Innumerable Betta Problems

I have a Black Orchid male betta fish. I bought him from petco. He was healthy for the first several months. Than one day I noticed fin rot. I keep the tank VERY clean, I vacum the gravel and do a 25-50 % water change every 2-3 days. But the fin rot got worse. I decided to plant his aquarium.So I got some java moss and java fern and a little water wisteria and planted it (yesterday actually) a few weeks ago he developed a white patch of fuzz on his head. The water last time I checked was perfect. This is so frustrating I try so hard to keep him healthy and he always comes down with something!!!!!! What am I doing wrong? Why can other people (who don't clean their thanks as much as I do) keep their bettas healthy. Am I trying to hard?

Help, thoughts Ideas are most welcome


ps he has been flaring a lot lately but I tried to fix that by putting a piece of paper behind his tank.

 

Firstly, I know the struggle of trying to keep a betta fish alive. My male betta (R.I.P Romeo) died a few years ago.
There may be a few contributing factors as to why he’s sick. Firstly, what size tank is he in? Secondly does it have a filter or heater? Thirdly, does he have any tankmates?

 

Not a betta keeper but don’t these fish come from mud puddles? Could a lot of the problem people have with betas be because there water is to clean? May be they were so durable years ago because there bodies built up ammunities while living in those dirty mud puddles.

 

Not a betta keeper but don’t these fish come from mud puddles? Could a lot of the problem people have with betas be because there water is to clean? May be they were so durable years ago because there bodies built up ammunities while living in those dirty mud puddles.

That’s the unfortunate misconception with bettas. They live in rice fields and puddles. However, these “puddles” are often miles long. Therefore, there water is usualy pretty clean. At least it isn’t high in ammonia nitrates and nitrites. Also, betas are so domesticated nowadays that I don’t think it’d be a problem.

 

Ok take out the word dirty. That’s what I mean there so domesticated that they’ve lost any ammunities the wild one had. Are wild ones still sold? Are they used in the breeding process?

 

Tank size 5.5 gallon
Filter: TopFin 5 gallon filter
Heater: Aqueon
Tank mates: Nerite Snails

 

Not a betta keeper but don’t these fish come from mud puddles? Could a lot of the problem people have with betas be because there water is to clean? May be they were so durable years ago because there bodies built up ammunities while living in those dirty mud puddles.

Ok take out the word dirty. That’s what I mean there so domesticated that they’ve lost any ammunities the wild one had. Are wild ones still sold? Are they used in the breeding process?

They don't come from mud puddles and they come from water with tons of stem plants and floating plants. The misconception about the water being "dirty" comes from the amount of tannins in the water, which color it tea color, but have tons of antibacterial and antifungal properties. This is why wild bettas prefer dI'm lighting and blackwater tanks.
Yes, wild types still exist, there are over 100 varieties. I have a wild caught pair of imbellis myself.
The main problem with the domesticated ones is the way in which they are sold. Sticking a fish in a teeny tiny cup, without room to move, not being fed, with no water changes, leads to a massive buildup of ammonia, and sometimes nitrite, which causes permanent damage. They often only live a few months, instead of the actual average of 4-5 years if they are bought from a breeder who keeps them in clean conditions.

OP, can you please post pictures of your betta?
Honestly, you're probably not doing anything wrong. I have one who got diamond eye and finrot in a tank with 50% daily water changes for 2 weeks. My other one is in a "still pond" tank with 0/0/0 params and got finrot. The fact that they're bred to have much larger fins than they're supposed means it is very difficult for capillaries in the fins to bring oxygen and blood to the very tips of the fin. The flesh doesn't receive enough oxygen and begins to rot. When I got mine (after he was in a cup for 5 weeks) he was a plakat. His fins are extremely massive now, they grew three times as large after getting out of 8+ ammonia, but ever since then, he has struggled with finrot.
The fungus is a bit more concerning though. Where is it on his head? When was the newest addition to the tank? Where did you get the java moss and java fern from? Did you QT the plants?
Sorry for the long long post and all the questions.

 

What temperature are you keeping the betta.

 

The java moss and the java fern came That Fish Place that Pet Place. I have never had any problems with plants from there, I have them in another tank and they are all healthy. I have never quarentined the plants, I rinse them well, this condition started long before I got the plants, I got the plants to try and make things better from him

 

The java moss and the java fern came That Fish Place that Pet Place. I have never had any problems with plants from there, I have them in another tank and they are all healthy. I have never quarentined the plants, I rinse them well, this condition started long before I got the plants, I got the plants to try and make things better from him

Plants are good, mine love swimming through them. Any chance you can get a picture or describe the fungus?

