help i dont think my simese fighting fish is well???

Question

my fighting fish has lost most of its colour it woz a deep red now it is very pale and has lost most of it fin and there is not 2 of them there is only one in my tank there is
red tail shark
2 molies
albino pleco
another pleco (not sure what its called)
figure of 8 puffer
2 glass cat fish
silver tip fish
2 flame teatra
4 tiger barbs
3glow fish
2 bottom albino cat fish
another cat fish not sure of name but its black with brownish spotsi think its called syndontis pardalis
1 neno
and a couple more small fish
and its also its a tropical fish tank please help

oh i gforgot i have also got a toad

Answer 1

Wow. ok. um, where to begin....
Well, first off, a betta will fight with anything about it's size, if it's got long flowing fins. If any of your fish fit that discription, that could be the problem. If your mollies are lyretail or sailfin, that may be your bully.
There's a lot of fish out there who are "fin nippers". They will nip at a betta's long flowing fins.
Also, Barbs are known for being mean. I don't know about anyone else, but I wouldn't have a barb in a community tank for fear of fights and nipping.
I've heard or read somewhere that plecos tend to nip at Bettas too. I don't know if that's true...

He's lost his color due to stress, most likely. Pain, being chased, the water too cold, or just depression will cause this in bettas.

Anyway, your best bet - remove him from that tank ASAP!!! Either go buy a betta tank, or find anything big enough for him around the house, like a glass pitcher, suntea pitcher, (ya know with the spout at the bottom, screw on top and is clear glass) or a huge vase, so long as it's about a gallon or so, and is clear AND CLEAN!!! Aclimate him to it, as you would any other fish, and let him make this his new home for a little while. He needs some space from the others. He needs time to heal. Make sure you have enough stress coat in his new home, and if he's got a favorite plant, maybe make sure he's got it, or at least something to rest on or hide under. Also, change it no less than once a week, depending on the size of the container.

My betta's dealing with injuries too. So I feel for yours. Mine couldn't handle my 55 gallon community tank, because of the current in it, so he's back to being by himself. Consider yourself lucky to be able to put him with other fish.
Mine also looses his coloring easily when he's stressed. Mine gets depressed easily, looses coloring, and sulks. lol But, as the water gets cooler, like at night without his light (aka heater) on, it's gets chilly in there (no less than 72!) he will loose his color that way too.

Good luck, and I'll cross my fingers for your little guy! He needs all the TLC you can give him right now!!!

;o)

Answer 2

Well, first of all we don't know what size tank that is. Unless it's quite good sized it's well over stocked and would have problems with water quality. Water quality issues are the number one cause of color lose for stressed bettas. Second on the list would be temperature, but those two are very close anyway. Tell us what size tank is it and maybe we can help more.

Secondly, you have a major mix of fish that really shouldn't be together and there is probably a lot of fin nipping going on, especially for the betta with it's long fins.

The real cure to your problem is going to be removing quite a few of your fish to another tank or returning them to a pet store. For now you could just remove the betta to his own tank, but then the others will just pick out a new target to attack. If you need help figuring out which fish go with which, post a new question or feel free to email me and I'll be glad to help.

MM

Answer 3

Wait until you can get a 2.5 gallon tank, or larger. Bettas need that much space to have the right living conditions. They must have a heater and gentle filter. Ask for a proper tank for Christmas or your birthday, or look for a used one on Craig's list or Freecycle, or at the yard sales going on now. In the meantime, read everything you can about Betta and aquarium care, so you will know how to care for your little friend when you get him. BTW, you couldn't have a Goldfish, either. They require a 10-20 gallon tank (each) with a filter rated for twice the size of the tank. If you don't want to put forth any maintenance caring for your fish, perhaps you'd be better off with a pet rock. All pets (especially fish) require some work on your part. If you don't want to do it, don't get a pet. Simple as that.

Answer 4

It could be a lot of things. Despite their rep betta are fairly peaceful in a large tank. They are far more likely to be the victim than the aggressor. Fish like barbs, and large tetras will often fin nip a betta. I'd get an in tank isolation box, and put the betta in there. Give him time to recover where the other fish can't attack him.

PS- How big is your tank? You have got a lot of fish listed above. Of course if you had a build up of waste products like nitrates I'd expect the betta to be one of the last fish to get sick.

Answer 5

I also had my siamese fighting fish in my community tank with other fish. I had to separate my fish because of a few reasons:

At first, I had 2 red tail sharks would chase and nip my siamese fighting fish's tail. They wouldn't actually do it while the light was on at night they would come out in the dark, in the morning his tail would be nipped. (also happend to my fain tailed guppies they started to lose their tail) He actually stands up to them and flares at them but hes not as quick as them they still nip him when hes not looking. Depends as well the size of your other fish. I have my sharks separate to everything else now.

Check the power of your filter, my fighting fish used to stress out because of the strong current of the filter, sometimes he likes to just float and not move. I have a smaller one in there now with him and he likes it better.

I think your siamese fighting fish in a way wants to feel dominant over everyone else to be happy. He also likes his space sometimes. They can also been very territorial. Thats how mine is, hes the boss of the tank and everyone bows down, although I have fan tailed guppies in there with him and he doesn't think twice about them probably cuz their a lot smaller. If there are too many fish in too small of a tank (not sure the size of yours) it could be overcrowded. He could feel overwhelmed, and inferior.

Also make sure you have a few plants and caves so he can have his own space. My fighter used to chase the sharks out of the cave, it was his space.

Well hope that helps, there are many websites with siamese fighting fish info as well. Google it.... Good Luck

Answer 6

Something else could be attacking it. A lot of fish like to nip at long flowing fins. It is probably stressed out. I would take it out and put it in another tank to recuperate.

Answer 7

bettas can live in many different wate condtions. how big is your tank? sometimes its diet can make it lose color. there is specific betta food to maintain its color. you can get them at any pet store. best bet would be to get a small one gallon tank and put him in there and feed him betta food. the color should return

Answer 8

it could be dying, i had a few that did that (my kids bettas) and we didnt have them that long! but they lost most of their color, and that day, or the next day....they were belly up.

Answer 9

save it many hours of pain, take it out of the bowl and stamp on it!!!