eBetta.com

TURNING WHITE: Thank you for all your comments on my lovely little betta turning white. He is still alive, but just a weird color now. I did some research and asking around, and discovered that bettas in the wild are not as pretty as those in captivity that are bred to be b-e-a-utiful! So I think Indy just is losing his color because of his genetics. No infection. No disease. Just genes!

I had never heard this before, and do not know if it is true. But this information comes a previous betta breeder.

Yes, he has a heater. Yes, he gets regular water changes. He is just weirdly colored now, but is still my little baby.

Hope every else is having luck! My four babies are still thriving… with a bit of fin rot. But all is well. They are piggies.

Have a good day.

KH

Hello fellow bloggers,

I have a mystery I need help solving! One of my bettas is turning white. It is slowly spreading from his dorsal fin all around his body. It isn’t a fungus or sickness. Nothing is growing on him. He is active, healthy and eats like a piggy. His tank stays at a reasonable temperature and he gets weekly water changes. Is this from old age? He has been living close to a year.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

K

Well things hear is not so grate well first my fish depressed, has Fungal Infection, and Bacterial Infection. So I went and got some medicine (when I say medicine I mean 2) and did a full water change gave him some medicine and a treat . He is doing better tho not much but better .

Well, I have 4 bettas. One is recovering from fin rot and now two more are in the very beginning stages. I put a little aquarium salt in their tanks ever weekly water change and keep the temperature steady. They get wonderful water changes and still get fin rot. Is this because bettas are just really prone to getting it? I thought I was being a good mom and taking care of my babies. But no such luck. I am getting meds today, so they will be on the road to recovery. But blah. Fin rot sucks.

Happy holidays!

K

Edit: found a nice little fish store close to my town that I had no idea was there! Picked up some meds the owner swears by and started treatment yesterday. Keep you posted!

Hey everyone I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on my fish Bo. She is doing pretty well! She still has her tail rot problem (again, if anyone has any suggestions please let me know). A lot of algae was growing on her tank. Her tank was on my dresser that was in front of a window. I heard that you weren’t supposed to keep bettas in direct sunlight, but I had a curtain so I thought it was okay. But I moved her out of the sun and hardly any algae grows now. She still has a tail rot problem but its not as bad. So she is doing better

Okay, I have had enough of the questions about keeping male betta fish and female betta fish together. Just about everyday someone asks me this: “Can I keep my male betta fish with a female betta fish?” or “Why are my male betta fish and my female betta fish always ripping each other fins off?” or any variation of these questions.

From now on everyone he emails me this question is getting sent to this page.

No you CANNOT keep them together. They will kill each other. Don’t worry, they won’t get lonely either – obviously they don’t like to be around other fish.

Almost immediately after I say they can’t be kept together people always ask “Well then how do they breed?” For that answer you need to look at this page: http://www.ehow.com/how_2002252_breed-betta-fish.html

Question From Sue:

I have a male betta who suddenly has been showing some strange behaviour. Taz stays at the top of the bowl, snug to the edge, with no movement other than his mouth. Wont eat. Then every twenty mins he just goes beserk, racing around the bowl on the water top as if he is trying to get out. Litterally out of the water. I did find my cat drinking water from the bowl. Could this be stress, scared or what. His colouring is way off as well. Hope you can give me some advice. I have moved his bowl to a better place where kitties cant get near him.

Since I have had a betta get eaten by a cat I think that it is a big concern for fish. I have also had betta fish jump out of their tank before too, so that can happen also, they can jump very high sometimes. I think he is both scared and stressed, especially with the cat drinking from the water, good idea to move him away.

As for him losing color – it could be nothing.. but it could be what is called “Velvet” check out this page on bettatalk.com for more information on the diesease including treatment.

From bettatalk:

Velvet is hard to spot, but can be best spotted with a flashlight. Shine the light on the betta’s body: if it looks like it is covered with a fine gold or rust mist, then it has velvet. A betta with velvet will act sick, so look for clamped fins, scratching against rocks/gravel/tank, loss of appetite, loss of color etc…

Help! My betta fish Flo died, (don’t know why, I think just because of old age) so I got a new betta. He looks almost exactly the same but a little smaller. His name is Bo. He was fine for a while, but then all of a sudden his tail looked like it was just decreasing, and chunks of it were falling off. It was like a zig zag, it just looked like it was rotting. So I looked it up online and found a thing called tail rot. We thought that was it, so we called the store where I got my betta. The store owner said that she had never heard of tail rot on betta’s before, and she thinks it was because of my plant. So we took the plant out, but it still isn’t getting any better! I clean her tank every two days, and I don’t use soap. Does anyone know what’s wrong?????????

P.S. Sorry I haven’t written in a while. I have been so busy! And I just got a new computer and I lost the betta website. Sorry!

I have been gettting tons of emails and comments about betta fish with lots of interesting questions. I will attempt to answer some of them here.

