Unusual Betta problem  11/16/08 Hello. I'm having a problem with my Betta that I've never encountered in my 4 years in the hobby (I know it doesn't sound like much, but I've seen a lot working in the pet industry). I've tried all sorts of searches online but I can't seem to find anything like it. First, I'll give you some background info. <Please> I have a 10 gallon tank that has been set up for about 3 months. Up until recently, it housed only two male Bettas (with a divider, don't worry!) and whatever Malaysian trumpet snails managed to find their way in there. It has live plants (mainly java fern, water sprite, and a couple species of Anubias) and a small filter. The nitrates have never been above 20, the ammonia and nitrite have steadily been zero for two months, pH is 7.4-7.6, KH is 3 degrees, and GH is 4 degrees. The Bettas were quite content until I pulled some stupid moves. First, I came into possession of a couple baby platies, and was keeping them temporarily in a 2.5 gallon tank. I needed a heater, and the only one I had was in the Betta tank, so I pulled it out thinking the temperature wouldn't drop below 72. I was wrong... it went from 76 to about 68 over a couple days. I was concerned at first, but the Bettas seemed fine, no change in behavior, so I didn't really worry about it at the time. <Mmm, such a stress can/does show up later...> About a week after that, I decided to move my 6 Danios from my 20 gallon tank to the 10 gallon tank, 3 on each side of the divider. I kept an eye on the water chemistry, and other than a 5 ppm raise in nitrates everything stayed the same. I replaced the heater in the tank as well, and the temperature went back up to 76. I knew my Danios were rather boisterous, and I tried to put the most boisterous ones with the Betta that I thought was the tougher of the two. Considering all the stressors I introduced, I'm not surprised that one of my Bettas got sick. However, it's the illness itself, not the cause, that has me befuddled. I first noticed that his gills were hanging slightly open and he was breathing heavily. He would come to the top to eat, but the rest of the time just lay on the bottom. I assumed it was probably a bacterial infection of sorts brought on by stress, and I set up my 2.5 gallon tank as a hospital tank. I put a heater in it, got the temperature to 76, put 1/2 tablespoon of aquarium salt in it, and let it run overnight with an air stone. I transferred him this morning. Tonight, I came home, added .5 ml of Melafix, <Mmm, not a fan> and attempted to feed him. He was VERY interested in food, and practically attacked it... however, he couldn't seem to even get it in his mouth, and that's the bit that has me stumped. It's not like he takes it and spits it back out, it's like he can't even open his mouth enough to get it in. I tried a variety of foods, including flakes and daphnia, and he barely got anything in his mouth. He would lunge after it and end up just pushing it around. It's like Betta lockjaw! I've never seen anything like it, and it's frustrating me. He seems like he would have a great prognosis for recovery if it weren't for the fact that he can't eat -- he's active and interested in food. I'm just wondering what could be causing this? <Could be pathogenic> My best guess is a bacterial infection, but nothing looks red or swollen, he's just skinny, his gills don't close completely, and he can't open his mouth. I even managed to peek into his gills with a flashlight when he had them flared, and they didn't appear swollen at all. In fact, they looked like all the pictures of fish gills I've seen in the text books, healthy pink but not inflamed red or anything. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I don't want to have to euthanize him, but if the treatments don't work I'm worried he faces slow starvation. Thanks, Tamla <Given the symptoms you describe, the course of exposure to other life, am guessing that this may be an instance of Flukes... Please read here re: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/flukesfwf.htm and further on the Net re monogenetic Trematodes. Bob Fenner>

Internal parasites: white, stringy feces, Betta 10/16/06 Hello Wet Web Media crew, <Hello there - this is Jorie> First off, let me just say I love the site, it is extremely informative... <I've learned so much from this site!> ...but I'm a tiny tiny bit stumped on this little' problem with my female Betta.  She has the "white, stringy feces" sign of internal parasites... <Yes, you've likely correctly identified what's going on.>   I am currently using "Parasite Clear - Tank Buddies" by Jungle Brand "With Praziquantel!" as quoted on the box as it had been recommended to me by a few sources.  Unfortunately, to no result (as far as I can tell - of course, one never knows if maybe the resultant white stringy feces may be the dead worms leaving the body, as they seem to be passing much quicker than other cases of this I've had in the past without any meds) <I've found that internal medicated food is the best/only way to successfully treat internal parasites.  Jungle makes one called "Pepso", and you can also find medicated flakes here: http://flguppiesplus.safeshopper.com/234/cat234.htm?380 > Ok, on to the informative stuff.  I have a 29 gallon acrylic planted tank containing 6 Otocinclus, 1 normally striped male dwarf Gourami, and one "fire red" male dwarf Gourami (which may be a morph of the honey dwarf Gourami, but no one seems to know for sure) and previously 3 female Bettas as well as numerous Malaysian trumpet snails and Ramshorn snails and the occasional pond snail (pond snails, when discovered,  find themselves on a magical journey to the male Betta tank for algae control, as he refuses the company of algae eating fish)  My ammonia is 0, nitrites currently are 0 (but are occasionally at .05)... <Nitrites need to be a zero when live fish are in the picture...> PH 7.8, temp 84 when the lights are on, 82 at night. <May want to drop the temp. a degree or two...also, try to minimize that temp. swing from day to night...