Tropical Betta Fish

Description:
The betta or Siamese fighting fish is very well known. Along with goldfish and guppies, they are commonly kept and usually it less-than-ideal homes. The betta, Betta splendens, is a small labyrinth fish from Thailand, Cambodia, and nearby areas. It is able to use oxygen in air to survive. Thus, it can live in small and/or polluted waters. Males do not tolerate other males. It is for this reason that males are kept in tiny containers of water by themselves. Females are rarely even sold. They are a little smaller or seem so because their fins are much shorter. They have less flashy coloration and are more tolerant of other bettas.
Males grow to about three inches and are brightly colored. Colors may include green, red, yellow, orange, purple, blue, white, black, and more! Most bettas are mostly red or blue/green. Females contain these same colors but more in a pastel shade. They have more apricot colored areas too (non-colored). Females grow to about two inches.

Setup and Water Preferences:
Bettas like soft, slightly acidic water. A pH from about 6 to 8 will do. They need warm temperatures of at least 75 degrees F but can take short periods (less than a day) in the 60's. Low temperature is one of the most frequent causes of death for bettas. They do not do well at "room temperature" if that temperature is below 75 degrees F for long periods of time. One disadvantage of keeping them in cups and bowls is this lack of temperature control. For a fish that can take down to about 50 degrees F in a bowl, a paradise fish is a better choice (although it is a bit larger and more active and would prefer a tank).

Bettas prefer to eat small, live foods but will eat most small, meat-based foods. Live brine shrimp are a favorite food. My betta ate brine shrimp on his first day with me but strangely on the second day, he took every live brine shrimp he could find into his mouth and then spat them out! Then, he switched to flakes! Many bettas like the small pelleted foods. Bettas spend most of their time at the water's surface so they find it easiest to eat floating foods. My betta also explored other levels in the tank but slept at the top.


Betta Housing:
Male bettas are sold to be kept in tiny containers of water all by themselves. Because they can gulp and use atmospheric oxygen, they can survive in small puddles of water or small cups. But, just because they can does not mean they have to do so or even should. I put one in my 20 gallon community tank (see below for precautions). He was a bit confused at first, never having seen other fish, plants, and room to move! But, then he loved it! Bettas kept in less than a gallon of water should have the water changed at least a few times a week or as it gets dirty. Because males fight with one another, breeders with lots of fish have no choice but to keep the fish individually in small containers, like bowls, vases, or pickle jars. Bettas are often sold with a "betta vase" which is just a small container usually with a plant stuck in it. While a few microbes or algae might be on the roots short term, the betta will quickly eat those. He may pick at the roots to gather oxygen as well. But, the betta cannot live off the plant alone and must be fed at least a few times a week. Small containers can also foul quickly so frequent 50% water changes are good. The water should never be cloudy or stinky. If you would not drink it based on how it looks (not knowing a fish had been in it), it is not fit for your betta. Please do not keep bettas in tiny containers. See this site for more information.

Compatibility of Bettas with Other Fish:
A male betta attacks other males, females when he sees fit, and fish that HE thinks look like a betta too. He will "fight" with his reflection. Fighting males spread out their gills like wings, lunge, and bite off pieces of fin. Fish with flowing fins may find them nipped by a male betta. These include fancy goldfish (who do not like the heat that a betta likes anyway), fancy guppies, and other longfinned fish. Female bettas are more tolerant. They generally can tolerate other females but there are tales of females who think they are male and nip other fish. Fast moving and nippy fish like many barbs and danios will often nip at slow bettas' fins. If a male betta is put in a warm community tank with no other fish that looks like a betta (no flowing fins) and no fish that may nip or eat him, then he will get along fine. Goldfish and bettas are not a good mix. This is for a number of reasons: the betta may nip the goldfish, the goldfish may pester the betta to death or rip his fins, the goldfish likes it cool while the betta likes it warm, and the piggy goldfish will eat any food added for the betta. Single-finned goldfish grow over a foot long while bettas stay at an inch or two. Goldfish like to move around at a good pace making a mess while bettas like to take their time to move around. I love both goldfish and bettas but just not together.

