Fins and Scales are Not OK

> If your betta's fins look like they are rotting, or getting ragged and disappearing, click here. Your fish has fin rot.

> If your betta has white specks or spots on its body and/or fins, it probably has ich. Here's how to identify and treat ich.

> If your betta is covered with a slimy substance, over all or part of its body, especially if it is a dusty, dark golden or off-white color (it can be white, too), it probably has a bacterial infection. You should start feeding it medicated food, do a 50% water change every day, and get to the pet store to buy an anti-bacterial treatment (which is usually "pills" that you drop in the water. The treatment will cost around $10. I am recommending the Seachem here for three reasons: 1) because I've used it, 2) because it won't kill all the good bacteria in your filter and 3) because it also works on fungal problems and sometimes it is very difficult to really know if you've got a bacterial or a fungal problem. For $10, the Seachem treatment is a great preventative to have around for a fast treatment as the first sign of a problem. Follow the instructions exactly, and when your fish recovers, seriously consider putting it in a larger, heated tank and doing water changes a lot more frequently.

> If your betta's eye (or eyes) looks like it has "popped out" or is swollen (and the rest of the fish's body looks OK), your betta has what's known as pop eye. Its an infection caused by parasites. Get to the pet store and get a treatment for pop eye. And then do more water changes and treat your betta better.

> If your betta has been in a fight, or gotten banged up somehow, get some stress coat and make sure your fish is in warm (80 degrees --- do not pour hot water into your fish's bowl to warm it up!) and clean water.

> If your betta has an ulcer (or more than one) or part of its body has lost its scales and looks bloody and possibly surrounded by white or yellow goo or mucus, you have a serious illness (which I bet you knew anyway). You need to treat your fish with medicated food and an antibiotic. The anti-bacterial treatment in the link above (for bettas with a slimy substance is a good choice. Keep in mind that a fish this sick is probably going to die, unless you have spotted the ulcer within the first day or less that it appears. Some fish do survive. Keep the water very clean (but try to stress your fish as little as possible... a dramatic water change could kill it), and keep it warm, and isolate it from other fish.

> If your betta has visible parasites, get some anti parasite medicated fish food and a tank-wide treatment for parasitic and bacteria infections.

> Do none of these symptoms apply to your fish? Then please contact@savemybetta.com and I'll diagnose the problem and add it to the options listed on this page.

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