> I am using a Whisper 30 hang over the back filter with no carbon, but the bio-filter is in, and I use no aeration or CO2. <No "aeration"? I'd suggest adding an air pump or two to get some oxygen into the water...> So, anyway...  My "Ruby" female Betta has been having some white stringy feces hanging out of her anus, so I moved her into a hospital tank (5gl)... <Thank goodness - I was just about to ask if you isolated her! I'm so glad you did...> ...and added aquarium salt to the water (1 tsp/2gl) and used a dose of the Praziquantel med tabs described above. <I'd suggest running carbon and doing water changes to get the present medication out, then switching to the medicated food...>   I also medicated the main tank... ...<WHY? I was so happy to hear to had used a QT tank...you do realize you likely destroyed your nitrogen cycle, so keep a very close eye on ammonia, nitrite and nitrates...I'd suggest testing daily until everything has spiked and lowered...> before doing a 90(ish)% (I got as much water out as possible, but it's almost impossible to get it ALL out without removing everything and letting it air dry for 6 days) to try to remove any possible eggs or whatever and scrubbed the driftwood, rinsed the filter pad (though on reflection, I possibly should have just changed it, and maybe scrubbed the filter itself?), <I'd suggest changing the filter pad - if nothing else, you want to remove any residual medication.  Do keep a close eye on everyone else...> ...put everything back - everyone seems fine, but I popped in the meds as a precautionary measure just in case they happened to have caught it anyway and I hate to lose fish... <It's never a good idea to "preventatively" medicate.  It's much better to do more water changes.  I do understand your fear, though, as my 29 gal. recently was exposed to parasites, and I just yesterday ended up breaking the whole thing down...all remaining fish are in QT.  Anyway, enough about me:-)> The sick fish is eating well enough and is not showing horizontal "fright lines" yet, though she is not as fat as the other females are (though she is lowest on the totem pole, so that could be normal), but she definitely still has the white stringy feces showing now and again - though not constantly, and certainly not for days at a time.  My question is, is this Praziquantel stuff in fact the correct medication for this particular parasite, and, could she possibly be expelling dead worms, and be "on the mend" so to speak? <Not likely - a sign of continued infestation.  Try the medicated food - that's probably just what she needs.  If she needs incentive to eat it, try soaking it in a couple of drops of Kent's Garlic Xtreme.   AND, if it just so happens that I've been giving her the wrong meds, what would you recommend I get, as I'm beginning to believe that I should medicate my females whenever I get a new one for this particular infestation, as I believe the supplier feeds his Bettas live black worms or other live foods and gives them all horrible parasites.  (look like crap in the store, beautiful in my tank..  sigh) <No, do not medicate unless you see active signs of illness.  DO quarantine all new fish, especially in light of the info. about what these fish are fed.  Maybe consider keeping them in QT 2 mos. or so (longer than usual), just to be safer.>   Oh, yes, I do not feed my fish live foods. <Glad to hear that.  I don't either.>   I feed them Betta Bites (for the Bettas) and TetraMin Tropical Crisps for the gouramis, so I'm assuming I'm not the one introducing these parasites. <Likely you are not.  Try alternating their diets with frozen bloodworms and Mysis shrimp - they'll be ecstatic! My Bettas go nuts for those treats, and since they aren't live (I use the Hikari brand), there's no risk of parasites.  Fish do need some variety in their diet.> Alright, I hope I've covered all the basic info you will need to (hopefully) help me with this...  (in my long, rambling writing style - I hope I haven't bored you to tears yet)  And if you need any more info, please let me know and I will be more than happy to tell you anything I can. <LOL! You write just like I do - I can relate! No, I'm not bored at all - more info. is better.  Hopefully I've helped you!> Thank you very much in advance, Alyssa <You are welcome.  Jorie>

Internal parasites: white, stringy feces PART 2 - 10/18/06 Thank you, Jorie, for replying.  :) <You're welcome.> Well, as an update:  I did not get the medicated foods, as they don't seem to carry them at my LFS (oddly...  I'm in Seattle...  I'll check around) <I've had trouble finding medicated foods locally as well.  Try http://www.drsfostersmith.com or http://www.flguppiesplus.com > But, on the bright side of things, Ol' Ruby seems to be fattening up just a little (I've been over-feeding her just a little to see if she would or not.  I'm assuming that this would be a good way to check for parasites, as she would likely not fatten up?  I'm a little afraid I'll give her dropsy, though...) <Probably not a good idea to overfeed...just so long as you are feeding a small amount of quality food (e.g., Hikari, Spectrum New Life pellets, frozen bloodworms, Mysis shrimp, etc., as previously mentioned> Anyhow, and the good news is, I haven't seen any white stringy poops in a few days. <Great!> I did a good water change of the hospital tank to remove anything in there, and she's kicking around like she's bored to tears, checking out the plastic ornaments and the boys (hospital tank is right next to the boys' divided tank)  But I'm thinking of keeping her in quarantine for another week or two before I let her back in the main tank, and I'd like to find the medicated foods...  as of course, internal parasites seem to be a problem from my suppliers. <I think that's a great plan - can't hurt to "over" quarantine.  Keep up with the water changes, and I really would try to find the med. food online.>   Ok, that settled my main question - Praziquantel, probably good...  but better as a food additive. <Yes...the medicated foods I am most familiar with contain Metronidazole, though...