Sexing:
A male betta has bright colors and long fins. An average female has more subdued colors and shorter fins than a male. Some females are more colorful and can be mistaken for males but are generally smaller. When ready to spawn, her abdomen will enlarge with eggs. Because females are rarely sold, most bettas encountered (usually in cups) are male.

Breeding:
Males will build a bubble nest in water less than six inches deep that has floating plants and no water movement. A breeding setup should not have running filters or aeration, or the nest may be destroyed. Floating plants will anchor it in place. Usually, a male and female are conditioned separately but in sight of one another (in two half-filled five gallon tanks for example). They are fed live foods. The male should build a nest as the female's eggs develop. When the nest looks done, and the female is fat, they can be put together. He may bully her. If he gets violent, they need to be separated. Otherwise, they will spawn, and he will put eggs in the floating nest. After her eggs are all out, she should be removed as he will then attack her to protect the nest. Fry hatch in about 24 hours at 80 degrees. Newborns can eat infusuria, egg yolk, and maybe even crushed flakes. Breeding is reported to be easy but it is vital to remove the young males into separated quarters as soon as their sex is apparent.

Common Betta Diseases

Amyloodinium, better known as Velvet
Symptoms: The fish's skin will have a kind of white, grey, or yellowish color (thus the name Velvet). The fish may have rapid breathing, scratch aganist the tank bottom, have dull eyes, and suffer from loss of appetite.
Treatment:Velvet has a life cycle of five to eight days and can be fatal rapidly. Copper Sulfate is the most effective treatment of Amyloodinium. If that is not available use medications that include drugs such as quinine sulfate, quinine hydrochloride, chloroquine phospate, or acriflavine.
Turn off the lights during the medication process for the light decreas the potency of the the durgs. Slowy, one degree every five hours, increase the temperature of the water to 85 degress. You should keep conditions like this for two weeks.

Anchor Worms
Symptoms:Clear, white, or brown stringy worms with forked tail located on the skin, head or mouth of the fish.
Treatment: If the worms are largee it is best to remove the worms. Place the fish on a clean, white towel. Then carefully pull each worms out with a pair of tweezers. Then dab some antibiotic antiseptic on the wonund. Let the drug soak for 10 seconds then placed the fish back in it's home.
If the worms are small use a anti-parasitic medication such as trichlorfon.

Bacterial Infection
Symptoms: Cloudy eyes, ulcers, abscess, rotting or redding of the skin, fins, bulging eyes, or rapid breathing.
Treatment:The best mdication is an a gram negative antibiotic like furan or kanamycian sulfate. The other types of antibiotics that you could use are aureomycin, neomycin, sulfate, tetracycline, oxytetracyline, nitrofurazone, or nalidixic acid.

Camallanus Worms
Symptoms:Red or brown worms coming out of the fish's anus.
Treatment:Try to find a medications that includes trichlorfon, yomesan, or piperazine. You can also feed fish medicated food. If the food is unavailable you can add 50 mg. of piperazine to ten grams of the fish food.

Chilonodella
Symptoms:The fish will have excessive mucus on it's body and gills. Sometimes rapid breathing and sluggishness are also symptoms. In few cases only rapid breathing is noticed, then lethargy, then death.
Treatment: See ICK.

Columnaris
Symptoms: The fish may have mucus or small puffs on its gills, mouth, or skin. The fish may also show rapid breathing. If you look at the fills closy it should reveal erosion at the filament tips.
Treatment:See Bacterial Infection

Dropsy:
Symptoms: Dropsy is a dracterial disease that attacks the internal organs. It causes a concentration of fluids in the body tissues. The body will swell and the the fish's scales will stick out like a pinecone.
Treatment:Dropsy is not very infectious. Medicate the fish with medications such as furan or kanamycian sulfate. Dropsy is not an easy disease to cure. If the fish is severly infected the best thing to do is to Mercy Kill.

