Common Betta Fish Diseases

Although Bettas are really stunning to look at and can even show a great deal of response and personality to the owner, at the end of the day they can easily be affected by so much and are very delicate little creatures. The main issues that affect them and cause Betta fish sickness are always going to be either parasitic, bacterial or environmental.

Many of these things can be headed off early with proper Betta fish care by knowing how to properly clean a tank, feed them right, what time of day to feed them, what aquarium plants you place in their tank and so forth.

Fin Rot - Fin Rot can be diagnosed easily and even very early on before it gets too severe. Beginning stages include noticeable white discoloring around the fin edges. This disease will start to consume the fins, and give them a rough looking edge. Eventually the fin membrane is devoured by this Betta fish disease and only the fin array is left to be seen.

Although it can be treated, the problem is letting it go on for too long. If this happens the illness can affect the rest of the fish.

Ich/Ick - Ich or Ick can be diagnosed by the appearance of small white spots on the Betta fish's body. A quick way to tell if your Betta has this is if you notice him rubbing up against objects in his tank, as if he is trying to scratch an ich. This is due to a parasite known as Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, which is easily transmitted to other fish. This parasite feeds off of deep body tissue, by burrowing underneath the skin.

The white spots that are so noticeable are the tell-tale signs of fish ich. When the parasites reach maturity they will drop from these pockets onto the floor bed of the fish tank. Once released from their little containment center they will burst free, now multiplied and able to do further damage.

A common cause of this is an aquarium that does not have the correct temperature. Cool tank conditions can lead to the development of this parasite, making it one of the more common Betta fish diseases that new owners are faced with.

Popeye - Popeye refers the bulging eyes that fish can get. It is very common and treatable, and the most common source is a bacterial infection. This can be caused by cold water temperatures that don't suit the Betta's living standards or dirty tank water. By removing your Betta, cleaning the tank thoroughly and properly you can usually combat this sickness. Replenishing the tank with fresh water and adding antibacterial treatment should take care of this.

Velvet - Velvet disease is pretty common and can become very severe by leading to death if it goes untreated. Visually it looks like a fine yellowish colored speckle that can be hard to see to the untrained eye. Under the use of a flash light it may reflect, almost appearing as gold deposits.

An easier way to tell if your Betta has velvet is if you notice him rubbing up against objects in your tank. This is the Bettas way of trying to remove parasites.

Dropsy - This is not a specific disease, but rather an infection result from another one of the Betta fish diseases. The common sign is if your fish appears to be bloated. This is because Dropsy affects the kidneys and causes water retention. Often times it is mistaken for constipation, which is a very common illness experienced by Bettas.

Although dropsy cannot spread to other fish in your tank, the bacteria that caused it can be contagious. Common signs are bulging belly, general body swelling and scales forced forward. This is almost always caused do to an internal infection from bacteria, and the most common reason is because of bad water conditions.

Tuberculosis - You may not think of a fish being at risk for tuberculosis, but indeed it's very common amongst labyrinth fishes such as the Betta.Mycobacterium marinum is very closely related to the human form of tuberculosis. What you will notice by looking at a fish who has it is a great loss of color, a loss of scales, wasting away, noticeable lesions and even a curvature of the spine.

This is a serious disease that can be very difficult to treat, but is important to know about, because is one of the Betta fish diseases that can be prevented through proper care and tank conditions.

The good news is that when your Betta is sick, it can be very easily to tell. Chances are that you are reading all of this information because you already believe that you have a sick Betta, but regardless, it's always good to learn some new things for future's sake. Here are the more common signs of Betta fish diseases.

They are lethargic acting and not really responsive to anything

They refuse to eat (normally Bettas love food as much as you and I do!)

Is constantly running into or rubbing up against objects in an effort to scratch some kind of itch.

Tail fins look dispersed, almost as though he is some how malting

Coloring is no longer vibrant and leans towards a grayish color

Betta scales are protruding more than normal

Gills appear to be reddened or show signs of inflammation