> Maybe it helped that I would dose the tank, and then feed her?   <I don't want to suggest the external meds don't work, it's just usually that the medicated food is more effective.  But hey, if the symptoms are gone, that's all that matters, right?! Keep an eye out, though, as discussed above...> lol...  and maybe that she would pick at it.  Anyway, the rest of my tank seems to be healthy, no one seems to care that I drained the tank, re-did everything and put everyone back sans one female Betta. <Perhaps they enjoyed the distraction? I find my Bettas like it when I rearrange decor occasionally...smart little fish - they do tend to get bored, as you've noted above also...> A note about the aeration:  I have quite a few plants in there, and my fish are labyrinth fishes, so an airstone would be a tad redundant, I think. <I'd suggest a powerhead instead, for water circulation sake.  The plants would likely appreciate it.  You're right, though, in the sense that the labyrinth fish do breath from the surface, but that doesn't mean they appreciate water devoid of O2...> Just my feelings...  maybe I will get an airstone eventually. But for now everyone seems to be doing excellently.  Thank you very much for the advice, as I build out my med kit:-) <Yes, good to have medication on hand.  Best of luck - sounds as though Ruby is improving - glad to hear it!  Jorie> Alyssa

Sick Beta... Betta  - 11/13/06 The active ingredients for the parasite killer was: sodium chloride, Metronidazole, Praziquantel, its called jungle fish health internal parasite guard. <A good product> The only things that were in the tank was gravel and a live plant, but he has been in a separate tank for a bit now with only some gravel so I don't know what kind of poisoning it could be. <Mmm, many possibilities... household cleaners, aerosols, a bug flying in...> The bad thing is that he has another symptoms: slightly raised scales just around the swollen abdomen. <Ascites... "bloat", dropsy> The question is should I euthanize him or can I treat him? <Mmm, yes> I really don't want to kill him because I know that they can get over dropsy, but probably not if I can't figure out the problem and treat it, and I do not want to make him suffer. Thanks for your quick reply. Hope I can help him. <At this juncture, a broad spectrum antibiotic... BettaMax would be my choice... You have read on WWM re Betta Disease? Bob Fenner>

Bloated Betta  - 08/26/06 Good evening.  I have a Wal-Mart special female Betta that I purchased about 6 months ago.  Originally I had her in a very large (5 gal equivalent) bowl, and then moved her into a 46 gallon community tank about a month ago.  She seemed much happier in the larger tank, and got along well with the other fish (few platys and tetras).  3 days ago, I noticed that her abdomen was starting to swell.  I assumed she had over eaten, and just kept an eye on her.  This morning when I went to feed, she was floating on her side at the top of the tank, and her abdomen appeared extremely swollen.  Today was also the first day she appeared to be in distress.  She has no missing scales, and the swelling is not malformed.  I removed her immediately and put her into a small bowl with the same tank water and a little salt.  I tested the water in the tank, and it was normal (for my tank) at 78 degrees, and exactly 7.0 ph.  All other fish appear healthy and no new fish have been added.   I left for work expecting to return home to a dead fish, but she did not pass on during the day.  She is in very much the same condition, only now her breathing appears labored (not gasping - but deeper in the water than normal).  She is still floating on either side, and will flail to get air from the surface.  She has not eaten since last night, and I am at a loss.   I noticed that between her bottom fins, there is a small white soft-looking mass (possibly anus area???) no bigger than a pen dot.   Can I save her?  What is your opinion of the trouble?  I feel helpless right now.  Please empower me to understand the issue, so I can ensure if it is my fault, that it doesn't happen again. I sincerely appreciate your time in advance, Amber < Sounds like you Betta has an internal infection. This is usually caused by stress, like too hot, too cold, wrong food, dirty water etc.. It can be treated with Metronidazole and Nitrofuranace with a little salt.  Some aquarists have had some success with Clout. Early treatment is the key to a complete recovery.-Chuck>

Cut Lip and maybe Chilodonella First I have to say this site has been a godsend to my little guy and me.  Background. I've had Buttah the Betta a month. He lives in a 1 gallon tank with two plants, some gravel and his best friend the thermometer. He loves to swim around and around and around the bottom of it. The tank does fluctuate about 2 degrees at night, but I keep it as constant an 80 degree environment as possible. I half cover his tank with a black towel at night so he can get some sleep, but the light still heats him (and he can see me. I treat the water with either Betta Plus or Betta Basics bowl conditioner, as well as aquarium salt with each water change. His pH is a constant 6.8 to 7. I do a 5% water change with every meal, siphoning out the missed bits and his pottyposits. I replace the water very slowly with pre-prepped water that I always keep on hand. I do a 30 - 50% change every 3 days and a 100% every 7. 4 Days ago I bought a snail for his tank, just cuz, and slowly introduced it. He seemed to think it a cool enough companion, nudging and watching it, but within 24 hours snail was dead. I removed it, (he missed it immediately) siphoned off all the debris from the floor and did an 80% water change, but I noticed that Buttah was acting very itchy all of a sudden. I saw no overt indication of anything wrong other than his sudden twitches and rushes, but I kept a close eye on him reading up on parasites here. I am afraid he may have contracted Chilodonella? <Where would this have vectored from?