I am always asked: What is the best store to buy betta fish?
My opionion is the petco is the best corporate/chain pet store for betta fish selection and quality…

Also guys (and gals) you may want to take a look at your local FISH store… the kind that only specialize in fish. Not any kind of chain. That is where you can find the truly spectacular betta fish you see posted here from time to time.

I live in Florida and there are a TON of fish stores around me that have an amazing betta fish selection. I know a couple owners of these shops personally that give me a call when they have something they know I’m loooking for.

Please consider searching for a fish hobbiest store in your area before going to the chain pet store for betta fish.

ok tomorrow I’m going to get two bettas, 1 female and 1 male. I have two separate 1.75 gal. tanks w/ two plastic plants and a cave. They will each have a filter and I put the chemical in that you need one drop of for tap water. I have the right food, too. I keep reading that you need a lot of space for bettas, but a couple of years ago we had bettas in the same conditions, but they didn’t last long, I’m not sure if it’s because the store I got them from just had them in l a cup of water in plastic bags…. or am I doing something wrong please help!

Also, I was wondering if there’s enough room for a different fish or something to put into the females tank? help!

1.75 gallons is enough rooms for betta fish… I have seem them kept for a very long time in very some jars/containers (not that they were happy).

Also, are you sure you have the right food? Some pet store sell those betta flakes that betta just seem to hate. Try pellets if you can.

As for keeping different fish with females – I would not suggest it. They are still pretty agressive and could potentially kill the other fish.

O also I know what you mean about the people and what they tell you!
1.They told us that guppies were very hardy and did not need the special chemical for tap water or could be put in the tank right away!
2. They told us to wash the tanks with soap, but luckily we knew better.
3. They told us you could a male betta in with different fish….We got him out in time.
That has been a few years ago and I want my bettas to be happy and healthy

4. Also do I really need a heater?

1. Correct! Guppies are not that hardy.
2. Correct! Don’t use soap ever.
3. Correct again! Male bettas are extremely aggressive.
4. Nope, Not unless you keep your house cold. They enjoy temperatures in the upper 70’s and 80’s. I suggested this to someone who kept there house at 70-72 f.

I also read that you should not put rocks in for bettas, because a tank like mine should be cleaned often and the rocks make the tank dirty or something Maybe I’m just thinking to hard idk!

You can keep rocks with you betta. Just be sure to clean them from time to time. I personally don’t because I don’t like to spend a lot of time cleaning the betta tanks. Rocks are good though.

o i read that i need to clean the tank 2-3 times a week, is that true?

Well.. if you have a filter that often is not necessary. I clean my tanks once a week with no filter. But some people prefer more often.

This is the best website I’ve found so far and want to make sure I’m doing everything right! I read somewhere, it might have been wikipedia that said black bettas don’t live nearly as long as the others is that true?

Never heard that before. I have had a black betta fish for a very long time. Also… it may be kind of hard for you to find a black betta fish as they are somewhat rare to see in stores.

Have you ever wanted to lessen to your Ipod and watch your betta in another city then you should try the Ipond. good for Betta fish haters.

A TINY fish tank that doubles as a music speaker has sparked outrage among animal activists and aquarists. The iPond – up to 15 times smaller than the recommended tank size for the fish it contains – is proving a hit with Christmas shoppers. One Sydney store has sold out of the $70 device and other outlets are reporting brisk sales. But the RSPCA has called on the device to be banned because it is too small to provide fish with adequate oxygen supplies and a clean environment. The iPond is sold nationally by the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains. Users can play their iPods through a speaker built into the bottom of the brick-shaped tank.

The tank’s water capacity is about 650millilitres once rocks are placed in it. Pets Paradise is selling Siamese fighting fish with the iPond. The fighting fish are native to South-East Asia and have a “labyrinth lung” that allows them to take in oxygen from air. Typically they live in puddles and rice paddies.

A Melbourne Aquarium spokesman said Siamese fighting fish required a minimum tank size of 10 litres – dramatically more than the iPond provides. Animal Liberation Victoria’s Noah Mark said he was disgusted by the invention. Studies proved fish had memories well beyond a few seconds and were social creatures that experienced pain and boredom, he said.

“The fish in this thing does not look like it has very long to live and it can barely move,” he said. “Even if it does live it’s not [a] life worth living … it’s really just a torture box.”

Acoustics expert Jason Gedamke said there was no doubt noise from the speaker would escape into the water. “The speaker is directly coupled to the outside of the tank … [so] you are going to have a small level of sound introduced,” Mr Gedamke said.

“It’s the same as putting a fish tank on a speaker.”

RSPCA spokesman Hugh Wirth said despite the fighting fish’s ability to breathe air from the surface, the tank was far too small for it to receive adequate oxygen. The small volume of water would lead to rapid temperature change and this meant the tropical fish would not live long, he said. The iPond should be banned, Dr Wirth said.

Marketing manager for the Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct chains, Alyse-Grace Robertson, said the tanks had gone on sale in September and were selling briskly. The group that manages the stores had received one formal complaint about the product. Customers sometimes asked questions about the welfare of fish in iPonds.

