The main reason of the diseases of betta fish is internal pressure. The pressure can be a result of several different things. The most widespread disease is infection.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: “Maracyn 2” by Mardel is suggested. Maracyn-2 is a all-purpose antibiotic tablet which is utilized for popeye, fin and tail rot, gill ailment, dropsy, septicemia, secondary and inner infections. It is essential that the treatment be absorbed within the beta fish to cure the infection. Regular water changes twice a week, in addition to higher temperatures may also aid the beta fight off the infection himself.
Fungal infection
Fungal infections generally happen because of bad water conditions. They become visible as white fluffy growths on the beta fish's mouth, eyes, and fins and are highly infectious.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: Increase the temperature of the beta fish tank. Fungal infections are time and again an outcome of cooler water temperatures. Medicines including Malachite green or Methylene blue are also useful. Malachite green is a totally harmless and helpful cure in fresh and salt water on a wide variety of protozoan, crustacean, and other invertebrate parasites of fishes. Adding ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) to the water, one teaspoon per gallon can lend a hand in minimizing the healing time.
Ichthyophthirius multifilius (Ich)
Ich is a protozoan parasite found on the majority of the freshwater fish. It emerges as small white dots or stains on the beta fish’s fins and body, which may seem to be like white grains of sugar. Eruptions mostly happen when the water temperature drops less than 80 degrees F.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: Raise the water temperature to the mid to higher 80s degree F. Salt baths are very helpful against Ich. Adding common table salt (sodium chloride) to the water can lend a hand in reducing disease. Add one teaspoon per gallon as a pre-emptive measure. Medicines containing Malachite green or Methylene blue, continued at a time gap of 2 days are also helpful.
Velvet/Oodinium
It is an algae parasite found on several freshwater fish. This ailment emerges as a yellow "velvety" covering on the beta fish's body. It may also become visible as golden or rust colored. It is habitually found in fish which are anxious due to chilling, shipping, water changes or bad water quality. Symptoms comprises of fast breathing and lethargy.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: Raised temperature and medicines like acriflavine, Methylene Blue or Jungle's “velvet guard” should help cure this parasite. Bowls or tanks should be drained and unsoiled. Dyes must not be used as they have mercury.
Fin Rot
Fin Rot is a bacterial disease and often happens to weaker beta fishes.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: application of antibiotics, anti-microbials, and measures containing these is the perfect cure of this disease. One such anthology is Mardel Maracyn 2. Maracyn-2 is an all-purpose antibiotic tablet used for popeye, fin and tail rot, gill ailment, dropsy, septicemia, secondary and inner infections. Changing the water, increasing the temperature and adding a small amount of salt will often attain excellent results.
Dropsy
It is caused by an inner, bacterial contagion. It mostly shows itself as stuffed sides and overhanging scales on the beta fish. Again, the most possible reason is bad water conditions.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: The application of Mardel's Tetracycline is suggested. Tetracycline is an all purpose antibiotic for ailing fin and tail rot, popeye, gill ailment and dropsy. It is mainly useful against gram-negative pathogenic organisms.
Black Spot
It demonstrates small, black scraps on the body of the beta fish. It is time and again found in fish that are harassed due to shipping.
Betta Fish Care and Treatment: Adding common table salt (sodium chloride) to the water can lend a hand in minimizing the healing time. Adding one teaspoon per gallon is suggested.
Common Beta Fish Treatments
* Copper Sulfate is helpful as an antiseptic for equipment, tanks and bowls.
* Formalin is helpful against Ich and parasites.
* Malachite Green is generally used to cure protozoan infections.
Beta fish are flexible but do not bear thermal swings splendidly. Betas are tropical fish and must be placed in tropical temperatures. Beta fish need habitual, twice-weekly water changes in gallon water containers, a combination of foods (not just dry pellets), and your communication to remain healthy.
Most of the ailments or illnesses with tropical freshwater fish can be credited to their surrounding atmosphere.
Nearly always a rapid water change, the adding up of a bit of salt (unionized sea salt is the most excellent, about a level teaspoon per five gallons equivalent) will resolve anything which is ailing them.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
7 Tips to Prevent Ick (White Spot Disease) From Affecting Your Betta Fish
You wake one morning to find that you healthy looking betta fish is now not so healthy looking....What looks like someone took salt and shook it all over your fish can be a lot more serious than you think. The reality is that this is the sign of a very common disease known as "fish ick (ich)" or white spot disease.
Here are some things you can do to prevent and treat white spot disease:
* Regularly change out the water to your aquarium- I personally change the water out of my tank twice monthly although you don't necessarily have to be that vigilant. Changing out the water is more than simply pouring it out and filling it up though. You want "aged water" meaning that you want water to be sitting out for at least 24 hours before you fill the tank up.
* Feed your betta fish a variety of foods- freeze dried and flake food- Betta fish are meat eaters but giving them a mixture of brine shrimp and beef hearts combined with the typical flake food is best.
* Reduce the stress of your beta's environment by maintaining a constant pH balance and avoid fluctuations in water temperature and ammonia levels- You can buy testing kits at any local pet store and your aquarium should have a thermometer. Temperature should be regulated to keep a constant and reliable environment and betta fish are best suited for warm and slightly acidic pH balance (7.0)
* Don't overstock your tank with fish- Sounds like a no brainer but many people think if one is good then 10 must be better. An overstocked fish tank is a breeding ground for disease and stress (which cause disease because it hinders a fish's immune system.
