A male Betta is sick, but I'm not sure what he's sick with.?

Question

This betta's about three months old, but within the past two weeks, I've noticed that his fins have started to fade to the point where they are in fact transparent. He also has a bulge of some sort beneath the gills and behind the lower fins. His fins also appear "stringy" [he's a crowntail] and his coloring has faded immensely. He eats when he's given food, but he seems scared whenever anyone approaches the tank. He looks unhappy and I don't want to try to treat him for the wrong thing. Thank you for your time and effort!

Answer 1

fin rot as many have said. go to the petstore and get something that treats it. follow the directions on the box/bottle

fin rot is caused by dirty water conditions. is he in a filtered and heated tank? bettas need filtrations just like any other fish and heat just like any other tropical fish. bettas ARE tropical fish and need temps to be between 75-85,. ideally about 80. I suggest a 5 gallon tank with a 1-3gallon filter (I know whisper filters makes them that small, and they're silent), a 25watt heater, and a few silk plants. your betta will be much healthier.

if he's already in a filtered and heated tank, good job on housing him properly!

to prevent fin rot, and any other diseases in the future, try adding aquarium salt. about 1/2 a teaspoon per gallon.

good luck!

*edit*
as the person bellow me said it could be something other than fin rot depending on what you mean by fading away. if you mean the color is fading it's not fin rot. this can happen for many reasons, most sicknesses cause discoloration, also poor health. however if you mean the fin is actually dissolving it is fin rot. as for the stringy eds the person bellow me is right about bacterial infection.

Answer 2

Thinning or "fading" fins comes with stress and loss of color. The bulging belly and stringy poop may mean constipation.

Fin-rot doesn't usually fade the fins away, but rots them away-- and makes the ends darker with bacterial infection.

I wouldn't feed him for a day or two. Make sure he poops. And like the people above said, make sure he's in warm (75-82F), clean water, and add salt. I wouldn't treat with any medication yet, as it can stress the fish out unnecessarily. Aquarium salt usually does the trick for me.

Answer 3

a bettas stomach is up front where i think you are describing. i think he might need a diet. a fat betta gets a little belly that looks like he swallowed a pea.

try putting him somewhere that is warmer. cold will stress a betta and make him listless.

try more frequent water changes too. if the water smells just a little off then its best to change it. you can never change the water too much. just make sure it is about the same temperature as the water is now -- i always keep extra water around just in case. (it discreetly hidden in a little plastic garbage can so nobody gets weird about fish water hanging around).

try some melafix too -- its like antibacterial soap for fish. you can get it in drops called "betta fix" but its much cheaper if you buy the bottle of melafix for a couple dollars more and it will last you forever. bettafix is 1/4 strength melafix too. i usually use it melafix at 1/2 strength because someone somewhere said full strength is bad for bettas.

you might want to change his diet too -- i use hikari pellets and frozen bloodworms and daphnea a couple times a week. you can also feed him little bits of green pea chopped up the size of a betta pellet. peas help keep them regular. but a high protein diet like bloodworms and daphnea should bring his color back up.

for pictures of sick bettas try nippyfish.net

Answer 4

I'am afriad ur bettas got fin rot, a fairly easy sickness to cure. If you go to your local pet store and bye some thing that says fungus cure he'll be fine. But bulging parts under his fin and gills i am afriad is a tumor. If you really care about him and want to save him i would take him to the vet and get a surgery taken to him, if not i would try to give his last days not hard. Try adding salt about 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons that usally helps the fish

Answer 5

Sounds like he has a rotting fin. Get to your pet store, tell them what is wrong ( or take him in with you). He is not with any other fish correct? Beta's are to be kept in their own bowl. Also, check the alkaline ( acid ) in his water, to much can do the same thing. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

I would call the local fish store. I have always gotten great info from Petsmart. It sounds like several different things going on so I am just not sure.