> His colour is fine, but he has extended moments of lethargy, just lying on the gravel, most unlike him, and exhibits strained breathing, not the regular underwater yawn before a surface, but his gills pumping hard enough to make him rock while at rest. He is a surface kinda guy, sleeping on a leaf near the top of his tank. He loves to literally race around his tank in the same pattern over and over, but he has never shown this kind of strained breathing before. His appetite is still good. He prefers frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and daphnia over all flakes, pellets and freeze dried. Actually, he won't even look at these. So I thaw and warm the frozen food then drop it into his tank with tweezers at feeding. At breakfast this morning he jumped at the tweezers and clipped his bottom lip, HARD. I do not think he tore it, but it is swollen and ever so slightly *pouty*. He did not seem phased at first, but then he began rushing at the surface and gulping the air when he took it, then he swam away frenzied. I am afraid surface breathing was painful for him and he became lethargic and withdrawn all day even resting on the gravel and clamping his fins for a while. I was not sure if it was his lip or the above mentioned discomfort. I did a 100% water change (He has a 1/2 gallon holding tank with a plant that I keep prepped and warm for 100% changes and emergency, so he is content in there while his 1 gallon settles over night.) He has perked up, but sometimes he still looks like he is having trouble breathing and occasionally he hiccups??? <This behavior is natural...> Very Concerned. The way I feel about this little gut is the only difference between him and a puppy is you can pet the puppy. He seems brighter, but he still settles onto the bottom as if just too exhausted to play or he races around suddenly like he is trying to shake something off. His color is good, (though his face seems a little pale), his fins are not clamped and he is 80% his usual hellion self, but he is still twitching and itching, or so it seems. I am taking a water sample into my LFS tomorrow and I will be picking up some Maracide and some Beta Fix, as well as an ammonia kit. Can the Betta Fix and Maracide be used together? Is there anything I can do for his lip?? It looks so uncomfortable. Thank you in advance for whatever help you give, even if is a hyperlink to the appropriate page.  Kate <You show good care and great compassion for your Betta friend... I doubt if it is encountering Chilodonella or other parasitic disease... these come from other fish, live foods... Very likely the hard breathing et al. stemmed from the dead snail incident... these often are "doomed" to not recover... and the wound from the tweezers should heal in time. I would just continue with the good care you list and all should be fine. One last note, warning to you to keep the water level down a few inches to prevent Buttah from jumping out altogether. Bob Fenner> 
Re: Cut Lip and maybe Chilodonella Update Hi Bob, (or crew member if Bob is busy elsewhere.) *waves, big smile* I sent a quick thank you reply to your swift response saying things were well with Buttah the Betta, but I may have jumped the gun. He was wonderful when I left for work this morning, swimming happily around his clean 1G tank, treated with its 2 drops of Melafix and 1 of Maracide. He ate a decent, (not overfed) meal and I headed off to work. When I came home I thought at first he was just happy to see me, but then I realized that although he *was* happy I was home he was/is also itching like crazy, bouncing off his plants and thermometer then centering in his tank to stare at me and just twitch and twitch. Not Buttah behaviour at all. Staring at me, yes, twitching like a demented neurotic, no. As I mentioned in my first e-mail, he looks almost as if he has the hiccups. His fins appear fine and undamaged so far. When he is not swimming and twitching he rests on his leaf, but when he decides to move about, t he cycle begins again. Slam, twitch, bump, twitch. He seems to be favouring his left gill, knocking it into the plants more than anything else, although his right one gets a good knock on occasion too. I checked his gills when he was flaring and they look fine but after all if I can see the parasite, I think he'd be in real trouble. As you felt the snail that died would not have transmitted Chilodonella, might he just be high-strung (ya think?) and could it be Ick? If so, I can try to slowly get his tank up to 82 - 85 degrees, as well as his replacement water, but as Ick lives in all waters wouldn't upping his water changes be counter productive by adding to his stress level? <I would skip adding any more "Fix", but keep up the Maracide treatment, raise temperature and mix in half a teaspoon of salt> And how long does it usually take for this parasite to clear up? <IF it is a parasite, a week or so> I read somewhere (perhaps even one of the pages on this site) to treat until all behaviour and symptoms are gone and then for another ten days just to be on the safe side. Poor guy, I am sure he would just like his normal life back. I always siphon any replacement waters back into his tank very slowly, as if it were a normal, slow running stream in nature, so I intend to do a slow, stress-less 20 - 30% replacement with treated water before I go to bed this evening and I am willing to do so everyday if need be but if you feel it is too much please advise. Oh, and btw, his lip is already looking *much* better.  Again my thanks in advance for any help you may offer.  <Stay the course here... all should work out. Bob Fenner>
