could have it as well and should be treated to keep this condition from coming back.

What to do After Fin Rot has been Eradicated

Obviously the best way to prevent fin rot is to make sure that your betta is swimming in clean water. Trust me, once you have gone through this process, chances are great that you will never want to go through it again. Taking a little time out of your life every week to change the water will ensure that you betta fish will never get this dilapidating disease. And for god's sake.....buy an aquarium if you don't own one. You can usually find pretty good deals on Craig's list if the money is an issue.

Betta Fish and Siamese Fighting Fish

Labels: betta fish diseases