 

This picture was from 9 days ago, it is worse now




what do you guys think?

 

When you say he has a white patch on his head, is it protruding? From the pictures it looks as though there is a large pump on his head, which looks as though it may be a growth or a tumour.

 

I have had zero problems with fin rot or "fuzz" since I started adding almond leaves to the tanks. Just put a big almond leaf in a tank and let it rot.

I also soak leaves in a bottle of water, to make dark "betta tea", and add this to the water changes at about 1/2oz per 10gal. It's not too exact a formula. Your looking to keep a consistant light color to the water.

It does not have to be real blackwater, though they will live in it. Also I have used bottled blackwater extract when I am out of leaves. It works.

Anyhow I feed bloodworms, betta pellets and microwafers.

It is true that most pet store bettas are weak and sickly. You are doing well if they live two years. Also, large fin varieties do suffer more problems.

 

Almond leaves mmmmm never tried that. Bucky (that is his name) has caused me a lot of trouble, if I would have known all this before I bought him I would have gotten one on ebay. I have severe buyers regret. I didn't pick him for his tail, but next time I get one I will go for a plakat

DO you think he will die :"(

 

Of course, as will we all.

Do what you can to help him.

Make absolutely certain that your water quality is suitable for a Betta. Please don't worry too much about the fact that you may not be able to save your fish.

Out of 500 betta fry I had one survive. Little Zed.

499 perished or were eaten by their siblings.

They are beautiful, but in reality the poor things are barely more than house flies on the scale of life. I am 63 and I have seen many many fish come and go.

Your next one will be better and even more beautiful.

 

DO you think he will die :"(

I think he will survive this. Fin rot doesn't seem to be that big of a deal (I've tried absolutely everything to get rid of it) but mine has had it for the past five months.
But is the white patch protruding? Does it look fuzzy like a dandilion or sort of stringy? Or smooth?
Edit: also, if you're feeling brave, maybe you could make the switch to wilds. I'll have some imbellis available in the next 3-4 months, hopefully

 

The white patch looks like he got scrapped and lost some scales a little fuzzy to

btw what do wilds look like?

 

The white patch looks like he got scrapped and lost some scales a little fuzzy to

btw what do wilds look like?

Is it possible he just scraped himself and some fungus got in? If you can, try for a Methylene blue bath. It stains like crazy, so lay down some painters tarp or something. You'll need two containers; one with the solution and one with clean water to dip him in after. The dosage is 10 drops per half gallon for 30 minutes. Mix it up and put him in, dip/rinse him in the other container, and back to his tank.
There some super colorful wilds, some are red and black and cigar shaped, some are a nice green (imbellis), and smaragdina and mahachaI are really interesting. My tank is pretty blackwater, so it's hard to take a picture, but googling "Betta Imbellis" will give you a good idea. They are brown most of the time, but if they get excited or riled up they change color, which is really neat

 

Could I use un iodonized salt?

 

Could I use un iodonized salt?

The only issue with that is some bettas don't handle salt super well. I don't know the dosage, bt if you're really careful that's a good way to start. Just dissolve it in water first and add it slowly.

 

Hearing it be fuzzy sounds like a fungal or bacterial infection. Most fungus Looking things are actually bacterial. You should try treating with Methylene Blue as Rtessy said which is good for fungal infections and would also help with the fin rot. Or Kanaplex which treats for some fungal, but mostly bacterial things. It also treats for fin rot too.

 

Oh okay, I will keep the dose down.

Do all bettas, even crowntails get finrot? Or is it limited to ones with extreme fins

 

Oh okay, I will keep the dose down.

Do all bettas, even crowntails get finrot? Or is it limited to ones with extreme fins

Fin rot can be sneaky with crowntails. Since they already have the “ragged fins” look. I would figure any fish can get fin rot.
Do NOT use ionized salt!! Use salt meant for aquarium use or Epsom salts (if say for constipation)

 

Fin rot can be sneaky with crowntails. Since they already have the “ragged fins” look. I would figure any fish can get fin rot.
Do NOT use ionized salt!! Use salt meant for aquarium use or Epsom salts (if say for constipation)

I think OP said unionized salt, but it looked like "un ionized". Good catch if I'm wrong.

 

I think OP said unionized salt, but it looked like "un ionized". Good catch if I'm wrong.

It is! Thank you!

 

It is! Thank you!

Okay awesome! I panicked for a bit there, lol

 

Yeah uniondized salt is what I am going to use, do you think that those huge halfmoons that you see sometimes at shows are more likely to get finrot than a plakat?

 

Short answer: yes

 

Maybe with just the drag of the longer fins they could be.