Re: Cut Lip and maybe Chilodonella Cut Lip and maybe Chilodonella Reply:  "I am afraid he may have contracted Chilodonella?" <Where would this have vectored from?> I had feared he might have contracted it from the snail. Thank you for your reassurances, Mr. Fenner. <...One last note, warning to you to keep the water level down a few inches to prevent Buttah from jumping out altogether. Bob Fenner> LOL, thanks again. Yes, he is a feisty wee lad. I always keep a good amount of space at the top of his tanks, about an inch in his holding tank and 1.5 in his regular. Both of these are lidded, the lids only ever up when I am feeding him or seated beside the tank. I am treating his tank with Melafix (decided against Beta Fix) for the week just in case he actually did tear that lip, but he seems 100% back to his happy and healthy self.  Thanks Again: Kate <Ah, you're welcome my friend. Bob Fenner>
Re: Cut Lip and maybe Chilodonella Upset - Take...? Hey crew, sorry to be such a pest. This is an update of the earlier update and I am afraid my wee guy is really sick. How can he go from so happy and healthy to so sick so fast!? <There are infectious diseases (bacterial mainly) that can act quickly... though most complaints are environmental in origin> I am sure it was that snail.  His banging into his thermometer has bruised his side, his fins are already beginning to fray, his colour, though his fins are still iridescent, is grey and his fins are clamped and all this since 6 PM PST. I am fighting the tears as he is just so damned uncomfortable and I am afraid he has something really aggressive and may lose him over night. I mean, what the heck happened between my going to work this AM and now? Could he be reacting to the Maracide and the MelaFix? <Yes... particularly the latter> I am grasping at straws here. Help? I have read all I can absorb without popping and do not want to over treat him. I feel so blasted helpless. Kate <Not much more you can/could do Kate. Bob Fenner>

Re: Buttah the Betta is dying Hey Crew, hope you had not too crazy a day with people inundating you with questions. Where would any of us be without all of you? <Where we are... perhaps with a bit less knowledge, solace> I know it is what you are here for but it has to be tough. I sent you 3 mails yesterday alone. Sadly Buttah seems to be declining. Last night he turned the most god awful shade of grey and just rested on his ventrals gasping. I have no idea what brought this on other than perhaps a reaction to the drop of Maracide (for what I now know was obviously some kind of evil parasite and the 2 drops of Melafix for his cut lip in his clean, prepped, 1G tank. As I mentioned, he *was* what I thought to be 100% when I left for work yesterday morning. He was playful, bright, good appetite, swimming about as he always does, just his usual content, happy self. When I came home he was bashing himself into his plants and his thermometer. He did eat some, (frozen blood worm and brine shrimp) but things seemed to go downhill from there prompting me to do a 30% water change with unmedicated water. (also as mentioned these are as stressless as I can make them, pH and temp. matched and a slow siphon replacement) He did perk up a tiny bit in the fresher water, but then just took to sitting at the surface on his plant where he remained without moving from 11 PM until 7 AM gasping every few minutes. I was very pleased to see him alive when I when I woke up. I was even allowed to stroke his back. This did not seem to startle him at all. He just looked up at me, sighed, woke up and swam about, twitching and twisting as if he would like to turn himself inside out. He returned to his plant to just sit and breath. ALL his fins were clamped, and I have noticed red marks at the base of his pectoral fins, (the right is worst) red spots on his gill flap (again the right) and his iridescent scales on his face (they surround his gills and his gill flap making a beautiful point on his chin) seem brighter. When he does swim, or frankly float, about he tends to flop to one side and he really is contorted as if against some hidden pain. And he is seriously gaping for air. No matter if on the surface or resting on the bottom. <I would discontinue the Melafix use... this material is starting to make me feel less than simply uneasy... TOO many cases of it seeming to be responsible for troubles. Am sending these notes to Aquarium Pharmaceuticals (Manufacturer)... the old owners are friends of mine and appreciate input.> As stresslessly as I could I have returned him to his 1/2 quarantine/holding tank. Like his 1G, this water is steady 80, but it has not got any Melafix or Maracide in it. It has a touch of extra Betta Basic Water Conditioner (1/8th tsp) and a hint more salt. (1/16th tsp). It was prepped 48 hours before placing him in it. In half an hour he had gone from sitting on the bottom or floating on the top 85% of the time, he looking like he is battling a swim bladder issue, to being brighter and more interactive. But he is still gasping, tilting, very lethargic and his breathing is still strained. He also periodically slides backwards, going vertical even coming to rest on his tail. I know I read something about that here on the site but I am typing this in a rush to get to work and do not have time to go looking. If moving him to the smaller tank is any indication, God willing, maybe there is hope for him. I am seriously beside myself about this as he appeared perfectly fine yesterday morning aside from mild itching and as I mentioned what seemed like hiccups. I am convinced it was that wretched snail and I somehow introduced something wicked into the larger tank. I am not going to feed him this morning as I think that could be counter productive and I doubt he has an appetite. I swear he prefers this smaller tank and, if he survives whatever this is, I may just make it his permanent one. Bigger does not seem to be better in Buttah's case. I have been reading up on velvet, on Ich, on septicemia and am frankly more confused now than helped. (okay, he just leapt out of his tank, I did not have the lid down. I immediately scooped him back in and closed it but now he is nose diving, falling over, floating on his back. God what am I to do!?)  I do hope one of you can find the time to get back to me on this matter today although I am afraid he is dying before my eyes. I am so thankful for this site. Sending this off with an aching heart, sincerely, Kate <STOP using the Melafix. Bob Fenner>