“A few people ask, ‘is the fish OK?”‘ Ms Robertson said. The chains were satisfied that fish in iPonds did not suffer.

She said before selling the tanks the chains had consulted the Pet Industry Association of Australia. Output from the speakers was small and fish in iPonds seemed to flourish, she said. A spokesperson for Apple said the company was willing to comment on its own products, but not on accessories made by third parties.

got this off http://www.myfishtank.net/ipond/

I know in most areas its starting to warm up so you may think this post is irrelevant. However I wanted to share my experiences with my Betta and the heater. With my first Betta being purchased in October and I live in a colder state I was worried. My friend who originally got me into Betta’s told me how they didn’t move much and looked unhappy when cold. So I started my search for a heater. There are many on the market depending on the size of your tank. I have a 1 gallon tank with only my Betta in it so I wanted a smaller warmer. At first prices were quite expensive, and bulky and I was worried. But I finally found a small under gravel heater at Petco for $15. It was the perfect size for the small tank.Both fishes have enjoyed the warmer water, but now I have to remember to unplug it when it gets warmer. But it was a good investment. And it kept my fish happier.

Make sure to get one that is for your size tank. My mother in law has a horror story of purchasing a bigger heater. She put it in the tank for a bit, but fell asleep. Unfortunately she awoke to cooked fish, so please be careful!

As I said in my previous entry I’d get into more detail about what happened to my first Betta. It was the evil cute banana plant. Yes, that sounds funny but its true. Originally when I purchased my first fish I didn’t notice his gill. When I got him home I noticed one of his gills was torn so that it opened more than it should. However he was such a happy healthy fish, so I kept him and he didn’t seem to have issues.However he was a very messy fish. The water would be crystal clear but the bottom of his tank was horrible. He had so much waste, and nothing helped. After speaking with my mother in law I decided to get a loch. For those who don’t know, they are a small worm like creature that reside in the gravel and eat waste and fish food. They help keep the gravel cleaner in between cleanings.

So I went into the pet store and asked for a loch. The salesperson told me they were out, after debating me about the fact the 2 can co-exist. Now my mother in law used to breed fish, including Betta’s, and had loch’s, so she’d know if they could co-exist first hand. He told me to get a plant and that would help. I was skeptical and looking back should have listened to myself and walked away. However I didn’t and so he sold me on the cute little banana plant. I brought it home all excited. The first seemed to like it and it was going well. Until….

2 weeks after putting it in the tank I noticed what looked to be fibers floating in the water. The fish seemed to be doing ok, so I didn’t think much about it. But as the week went on it got worse. I tried cleaning out the tank and that made it worse. I took out the plant and from there it only got worse. I noticed the fish wasn’t looking so good. That morning I looked in at him and he wouldn’t eat. On my way home I purchased some things from the pet store and was going to take him out the water until it cleared. However when I got home he was already dead.

After I mourned and had his fish funeral I cleaned the tank and started over. However now the plant resides in a separate container. I was mad at it but its so cute! So the moral of my tale is this, if you have a small tank a real plant may not be the best route. And yes Loach’s can co-exist with betta’s.

I noticed a lot of people find this blog by searching for the phrase “Betta Jumped Out” or something similar. They are then directed to my article about what to do when you betta jumps out of the tank. Well.. I sure hope you are doing something about your out-of-water fish before looking on the internet for something to do, because that is a lot of wasted time.

Pick The Fish Up - Put It In The Tank. That’s all you have to do.

Consider yourself lucky that you have a betta fish instead of most others. Betta fish have the unique ability to breathe air. So once you put your fish back in the water leave it alone for 24 hours and hope it stays alive. Next time try to keep your betta’s tank covered if it has a high water level.

So you want to raise bigger looking bettas, huh? Here’s a few tips on how to do it. First and most important of all, provided a constant supply of good quality food. This applys to all types of creatures, a constant supply of good food means more nutrition and thus giving it a chance to grow bigger. Next, change the water regularly, make sure that the water conditions are optimum. A cleaner living environment prevents the fish from getting sick. Now the third trick to growing bigger bettas relate to exercise. I find that keeping my bettas in a small tank that has a little water current almost always result in growing bigger bettas. My guess is that in order to stay in one place, the bettas will have to fight the current. In this process, it is actually exercising and we all know what exercising does to a body (look at Arnold’s body from The Terminator!). However, make sure that the water current is not too strong and make sure you provide some resting place for the bettas (a piece of PVC pipe works well) in case they get too tired. One side effect (maybe a good side effect) from this is that when the current is absent, the betta will look as if it’s flaring with all its fins open to the maximum.

Appearance:
White spots Maybe less active, may have stopped eating and his fins may be clumped.

Symptoms:
Dashing against rocks, plants or anything in his container.

Treatment:
Ick is a parasite and is contagious so do a good cleaning and add Coppersafe by Mardel. Raising the temperature to 84F. will help to speed up the cure. You should do more water changes to get rid of the parasite.