Betta Illnesses

My three girls have just gotten over a case of probable Velvet with a three day course of Quick Cure (a mix of Malachite Green and Formalin). This included a 20% water change for each application of the medication.

Now my most temperamental girl, Lilly, is showing signs of still being ill. The other two girls, Kate and Pippa, seem to be fine, but Lilly is lethargic and is off her food completely.

She looks okay, but twice now I've seen her shoot across her space, launch herself from the water, and crash into the glass lid. Scares the life out of me when she does it to be honest.

I watched her this morning seem to struggle down to the substrate and then turn into her hidey-hole. She rested within for a moment and then floated to the top of the half-log. That's when I pulled her out and put her into an isolation cube of freshly aged water. She's calmed down and the stress stripes have faded, but she's still off her food.

This her in the new digs. She's not clamped (fins held close to her body and the tail fin closed shut), she's not overly bloated (she is a female so she may have eggs, or be a little constipated). Her stress seems to have reduced (no horizontal striping on her body - well, it's almost faded).

I'm a little perplexed and somewhat worried for her. She's not eaten in four days now.

Good sites for learning about Betta disease are:

NippyFish (where you'll also find an excellent chart to check for symptoms)

For specific diseases, try:

About.com's Freshwater Aquariums site for Columnaris (cotton mouth), and Ich
Aquarium Pond Answers for Fin Rot and Velvet

Both sites are pretty comprehensive in their explanations and treatment options for most issues that can be experienced by Betta.

But sometimes you come across a situation like mine, where things aren't clean cut. This where membership of a forum or group, like the IBC, or AAQ, or any of the other superb forums around the net, will become invaluable.

Remember to always check your water parameters, and isolate your fish at the first sign of a problem. And do not medicate for the sake of medicating. Only treat when you know for sure what it is. Until then, an isolation tank with aquarium salt and/or tannins from a source such as Indian Almond Leaves (IAL), should calm the fish and give you some time to figure things out.