Re: Buttah Didn't Make it Sadly Buttah died not five minutes ago. No, wait, there is still some very minor gill activity and he is still gasping. I am still at a loss as to what happened. I sent 2 follow up e-mails after this one but I hold little or no hope at this time. Thanks all the same, my friend. =:( Kate <Very sorry to hear of your and your Betta's plight. Bob F>

Rod-like fins on Betta Hi Robert, <Nelly... my mother's name...> I have a sick Betta with rod-like fins and tail. (As far, this is the best site I found). <Yikes... sounds very much like "Anchor Worm"... a copepod parasite... please see the pix here: Yucky Anchor Worm>  About ten months ago I got 3 male Bettas: blue, turquoise and purple. The blue one (the most beautiful) died soon after I got them. The fins and tail looked rod-like. When I showed the sick fish to the man in the pet store from where the Betta came, he told me that he never seen such a disease.  However he suggested trying BettaFix which I did with no results. <Mmm, no... a sort of anti-microbial... not useful against metazoans... you want an organophosphate (yes, like the insecticides)> Then after a few months the purple Betta was in the same condition. I had Melafix by that time and after only one treatment she was fine. Miraculously the fins had opened again like a mantel. At that time I was not aware that BettaFix and Melafix are the same thing (Melaleuca-or tea tree oil) only in different concentration, so you need more drops from the weaker solution. <Yes... both Aquarium Pharmaceutical's products> Now the turquoise Betta is sick for about 2 weeks with the same symptoms.  None of the BettaFix has helped him. He eats does not get better. He does not move very much around and his color is fading. I do not think this is fin rot because the fins are there [and] he just [can't] open them. I keep each Betta in one-gallon cylindrical glass container, use Aquarium salt, Stress Coat Water Conditioner and change the water frequently, so never gets polluted. The temperature is in the high 70s Fahrenheit. There are not small heaters on the market to be used for 1-gallon container, but I have underneath a heating pad that provides the right temperature. <Good> The water test shows ideal for pH, Chlorine, Ammonia, Nitrates and Nitrites. To reduce the amount of the stress I also have a piece of cardboard between the glass vases so they fight only when I remove the cardboard. I think that in nature they fight, but only if there is an intruder (which can not be all the time).  <Good move> Is it possible to identify the disease by looking at the photo in the attachment? <Mmm, the attachment would not load through Hotmail... Argggghhhh... Would you kindly try re-sending it to here, the WWM mail server?> I have showed the picture with the sick Betta to people in several fish stores around and nobody knows about it. What should I do to save this courageous boy? <Treat with Dimilin, DTHP/Masoten/Dylox/Neguvon... these active ingredients... IS sold for pet-fish use by several names...> Thank you so much for you comprehensive site. Nelly <Getting better by bits and pieces. Bob Fenner> 

Constipated Betta? I emailed you all about a week ago and was telling you what was wrong with our Betta here at work.   <Yes, I recall, Sandra.  Hope all is well with you.> He is going on five years old and for the last couple weeks, he hasn't been himself. I have not seen him eat in over a week. And he has been doing nothing but laying on the rocks on the bottom.   <I'm very sorry to hear that.> He shows no signs of any diseases.  Yesterday, we put a new lily in his vase because the old one was dying <Ahh, this could very well have been what was making him feel unwell before; have you tested ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?  I'd bet ammonia was elevated with decaying plant material.> and today he has been more active except he has a white string (I think feces) hanging out of his belly.   <Often a sign of internal parasites or constipation.> His belly is a little swollen but it seems maybe he is trying to pass feces now. Its really gross. It looks like a white blob hanging out from his abdomen. He is just severely constipated? <A strong possibility, yes.> I tried feeding him a pea but he wont eat anything. <Try feeding him daphnia, perhaps, or other foods of high roughage content (like the pea you tried), as it might help him pass the blockage.  Uh, also, just a thought - did you squeeze the shell off the pea?  If not, try that again.  Another thing to try is adding Epsom salts, at a rate of one tablespoon to ten gallons (so about a teaspoon to three gallons, go down from there, depending on the size of his tank).  Hopefully this will do the trick.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina.> Sandra Taylor

(Still) Constipated Betta? Hello again, <Hi Sandra, Sabrina here again> Henry (our Betta) is still not doing good. His belly seems to be swollen more. <Yikes, I'm sorry to hear that.> Maybe he has internal parasites instead of constipation.   <It is possible, but there might be other causes/solutions too, especially at his age (five years, right?) - most importantly, are his scales sticking out, pinecone fashion?> What should we treat him with?   <*If* it's a parasitic infection, "Discomed" manufactured by Aquatronics is a good medicine to help out.  It is administered via food, just follow the directions on the box.  But, I must say, it may very well not be a parasitic infection; though that is a strong possibility (if it's not simply constipation), there are a few bacterial infections that may cause such a condition, as well.  Again, of some importance - are his scales sticking out?> He still has white stuff coming out of his belly and it is really swollen. I haven't put salt in his bowl yet. <Please do add Epsom salts, this really, really may help.> Should we do that for parasites? <In either case, it may help - certainly worth a shot.> There is only almost a gallon of water in his bowl , that's all. Not sure how much salt to put in. <Well, general rule of thumb is one tablespoon per ten gallons, so it comes to right around one third of a teaspoon for one gallon.  Mix it into a small cup of water from his bowl, then pour it in.> Please Advise Back <I do hope your little guy overcomes this!  Please keep in touch.  -Sabrina>
