Common Betta Diseases

sick betta fish,

Proper betta care is important to keep a betta free from sicknesses. How do you know if a betta is sick? You can look for signs revealed on its body as well as its behaviour. For example, you can check whether the betta has abnormal color spots on its body. Also, if the betta display poor appetite or shows no sign of interest in its surrounding, then most probably the betta is sick. If the betta is suffering from a disease, it is important that it received prompt treatment. Some common betta diseases are described below.

A common betta disease is the ich (short for ichthyophthirius), a protozoan disease. A betta suffering from this disease will have white spots reflected on its body. These spots are actually formed by parasites embedded in the betta's skin. This betta disease needs to be treated promptly. If left untreated, the betta will die. The treatment for ich is to raise the water temperature to 90 deg F (32 deg C) and add a little salt to the water. The water need to be change at least once a day to remove parasite existing in the water. If the parasites are not cleared, they may attack the fish again. There are some medications available at stores to treat the infection but care must be taken to use the correct dosage. Especially for small betta bowls, an overdose of mediation should be prevented.

Another common betta disease is the Velvet. It is also a protozoan disease which will cause small yellow spots to appear on the betta's body. The betta will have a "sandy" appearance. In order to see more clearly the spots, you can use a torch light to shine on the betta. Velvet is more commonly found in young bettas than old ones. For this disease, you can place some salt in the water. There are medications sold by stores to treat the infection caused by this disease. Regular changing of water is also recommended to remove the parasites in the water.

When a betta's fin is damaged, fin rot may occur. This is because the damaged tissue causes infection. One of the ways of treating fin rot is to place the betta in clean water. If the fin rot is serious and providing clean water does not help the condition, then you can purchase some medications to remove the fin rot infection. As soon as the damaged is stopped, the betta could regenerate its fins. Even if the gills are affected by the fin rot, the betta can still take in oxygen from the air and stay alive.

The above are some common betta diseases. Prompt treatments are important to prevent the diseases from developing into more serious conditions which may result in death. Bettas must be kept in clean water, hence regular changing of water is required. Proper betta care must be given for betta to maintain good health and have long life. ! Please visit Betta Fish website for more information.

Rose Mary enjoys travel and write on various interest topics. Discover the essentials on keeping Betta Fish alive and well at Betta Fish Care at => http://www.fibcool.com/betta-fish/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_Mary