How to Properly Care for a Betta Fish

Step 9 Last Chapter: Betta Diseases

Every pet has the risk of getting diseases, that includes bettas. Bettas are often exposed to parasitic and bacterial infections throughout their lives. That is why we need to prepare as well as prevent. Most betta diseases can be prevented by simple water changes, and are often cured by aquarium salt and treatments such as Melafix (Image 2).

Comments

[PINKmonster325]

NICE INSTRUCTABLE! I had a betta that got some sort of fungus, and by the time I baught the meds, he was dead.

[iGabe]

thanks

[joforestqueen]

Very good guide. One extra point is that if they get swim bladder and float to the top or are swimming wonky then boil a single frozen pea, peal and deposit it in the water for it to eat. Remove the remainder.

Basically when they have swim bladder they get constipated and this can help them become regular within there bowel movements. I wish I could still have a beta in my new place but I'm in a rented place with no pets allowed.

If you are going to keep him in a bigger tank you can give him a few females, they recommend a small shoal of three as he is picky and they socialise with other females. You should give him a place to hide as he is aggressive and sometimes they gang up on him and nip his fins. I made a coconut house that had been properly boiled to remove the tannins with some live soft plants growing from the top through the three holes.

I hope this also helps. (It is my first reply.)

*****

[artisandyke]

I'm sorry, but you are wrong about keeping females with a male betta. Male and female bettas will fight each other and can kill each other. Even when they are ready to breed and put together briefly for mating one or both can end up dead.

You can, with caution, keep a sorority tank of female bettas so long as they have plenty of room, plenty of places to get away from each other (plants, caves, etc), plenty of surface space so that they can get to the surface to breathe and to eat without crowding each other.

[HanyouKit]

Melafix and Bettafix are the same drug, only bettafix is watered down. it is not recommended to use these for bettas as they have been known to damage a betta's labyrinth organ and suffocate it.

[BettaFishLover99]

Doing research for my betta fish care website, and I've heard mixed reviews about Melafix and Bettafix. You would never advise using bettafix? I've read some reviews that said it's really helped their bettas.

[johnhutch]

Lovely guide, I'm so glad to find something that is actually beneficial to keeping a healthy fish rather than some container that it will "survive" in. Your analogy of a 3x4 foot room is excellent, people could be 'kept alive' in such conditions but would probably live longer and happier in better accommodation such as that described in this article.

One think to note regarding MelaFix (and I can't find the reference now, drat) but it isn't actually Antibacterial despite what the bottle says. So if you have a true bacterial problem Melafix may/may not help. That said MelaFix is (from experience), very good at helping sick fish recover so I don't know how it works but it does.

Excellent guide 5 stars