(Still) Constipated Betta, II Hi Sabrina, <Hi, Sandra> No. Henry's scales are not sticking out <Good> but he has clamped fins. And he has a constant string of (poop?) hanging on him (hope its not worms, it is white) and now he stays at the top of the bowl instead of the bottom and he seems to be gasping for air. <Could still be constipation, could be intestinal parasites, or possibly internal bacterial infection.> I still haven't seen him eat. I will try to add the salt today and hopefully it may help. If not, I will try the medication you suggested. <If you try the Discomed, perhaps try it with either live brine shrimp or frozen bloodworms, hopefully these will be irresistible foods to your Betta....> I will keep in touch and let you know how he is doing. <Yes, please.  I'll keep my fingers crossed!> Thanks for your advice!!  Sandra Taylor <Any time, Sandra.  I do hope your old timer Betta can recover.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>
(Still) Constipated Betta, III Hi Sabrina, <Hello again, Sandra> I could not find the "Discomed" at my pet store, I did find some stuff called "Myacin", it is supposed to treat bacterial infections. It is an antibiotic called Erythromycin.   <Mm, I generally do not recommend erythromycin except in cases where one can be relatively certain of what bacteria you're dealing with, since erythromycin is only effective against gram-positive bacteria.  It may be helpful in your case, it may not.> What I am wondering is if it is ok to use it now since I already put the salt in??? <Should be just fine.> Or do I need to do a water change and then put the "Myacin" in? It is a capsule and you just put the powder in the water. One table per 10 gallons of water, so should I only use about a pinch? <For this or any other antibiotic to be effective, it really must be administered in an accurate dose - I do recall one good, broad-spectrum antibiotic called "BettaMax" that might be more useful to you, especially with its directions for dosing Betta containers - it is a blend of sulfa drugs and Nitrofurazone, I believe, and I know I've seen it at large chain pet stores.> We only put a pinch of salt in. I cant tell yet if it is helping him. <You used Epsom salts, right?  You can use a whole third of a teaspoon, and it won't hurt if you go over that a bit.  This will help him by relieving pressure of fluid build-up, and help him pass any blockage, if he's constipated.  Really, no disadvantages.> I really feel like he has an infection because his area where he poops is all swollen. <It could still be any one of those three possibilities - constipation, internal parasites, or internal bacteria - though I am starting to think it is probably not simply constipation.  Ooh, another thing you can look for to try - see if you can find "Pepso Food", made by Jungle Labs - this is geared to be used as a precautionary measure against internal parasites in newly acquired fish, but it also has some antibacterial properties, might be worth a shot, in either case.  Here's a link to Jungle's info on Pepso Food, so you can see what it looks like: http://www.junglelabs.com/pages/details.phtml?item=NJ169 .  Of course, if you can find a good quality antibacterial or antiparasitic food, that might be the best option all around. I'm am sorry to keep bothering you but I really would like to save him. <It is no bother to try to help you, don't worry about that - I'd like you to be able to save your fish as well.  Good luck, and I do hope he recovers.  -Sabrina> Thanks again,  Sandra Taylor
(Still) Constipated Betta, IV Sabrina, <Hello again!> Just wanted to let you know that Henry died last night. <Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that!> We are sad. But he was very old. <Indeed - as I recall, he was with you for five years.... very old for a Betta.  Perhaps it was just "his time".> And I'm glad he is not suffering anymore. <Of course.> But I wanted to thank you for all your advice!!! <Any time, Sandra.  I'm sorry Henry didn't recover, but at his age, it probably would have been a minor miracle if he had.  Rest assured that your Betta lived a very long, full life.  Wishing you well,  -Sabrina.> Sandra Taylor

Gyrodactylus? Re: Constipated Betta While we're at it, I'd like to ask your opinion/advice.... <Okay> A girl in the forums has been having problems with her Betta; you might recall our ongoing WWM correspondence "Constipated Betta", now on its, what, twelfth segment, I think. Anyhow, at this point, she has seen what looks like a long-ish, dark, worm-looking thing inside the Betta, either in its intestines or in the body cavity of the fish. The fish's belly is very swollen. After starting treatment with Levamisole, the fish may be improving, and has been pooing much better, although feces is sometimes clear, sometimes brown. From what I've read, this indicates Capillaria, perhaps?  <Possibly. My best guess considering the info. is some sort of nematode> I'm pretty convinced, in any case, that there's some sort of internal worm or wormlike parasite going on, here. To put a spin on things, though, she took a fecal sample to a vet that agreed to look and see what she could find; this is a first for the vet (can't imagine much fish poo goes in to vets, these days, heh). The vet apparently decided the fish has Gyrodactylus - but as far as I can find, these skin flukes would have essentially nothing to do with such a bloated belly.  <There are monogenes found elsewhere, but my guess is still a roundworm... the adults and eggs of same are very different... the Vet could give the fish a vermifuge and dislodge the adult/s...> I guess I'm getting confused, here; not sure if my texts are good on information at this point. If you might take a look at the forum link, here it is: http://wetwebfotos.com/talk/thread.jsp?forum=31&thread=15483&start=45&msRange=15 Really, only the fourth page is pertinent at this point, if you don't want to read the whole thing ;) And even then, I think I've summed it up pretty well, no real need to read it at all, unless you like, and might want to throw in your .02 worth. Sorry to bug yah.... -Sabrina <I would prescribe an Anthelminthic... and possibly Epsom. Bob Fenner>

