Signs of an Unhealthy Betta Fish

An unhealthy betta fish is such a nightmare for a betta keepers. As a betta fish breeder and keeper of course we always pay attention to our betta fish health condition. Doing constant water change and feeding regularly are our first step to keep our betta fish healthy. But we cannot deny that every betta fish have different immune system so even we have done the best effort there will be some of them that got unwell. When a betta fish is feeling unwell we need to quickly identify therefore we can make quick treatment so it cannot get worse.

A sick betta fish could really have a short life opportunity if not treated quickly. If you are a new betta fish keeper then you need to know how to identify a sick betta fish and especially how to treat a sick betta fish. Here are some points that you need to pay attention.

Betta Fish Acting Weird

One of the first sign that your betta fish is not feeling well is they are starting to act weird. It might be they are swimming anxiously and bumping into the tank wall. If you have seen your betta acting like that you should be investigate further because it might be some fungal infections that make their scales itchy.

Motionless on Top or Bottom of the Tank

If you see your betta fish motionless either on the top of the tank or the bottom of the tank then we should be cautious. Motionless betta fish are a sign that they have a problem in their body because a healthy betta fish usually swim across the tank happily. Look closer to your betta fish does it have big stomach or white dots on their skin. Further investigation are needed to identify the disease.

Fins Do Not Open

Another sign of unhealthy betta fish is if their fins do not open, especially when it also motionless. When bettas fins are always frown then there must be something wrong with it.

Not Willing to Eat

If you are tried to feed your betta fish and they are not willing to eat at all then it is another trouble. A betta fish without an appetite might means that it might be their stomach was full and they cannot poop regularly. If you give pellets and they won’t eat don’t forget to took it again because leftover pellets can contaminate the water and causing another problem.

Not Willing to Flare

Betta fish are a solitarily fish, they won’t share a tank with other betta fish. Also when they see another betta fish they are starting to angry by flaring at the other. But when they are not willing to flare then it might be a problem. It can be from the low water quality or else, make sure you treat them quick.

Fading Colors

A betta fish is known for it’s great colors. If one day you see your betta fish colors starts to fade then it might be an unhealthy sign.

No Betta Bubbles

Betta fish bubbles indicating a healthy and happy betta fish. When you see no betta bubbles in male betta fish tank then you should be cautious. Try doing water change to see whether the water is the problem. If after the water change betta fish start creating bubbles again then we should have no more worries.

Showing White Dots

Sometimes we need to look closer into our fish scales. When you see a betta fish is motionless then try doing more detailed observation by using flashlight. In a bright light you can see fish scales more clearly, if you see any white dots then it might be a white spot/ich disease. You should move your betta fish to a treatment tank quickly to avoid contagion.

Ripped Fins

If you see your betta fish fins suddenly ripped then it would be because of a parasitic bacterial exist in the tank. Try to do a quick fin rot treatment for an immediate healing. It may take a week or more for the betta fish to recover if it taken care quickly.

Bloated Stomach

A bloated fish may caused by it’s inability to release the feces. And it may be a sign that your fish are suffering from constipation. Stop giving him food and do a quick treatment.

Raised Scales

Raised scales or we might say pine cone appearance are a sign that a betta fish are suffering from dropsy. If betta fish had raised scales it can be seen clearly from above. Dropsy are a quite dangerous betta fish disease with low rate of surviving if you did not do an early treatment.

Unhealthy Betta Fish with Bigger Eye

If you see your betta fish eyes (it might be just one of them) are bigger than before it may be suffering from popeye disease. A quick popeye treatment would increase it’s chance to heal.

Growing Meat

A growing meat is a sign of tumour which some betta fish types are susceptible to it. It actualy do not threat too much to a betta fish life opportunity as many betta fish still live long while the growing meat still exist. If you want to remove it the only way is to do a surgery on your betta fish.

Cotton Like Spot

If you see any cotton like spot appears maybe at mouth, scales or fins then it may be diagnosed with columnaris/cotton wool disease. This type of disease should be treated quickly.

As a betta hobbyist we see betta fish as a family member of the house. It has to be cared well and should be healthy all the time. With the explanations above I hope we can detect any unusual betta fish behaviour which leads to their health problems. With it we can take an early step of treatment so they do not suffer greatly from it and could recover easier.

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