I was in my daughters room this morning and looked in her tank but couldnt find her betta. I moved things around and found him hiding. His fins arent floating like normal, its like he is holding them in, and where his tail joins his body is a white spot that I havent ever seen before. He is by himself in unheated, unfiltered water(will have a heater tomorrow). Im thinking of moving him to a bowl with nothing else in it(maybe a few plants?) for a few days so we can keep a closer eye on him, but Im not sure what else I need to do.
White spots on betta
- Thread starter jillire
- Start date
If the white spot is very small and looks like a bump. Then it's more than likely ich. Which you can get ich treatments at most LFS/Petco/Petsmart etc...
Betta's really need and love heated water. And they also need very clean water. A Betta breeder friend of mine always speaks of the "Three 'C's." Clean, Clean, Clean water. So if you can, re-home the wee lil betta kid in a tank with a filter and heater.
If the white spot looks like his scales/fins etc. are changing color to white... That is a sign of fungus or a parasite. In that case you need a fungus killing medication.
Some fungus are stubborn and very hard to kill so medicate, then full water change every 3 days, medicate the new water, repeat cycle for at least a couple of weeks.
That also goes for the ich treatment.
That is what I have done with the betta rescuees I have. It has worked for me.
That's the best advice I have. Anyone else?
Betta's really need and love heated water. And they also need very clean water. A Betta breeder friend of mine always speaks of the "Three 'C's." Clean, Clean, Clean water. So if you can, re-home the wee lil betta kid in a tank with a filter and heater.
If the white spot looks like his scales/fins etc. are changing color to white... That is a sign of fungus or a parasite. In that case you need a fungus killing medication.
Some fungus are stubborn and very hard to kill so medicate, then full water change every 3 days, medicate the new water, repeat cycle for at least a couple of weeks.
That also goes for the ich treatment.
That is what I have done with the betta rescuees I have. It has worked for me.
That's the best advice I have. Anyone else?
Thanks for your help. The spots are only on his tail and they dont really seem to be scales, but like something is on him. He comes up to the top to get air, swims around a little, then goes back to the bottom and hides in the castle. Can I put him in a bowl with an airstone and heater or should I leave him in the tank? I was thinking the new setting would at least start clean and without the plants, substrate and castle, would be easier to monitor him. What about the plants that are in the tank, do I need to do something to treat them?
If it is ICH, you can also treat it very effectively by turning up the water temperature and adding a bit of salt to the water. I'm not certain of the salt dose/gallon or the best heat to turn the water up to (I think just about 80 degrees farenheit is the norm), but it's loads better than using the harsh chemical medications that most local pet stores have (cheaper too). Someone on this site will have salt dosing info for you if you want it.
Also, A great minimum set up for a beta is a 5gallon tank with an AquaClear20 filter which has a variable speed setting, and a hydor Theo 50 watt heater. For plants, Anubias plants (tethered to bog wood or rocks) & moss plants are great, because they don't need a lot of light or care.
If you don't mind it taking up space in the tank, the tetra whisper internal filter is adequate too.
Also, A great minimum set up for a beta is a 5gallon tank with an AquaClear20 filter which has a variable speed setting, and a hydor Theo 50 watt heater. For plants, Anubias plants (tethered to bog wood or rocks) & moss plants are great, because they don't need a lot of light or care.
If you don't mind it taking up space in the tank, the tetra whisper internal filter is adequate too.
Re: putting betta in a tank with a filter -
If your betta fish has never been in an aquarium with a filter, he is going to take time to get used to the constant water flow. I just bought a filter for my 3 gallon betta tank and I left it on for a few hours without checking on the fish. Big mistake. Found the poor lil guy cowering against a plant, utterly exhausted. (He's fine now, no worries.) Probably they have to build their lil swim muscles up. We are now trying out one hour 2X a day until he gets used to it. If your fish is already hiding and sick, a filter is really going to be stressful.
If your betta fish has never been in an aquarium with a filter, he is going to take time to get used to the constant water flow. I just bought a filter for my 3 gallon betta tank and I left it on for a few hours without checking on the fish. Big mistake. Found the poor lil guy cowering against a plant, utterly exhausted. (He's fine now, no worries.) Probably they have to build their lil swim muscles up. We are now trying out one hour 2X a day until he gets used to it. If your fish is already hiding and sick, a filter is really going to be stressful.
Here is an article about ich that includes how to treat it and pictures of it: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88601