Lucifer the Betta, feeling like the devil Hi, my name is Sara and my Bettas name is Lucifer. <sounds like a cute Betta... hehe> Over the past couple of days he has started to twitch a lot, like he is itchy. <He might have a gill parasite, which you won't be able to see.> I can't see any red or white bumps on him but this morning I woke up and his lower fin was shabby on the ends (it looks torn). <Most likely he is rubbing himself on objects to try and scrape the parasite free (which he will not be able to do).  If he is seems to be at the surface breathing a lot then it might be Chilodonella. This is a dangerous parasite that effects fish. The symptoms are excessive rubbing of skin, laboured 'breathing', loss of appetite, lethargy, clouded skin and   fish spending too much time lying dormant on the aquarium floor. Chilodonella   is a dangerous parasite because it has a wide temperature range that it can   live in, and also because symptoms don't show up until late in the disease when   it may be to late to save the fish.  Parasite medications easily treat Chilodonella - just remember to remove any   activated carbon from filter.  There are other parasites that manifest the same symptoms in fish, you can visit our freshwater Parasite section on WetWebMedia.   http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/fwfshparasites.htm> I got him from the pet shop two weeks ago. He is in a five pint vase which I have treated with complete water conditioner and I have changed half the water each week. <Water changes are a must for these fish so they don't get a body fungus or other illness due to weakened immune systems.> I feed him 1-2 freeze dried blood worms a day. The other day my partner fed him 2 mosquitoes (freshly swatted) he seemed to really like them. <Bettas are bug eaters in the wild.  They feast on mosquito larva and any other bugs they find in their ecosystem.> The temperature here (Sydney Australia) has been quite warm lately as we are  in the middle of summer. He is in a warm sunny place. I thought he might have fin rot but I couldn't find anything that explained the twitching. <Many times when the water gets warmer, the parasites and microfauna in the water start to breed faster, and this increase in the normal amount of bugs gets to much for the fishes immune system to handle.  I suggest you look at getting a larger tank for the fish, so you don't have to constantly be changing water.  Also, you can medicate the fish with Maracide or CopperSafe, Use Maracyn-Two, Maracyn, Tetracycline or TriSulfa to prevent secondary infections from bacteria> I hope the information I have given you is helpful. thank you  for taking the time to help me. Sara. <Good luck with the fish, hope he gets better.  -Magnus>

Betta Problem My son purchased a Betta about 1 month ago.  Seemed fine.  Living in tap water using drops.  For about the past week or so - the fish seems to stay on the bottom most of the time - but all of a sudden will start dashing around, jerking - almost like it's having seizures - then will settle back down to the bottom.  I don't see anything unusual on the fish itself like spots or anything.  We also have another Betta that we bought at the same time - it's in the same living conditions as the other one and it is fine.  Any ideas what may be wrong? >>Sounds like it could be a parasite. Does the water temp change a great deal? What is the temp in the early morning? Do you do regular water changes, using water the same temperature? The problem with Bettas in winter is generally fungus on the fins due to the cold room temperatures. But fluctuation can bring on Ich. You can try using Quick Cure or any other anti-parasitic medication, and see how it goes. -Gwen

Black spots on Bettas Hi, <Hello, Pam!  Sabrina here, hoping I can help> I have been raising Bettas for about a year now. I bought one that looked dirty, he had black spots on him or "patches of black". Don't know what I was or wasn't thinking when I purchased him. At any rate the black has spread to other fish. Mainly the females. But, some are on my males too. <Can you give us a few details about the black patches?  Are they small, large?  Raised, or seems to be part of the coloration?  Also, could you give us some specs on your tank(s) / setup(s), primarily pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate readings?  Are the Bettas acting normal?  Fins clamped, or anything else amiss?> I searched and searched for this prob. all over Betta sites. I know I saw it a while back somewhere. But can't find it now, naturally. <Well, there is one parasitic illness that comes to mind, referred to as "black spot", but this is a digenetic fluke (requires multiple hosts) that is usually only seen in wild fish or in ponds, or in instances where wild snails have been introduced into an aquarium.  I'm more inclined to think that this discoloration in your Bettas is related perhaps to water quality issues, so do run some water tests (or, if necessary, have your LFS check it for you), and do water changes if necessary.> My two year old makes it very hard to get on here to search. <Quite understandable!> So, please help me. What is it, and how do I fix it? They seem fine, not scratching, eating well and are active. It just makes them look "dirty". Please help me!!  P.S. I know you prob. cant send me a personal email about the whole deal, but, if at all poss. Could you tell me when it will be posted and exactly where? <This will be posted at http://www.wetwebmedia.com/daily_faqs.htm probably tomorrow.> Thank you so much for any help you give me, Pam