View Full Version : Anaylze My Betta Please
I thought my Betta was covered with some type of fungus. Aftger 4 different meds, I started doing 2 water changes a week, up salt to 1 tsp per gallon, and added Jungle fungus Elim. Finally, after 3 weeks he is almost blue again (more than half his body was white--not cottony white, but flat white). Now I am wondering if he had in fact, lost all his scales? It looks like layers of blue are coverning the white area. If that's the case, what was wrong with him to make him lose scales like that? I can't find anything anywhere for that symptom.
Also, when changing water, there is a lot of muscus-y stringly clear stuff in water, and some seems to fall off him when I return him to his clean changed water. Any ideas?
What sort of setup is the betta living in? Why do you have to move him when you change the water?
He's in the traditional one gallon bowl (sorry, I didn't know any better a year ago) I got a 20 gallon tank in Nov to put him in, but it's almost like he knew it, because he developed this horrible white disease and I've been medicating him since the first week of November.
After being in a small container for awhile (and I assume with only a small filter or no filter) it can take a betta awhile to adjust to the open space and current of a bigger tank. Their muscles need time to adjust.
Hopefully he is recovering now. Next time I would suggest starting with the salt treatment (and lots of partial water changes). Using too many meds can sometimes do more harm than good.
Hopefully, there won't be a next time because I will be more vigilant about his water. However, I am still confused as to what he had. Did you ever hear of fish losing scales and why?
Not in that quantity. But then again I have been very lucky so far to have fish that are very healthy. My last betta, though, did start to loose his scales when he was a bit older. then his eyes clouded over and fins fins started to fall apart. I tried slat, then meds but he did not survive. Unfortunatly I don't know if he had some new illness or if his immune system just weakened with old age.
But the best thing you can do to avoid illness in the future is water changes. Especially in a small container. twice a week partials would be best.
How old was your betta? What did keep him in?
When his scales fell off, what color was exposed?
I bought him from WalMart and I have no idea how old he was. I only had him for a couple of years but he was never a spry young betta. My new guy is much more active and exciting. The older one also went through a move and was never quite the same afterwards. I also tried him in a 10 gallon with other fish but he mostly hid a lot and I didn't really give him the chance to adjust (I wasn't sure back then what I was doing most of the time, now it is only half the time). When he started to loose a few scales he had sort of a pale greyish look to him. It was more like he was fading.
My betta lives in a 5 gallon tank with sponge filter (internal) and lots of java moss and riccia. The temp stays at 78F or so and he gets 10 hours of light a day. The new guy is doing really well.
qtaquaman
01-07-2005, 2:08 PM
The white gunk is most likely protein based scum, if the tank/bowl has still water and when you blow on it the white stuff bunches up thats it.
QTAQUAMAN: And what does that mean? Is that a disease, and if so, what's the cure?
TKOS: do you have a heater on the 5 gallon? that sounds like such a much better place for my little boy. Now that my 20 gallon is stocked, i couldn't put him in there even if he recovers 100%--he was supposed to go in first so he would adapt easier.
Hairechest
02-13-2009, 6:25 PM
By the time you buy a Betta in most stores - they are about six months old. Most people are lucky if their fish lives a total of one year. Death is usually a result of treating these fish to average room temperatures instead of the tropical temps they are used to (the high temps of the water in Thailand where most are bred is around 95 degrees).
Betta will usually do fine 78 and up. But most people prefer around the 80 mark, especially for sick fish. Being in low temp water for long periods of time breaks down their immune systems and they eventually die of a combination of bad water (not filtered or changed) and low temperatures.
5 Gallons, heated, filtered, planted with real plants and even some friends - neon tetra, ghost shrimp, snails - all help to keep the fish interested in what's going on, exercising and longer lived.
80 degrees, 1 teaspoon of salt per gallon of water and daily water changes (to aged water AND the same temperature) - will usually help most sick Betta get better - of course, a healthy fish is always best to start with.
Good Luck!
platytetrafan
02-13-2009, 6:49 PM
I agree I have 3 bettas all in heated filtered tanks. Those 1 gallon bowls are a joke in my opinion. I have 1 betta in a 3g 1 in a 5g and 1 in a 2.5g all happy and contented and I keep the heater set for 80 degrees since I have an elite heater which I am planning to replace because I hate it I eyeball the thermometer when I turn it on to make sure it doesn't overheat the tank. I am more diligent about keeping an eye on the temp since I had an accident that resulted in the death of one of my bettas Ben :(. I know for a fact that you cannot keep bettas with any fin nipping fish ie: tetras... neons are ok but the other type are not ok. My bettas are by themselves and doing well. Hope yours improves try to post a pic if you can of him.
snoopy65
02-13-2009, 7:05 PM
I am by no means a betta expert, but I do have a veiltale right now. He is in a 5 gal hex that is heated, filtered with the filter that came with the tank (he likes to swim up into the outtake and let the water flow over him), and planted with low light plants. He has cherry shrimp and ramhorns in his tank. He leaves the larger shrimp alone and tries to catch the young ones. Which I am sure he occasionally catches. I have a bunch of java moss and java fern in there as well as a nice anubias petite. That is his favorite plant. He lounges on it.
As far as what disease yours has/ had, it is hard to say. The best you can do is get him a cycled tank that is heated and filtered with easy flow, and keep the water as clean as possible.