whats wrong with my male betta? HELP?

Question

ive had my male betta for about 2months now, i use to have him in a small tank with a mollie and dwarf gourami. until i upgraded to a much bigger tank!
anyway, ive had a outbreak of ick/ich in my new tank, but my male betta doesnt seem to have any white spots on him. hes been acting really strange tho, the last four days his been hiding in the driftwood i have in my tank, i thought he was dead bcuz i hadnt seen him for days but yday he came swiming up for air and then went straight back to hiding. but he looked ruff, and i mean ruff, he had lost all his colour around the chin area (not sure if they have chins but u catch my drift lol) he had aslo lost a couple of spots of colour on his head, and he really didnt look happy in the eyes! whats wrong with him? do you think he may be dying? please help thanks

Answer 1

Well, to start, I suggest you transfer him back into the smaller tank as soon as you can, before he gets any worse. Plus you'll be able to assess what may be the illness or problem better in the small tank. Get yourself a smaller betta bowl or something for the time being. If he seemed okay in the big tank, till this outbreak, you'll be able to transfer him back in, once everything's okay in there.
My betta was really freaked out when I put him in a community tank with moderate current. He had lost his color, would hide, and was generally depressed. He even got himself stuck to the intake to the filter on many more than one occasion. I couldn't have that, so I transfered him back to his 2 gallon tank, and he's been a happy camper ever since. That may work for yours...

Also, gourami's are the cousins of bettas. It's generally a very bad idea to keep them together. A gourami (dawrf or otherwise) will pick on a betta because of it's fins.

Also, if you had a disease in the tank, it's possible he's caught something from the others. The other answers may give you an idea of what that could be.

Good luck and I hope the little dude's okay...

;o)

Answer 2

It sounds like the Gourami is picking on him. Betta's and Semi-aggressive fish like Gouramis usually don't get along well in the same tank. The behavior you described is typical of Betta's that are being abused by a tank mate.

The only thing you can do if you want to keep both fish is to separate them. I suggest putting the Betta back in the smaller tank by himself. Betta's do not need a tank mate to be happy, and are usually better off alone, just give him a mirror to flare at once in a while and he will be fine.

As for the spots of color missing, 9 times out of 10 the spots on his head are where scales are missing from being nipped at, and the loss of color in his "chin" is a stress reaction. Both should return to normal nonce he is on his own. Just keep an eye on him to make sure that he doesn't become ill, or develop an infection. a little maricide in the water should prevent this though.

Good Luck
E.

Edit: Danielle Z has provided some very good info. It's worth the read. lol ;)

Answer 3

You should've moved him to another tank when the ich problem began. ich is very contagious and there is a great chance that he has caught it as he is showing all signs of a sick fish. Yes, he could be dying. I know for a fact cos that is exactly how my betta beahved before he passed away.
The best you could do right now is try to save him by shifting him to a new tank. Go to your pet store and ask them for a medicine to treat ich.

Answer 4

Be wary of adding the male and female to the same tank, sometimes males get aggressive if they want to mate with the females and that could injure the female. In fact, sometimes, they will reject each other anyway. If there's any chance of them not getting along, separate the two. You should probably be heating the water in the tanks; these fish come from Thailand, where water is more warm since the temperature is naturally warm. That means that they'll do best in warmer temperatures.

Answer 5

he may be fighting with the gourami. Gouramis and bettas are aggersive fish that will attack each other move the betta or gourami to another tank.

Answer 6

A. bettas are much happier in larger tanks with same manered fish
B. MIRRORS STRESS THE BETTA OUT!!! and stress leads to lower immunity and higher chances of illness
C. I'd put him with other tetras if anything. bettas get scared of bigger fish( hense why he is hiding) i have mine with 5 neon tetras, 5 black neon tetras, and 5 cardinal tetras
D. If you do put him in a smaller bowl make sure it is at least 21/2-5gallons with a filter
E. Do regularly WEEKLY water changes, take 25% of the water out and add in 25% dechlorinated water.!!!


if theres anything else....
oh shine a flaslight on his face and make sure there is no gold spots on it, if there is treat him for "velvet" its a parasite.
it might be in your best bet also to add stress zyme to his water....

Answer 7

move him into a small bowl use amquel and that stuff they sell for ick, he maybe waning but he could still be savable. does he get indirect sunlight? and change his water (always have 2 bowls for him) and climate the water for him first before moving him. they tend to like cooler water too. Is there an over abundance of food piling up in his tank -check it out- good luck!

