Fin rot and swim bladder are two of the most common betta diseases, and two that I have unfortunately had to deal with several times. Thus, I’ve focused this section on those two, as well as general betta health. There are many fantastic resources out there on identifying symptoms in your betta for other common conditions like ich, velvet, popeye, and dropsy. Luckily, most betta diseases have unique and evident symptoms, and if you know your betta’s behavior, you’ll catch them fast.

Fin rot

Fin Rot results from a bacterial/fungal infection. Your betta may have obtained this before you bought it or due to poor water conditions. In early stages, meaning when it is still at the fins, Fin Rot is very treatable, but it is important to treat as soon as you can so you can avoid complications one Fin Rot has spread to the body.

Symptoms:

Deteriorated, shriveled, or damaged-looking fins. Discoloration on body or fins. Lethargy (appearing tired or low energy), loss of appetite, not swimming as much.

Treatment:

Kanaplex and maracyn are some of the best medications for treating fin rot. You can also get other antifungal + antibacterial treatments from your local pet store (example, melafix) that work. Always follow directions on medication. Your betta should preferably be put in a hospital tank while being treated with any medication.

What is a hospital tank? A hospital tank is an extra tank for your fish to be treated in so that their medication doesn’t affect any live plants or other fish in the tank. However, if your fish has a spreadable parasite like ich, you are going to want to treat the tank as a whole.

Swim Bladder

Swim bladder is any condition affecting the swim bladder (a unique organ in fish that supports the betta’s ability to swim) and thus a betta’s bouyancy. If your betta has swim bladder, they will either be unable to swim up much from the bottom of the tank, or stuck floating and unable to swim down. Luckily, it is one of the easiest conditions to treat. Swim Bladder isn’t usually directly fatal, but if left untreated, your betta can either exhaust itself or find itself unable to swim up for food.

Symptoms:

Visible bloating of the abdomen. Apparent inability to swim up from the bottom of the tank for long OR apparent inability to stop floating at the top of tank. Difficulty swimming/resting upright.

Treatment (steps!):

1. Fast (stop feeding) the betta for 3-4 days (this time period will not have a negative effect on the fish).
2. Feed your betta a single, de-shelled (yes, individual peas have shells) green pea. Break it up into little tiny fish-bite-size pieces.
3. For a few days to a week, continue feeding your betta extremely soft and easily digestible foods like blood worms (NOT dehydrated), flakes, deshelled pea (not every day), and Foods labeled as easily digestible.

General Health

Think of it like this: keeping fish is just more so water. The health and parameters (pH, temperature, hardness, alkalinity, nitrate levels, nitrite levels, ammonia) of your water determine the health of your betta.

The Formula for Disease

Poor water = stress on your betta

Poor water + stress = disease

Dirty Water:

Water changes and water testing is important to maintaining a healthy environment for your betta. You can learn about this more in-depth in the “Tank Maintenace” section!

Improper Care:

Your betta needs TLC, just like you, your cat, or your dog. Not doing water changes, not having a filter or heater, or keeping your betta in unsuitable conditions can lead to disease and death.

Stress:

If your betta is stressed, their health will suffer. An indicator of stress is your betta constantly flaring their gills. Incompatible tank mates, poor water conditions, lack of space, and curved glass tanks can all stress your betta.

Exceeded Parameters:

You need ammonia and nitrite levels of 0. You can safely keep nitrate levels between 10-50 ppm, but below 25 ppm and above 10 ppm is ideal. Maintain a pH of 6.8-7.5 when keeping a betta. They prefer low hardness (soft water) which can be tested for with more advanced kits (however, if you aren't adding extra minerals to your water, there shouldn’t be an issue maintaining low hardness). If these parameters are exceeded, your betta’s health will suffer. You can learn more about the specifics of needed water parameters in the “Tank Maintenance” and “Tank Setup” sections.

Absence of a Cycle:

The nitrogen cycle is vital to your tank’s health, and starting it is easy! The “Tank Setup” section goes in-depth. Remember, your tank needs around 30 days to cycle before it is safe for fish.

Small Living Space:

A 2.5 gallon tank is the absolute bare minimum a betta fish should live in, but 5 gallons is agreed upon by most as a better minimum (plus, small tanks are actually harder to maintain than tanks that are 10+ gallons). Your betta can become stressed if it is in a space too small, especially if it is stuck staring at its reflection in the glass of the tank all the time.

Excess Feeding:

Overfeeding can cause issues for both your fish and the tank. If your betta overeats or eats too fast, they can get constipated or develop swim bladder. Leftover food in the tank can cause ammonia spikes, and any levels of ammonia above 0 ppm can be harmful for your fish. Watching your fish eat for the first few days you get it is a great way to see how much and how fast your betta eats. Your betta may be picky and only eat a little at a time, requiring you to feed in small intervals to avoid buildup, or your betta may be a very fast eater, requiring you to give them a little food at a time to help them pace.

Foods to avoid and their alternatives

I, and many other fish keepers, avoid pellets.

Why? Pellets tend to be very dense, and thus are hard for betta fish to eat and digest.

Instead… Flakes and freeze-dried foods like brine shrimp.

I also avoid dehydrated blood worms. Specifically dehydrated!

Why? Too difficult to eat. Not good for digestion.

Instead… Freeze-dried or soft blood worms (Imagitarium is good for both of these and can be found at Petco or Petsmart).