Fin or Tail Rot
Symptoms: Fin rot is common with bettas that have large fins, halfmoons. Their fins are easily torn and fin rot quickly sets in. The fish's tail becomes ragged. Sometimes accompianed by red streak, caused by the bloodvessels in the fins.
Treatment:Fin rot is a bacterial disease and best treated with antibiotics. There are many different medications for fin rot. Most likely there are secondary infections such as Fungus.

Fungus
Symptoms:Fungus usually occurs on an open wound. The fish has patchs of white or gray cottony, fuzzy puffs attach the the skin, fins, or wounds. Sometimes there will be a film covering the eyes.
Treatment:Fungus is usually easy to cure if medicated quickly. The most succesful drugs include acriflavine, neutroflavine or copper sulfate.

Gill and Skin Flukes
Symptoms:The fish scratches against the gravel or tank. Has clamped fins, swim wildly near the surface, rapid breathing, and fills have excessive mucus or turn to gray.
Treatment: Gill Flukes can be treated with formalin baths. Place the fish in a 3-gallon bucket of water. Medicate the bucket with 600 mg. of formalin to every one gallon fo water. Leave the fish in the bath for 30 minutes. If the fish becomes listless, loses it's balance, or exhausted place it back in it's original tank.
You could also use medications. The most common drug is formaldehyde or trichlorfon.

Hole in Head:
Symptoms:This is also known as Hexamita. It is caused by poor water conditions, or poor nutrition. Tiny, round holes are present in the head area. If you look close there are small, white strings of worms inside the holes.

Treatment: Look for meds that are made for Hole in the Head disease. If none are found look for meds that are made for the treatment of flagellates such as metronidazole.
Ick

Symptoms:Fish that have Ick or Ich usually have a few white spots of the fins and body, like salt was sprinkled on the body. The fish may have rapid breathing or cloudy eyes.
Treatment:Some of the drugs available are malachite green, aureomycin, benzaldehyde, quinie hydrochloride, or quinie sulfate. Increase the temperature, one degree per hour, till it reachs 85 degrees F. Keep the fish like this for at least 10 days.

Lymph

Symptoms:White to grey, raseberry like growths on the fins or body of the affected fish.
Treatment: Lymphs are usually not fatal or contagious so the best thing to do is to leave it alone.

Popeye:
Symptoms:Popeye is also known as Exophtalmos. If it is not treated the fish's eye may pop out so far that it pops out.One or both of the fish's eyes bulge from it's sockets.
Treatment:If it is nitrogen supersaturation then turn off any aeration for a few days. If that was the reason then the eye should start to recede. If this doesn't help then treat for a Bacterial Infection.

Swim Bladder
Symptoms:The fish may float to the surface, sink to the bottom or do headstands. The fish may even swim upsidedown.
Treatment: If it isn't a disease then the problem should go away. If it doesn't go away then treat as if it is a Bacterial Infection. If the fish swims upside down the disease is extremely severe and the recovery isn't likely to occur.

Tuberculosis:
Symptoms:Tuberculosis is quite contagious to fish. There is also a slight chance of contracting the disease yourself so wear gloves while working around a fish with TB. The fish affected will have pale colors, bulging etes, rapid breathing, sluggish movements, hiding, swelling of abdomen, no appetite, and wasting away.
Treatment:Tuberculosis is extrely hard to cure. The best thing to do in cases of tuberculosis is to Mercy Kill. If you want to try and cure it, the best thing to use is furan or kanamycin. You can also use drugs such as auromycin, neomycin sulfate, tetracycline, oxytetracycline, nitrofurazone, or nalidixic acid.

Tumors
Symptoms:Lumps appear on or beneath the skin. If the lumps are white to grey the skin see Lymph.
Treatment:If the tumor is not affecting the fish or growing at a rapid rate the tumor can be left alone. If tumor is under the gill it is most likely a lack of iodine problem. So treated the fish with potassium iodine. If the tumor is distressing the fish then it is best to Mercy Kill.

Ulcers
Symptoms:The fish has one or more open sores on it's body, base of fins, and the sore has red edges. The fish may also have red fin edges, loss of appetite, or have sluggish behavior.
Treatment:Treat like a Bacterial Infection.