Answer 8

Each fish shows signs of disease or parasites differently, even though the disease or parasites have "classic symptoms" Since he was healthy, he may have taken longer for the parasite to invade. He may not have the same type of ich as the other fish.

Here is more on ich. Surfside has a good point and since we cannot see your fish, you will have to determine what is going on and/or what type of ich if any and how to treat him. If you need additional help feel free to email me.

Cryptocaryoniasis, White Spot Disease or Marine Ich is caused by an infestation of the ciliated protozoan Cryptocaryon irritans. Although Cryptocaryon becomes a parasitic organism at one stage in its life cycle like Oodinium and Brooklynella do, and it progesses less rapidly than these other ich diseases, in a closed aquarium system it can reach overwhelming and disasterous numbers just the same if it is not diagnosed and treated upon recognition.

Unlike Oodinium and Brooklynella that typically attack the gills first, which allows these ich diseases to advance into life-threatening levels quickly as they go unnoticed, Cryptocaryon usually appears at the onset as salt-sized white spots visible on the body and fins of a host fish, and when the organisms become parasitic, it is then that they move inwards to the gills. Because crypto is more easily recognized in its beginning stage, this makes it much easier to treat and cure before it gets out of control.

Aside from the appearance of the white spots, fish will scratch against objects in an attempt to dislodge the parasites, and rapid respiration develops as tomonts, mucus, and tissue debris clogs the gills. Fish become listless, refuse to eat, loss of color occurs in patches or blotches as the trophonts destroy the pigment cells, and secondary bacterial infections invade the lesions caused by the trophonts.

Although copper is very effective on Oodinium, and it works well to eliminate crypto organisms in their free-swimming tomite stage, it is not as effective on the Cryptocaryon trophonts that burrow deeply into the tissues of fish. A combination of freshwater and formalin treatments adminstered by means of dips, baths, and prolonged treatment over a period of time in a QT is recommended

Reinfection will occur no matter how effectively the fish have been treated if Cryptocaryon is not eradicated from the main aquarium, which can be accomplished by keeping the tank devoid of any fish for at least 4 weeks. For fish-only aquariums hyposalinity can be applied, and to speed up the life cycle of the organisms, elevate the tank temperature to 85 degrees for 10 days to 12 days. For treating reef tanks, FishVet No-Ich Marine, Ruby Reef Kick-Ich, and Chem-Marin Stop Parasites are Cryptocaryon specific remedies that are said to be "reef safe". Several days prior to returning fish to the main aquarium, clean all filtering equipment, change any filtering materials, and do a water change.

Remember to remove all filters media and turn off protein skimmers when treating for any types of Ich.

Although many over-the-counter remedies contain the general name Ich or Ick, carefully read the product information to be sure it is designed to specifically target and treat "Cryptocaryon"

Brooklynella hostilis - these protozoa reproduce asexually by means of simple binary fission through conjugation, which is why they are able to multiply so much more rapidly than Cryptocaryon (White Spot), and Oodinium (Velvet Ich), and why it can kill fish within a few days and even hours upon recognition

Most similar symptomatically to Oodinium, this too is a parasite that primarily attacks the gills first. At the onset fish may scrap up against objects, rapid respiration develops, and fish often gasp for air at the surface as the gills become clogged with mucus. Fish become lethargic, refuse to eat, and colors fade, but the most noticeable difference that sets Brooklynella apart from Oodinium is the heavy amount of slime that is produced. As the disease progresses a thick whitish mucus covers the body, usually starting at the head and spreading outward, skin lesions appear, and it is not uncommon for signs of secondary bacterial infections to arise.

Suggestions range from copper, malachite green and other remedies, with some recommended being used in conjunction with formaldehyde. However the general consensus is these types of medications are either largely ineffective or do not work at all, and that the best and most effective treatment for Brooklynella is formaldehyde alone. Typically a standard 37% formalin solution (shop & compare prices) is mixed with either fresh or saltwater in a separate treatment container, initially all fish are given a quick dip or a prolonged bath, followed by continued treatment and care in a QT. Of course the longer fish are exposed to the formalin treatment, the more effective it will be at eliminating this "disease". Whether to administer a dip or a bath to start with is something you will have to determine yourself, but there's a very simple way to do this.

Since these are Free swimming parasites which are in watersources, come attached to our fish etc. The only way to ensure NO ICH is to get a UV Sterilizer and addit to the tank. The UV Sterilizer kills the free swimming forms of various ich and other parasites.

Hope this help