* Always quarantine new fish for a minimum of four days before introducing them to your main aquarium- Fish that come fresh from a pet store are more likely to bring with them anything they had in the previous tank. Since the Ick parasite has a life span of 4 days, you are going to want to quarantine the betta fish long enough for the parasite to proliferate and die.
* If a fish shows signs of Ick, remove him to the quarantine tank (min. 4 days)
* Never purchase plant life that has been in a tank with fish in it. If you do, quarantine it- Just like purchasing fish from a fish store could cause problems, purchasing plant life that share a tank with other fish can do the same. Quarantine to be on the safe side.
Obviously, there are also medications that you can use to eradicate the Ich but remember, you aren't necessarily treating the fish themselves but you are treating the tank. If you follow these steps then your fish will lead a happy (and healthy), stress free life.
Here are some things you can do to prevent and treat white spot disease:
* Regularly change out the water to your aquarium- I personally change the water out of my tank twice monthly although you don't necessarily have to be that vigilant. Changing out the water is more than simply pouring it out and filling it up though. You want "aged water" meaning that you want water to be sitting out for at least 24 hours before you fill the tank up.
* Feed your betta fish a variety of foods- freeze dried and flake food- Betta fish are meat eaters but giving them a mixture of brine shrimp and beef hearts combined with the typical flake food is best.
* Reduce the stress of your beta's environment by maintaining a constant pH balance and avoid fluctuations in water temperature and ammonia levels- You can buy testing kits at any local pet store and your aquarium should have a thermometer. Temperature should be regulated to keep a constant and reliable environment and betta fish are best suited for warm and slightly acidic pH balance (7.0)
* Don't overstock your tank with fish- Sounds like a no brainer but many people think if one is good then 10 must be better. An overstocked fish tank is a breeding ground for disease and stress (which cause disease because it hinders a fish's immune system.
* Always quarantine new fish for a minimum of four days before introducing them to your main aquarium- Fish that come fresh from a pet store are more likely to bring with them anything they had in the previous tank. Since the Ick parasite has a life span of 4 days, you are going to want to quarantine the betta fish long enough for the parasite to proliferate and die.
* If a fish shows signs of Ick, remove him to the quarantine tank (min. 4 days)
* Never purchase plant life that has been in a tank with fish in it. If you do, quarantine it- Just like purchasing fish from a fish store could cause problems, purchasing plant life that share a tank with other fish can do the same. Quarantine to be on the safe side.
Obviously, there are also medications that you can use to eradicate the Ich but remember, you aren't necessarily treating the fish themselves but you are treating the tank. If you follow these steps then your fish will lead a happy (and healthy), stress free life.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Betta Fish Bowls
One of the primary concerns when buying a betta fish is where you will keep it. Your options basically boil down to an aquarium or bowl. There are plenty of reasons why you should consider betta fish bowls, but also a few reasons you shouldn't. This article will discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
One of the first benefits of going with a bowl is that it's the much cheaper option. The least expensive aquarium will generally cost much more than the largest bowl you can buy. Most beginners go with this option for this very reason.
Beginners will also enjoy the next advantage of betta fish bowls. They are very simple. You just put your fish in the water and you're all setup. This is far from the case with an aquarium. At the very least, you have to put in gravel and a filtration system.
A bowl's size can also be considered an advantage. Since they're generally smaller, you should have no problem finding room for your new buddy. With an aquarium, you'll need to find a space large enough to fit it.
Smaller size also means less weight. Even filled completely, a bowl shouldn't weigh that much more than an empty aquarium. You shouldn't even bother trying to lift an aquarium when it's filled up with water. Therefore, you'll need to bring a water source for changes. You can take a bowl wherever you want to change the water.
Disadvantages
Now that you know some of the advantages of betta fish bowls, how about we discuss some of the disadvantages. As mentioned earlier, size can be considered a benefit. However, since they're so small, they're only suitable for younger fish. As your fish grows, he'll run out of space and you'll need to buy something bigger.
Remember how easy bowls are to setup? Well, since you won't be installing a filtration system, you'll need to do water changes manually. The water can become toxic in such a small environment pretty quickly, so this should be done very frequently.
However, you can get a filtration system for a bowl. But it can be tricky. You'll need to find a design that's efficient enough, but not powerful enough to generate a strong current. Your fish wouldn't appreciate that at all.
Advantages
One of the first benefits of going with a bowl is that it's the much cheaper option. The least expensive aquarium will generally cost much more than the largest bowl you can buy. Most beginners go with this option for this very reason.
Beginners will also enjoy the next advantage of betta fish bowls. They are very simple. You just put your fish in the water and you're all setup. This is far from the case with an aquarium. At the very least, you have to put in gravel and a filtration system.
A bowl's size can also be considered an advantage. Since they're generally smaller, you should have no problem finding room for your new buddy. With an aquarium, you'll need to find a space large enough to fit it.
Smaller size also means less weight. Even filled completely, a bowl shouldn't weigh that much more than an empty aquarium. You shouldn't even bother trying to lift an aquarium when it's filled up with water. Therefore, you'll need to bring a water source for changes. You can take a bowl wherever you want to change the water.
Disadvantages
Now that you know some of the advantages of betta fish bowls, how about we discuss some of the disadvantages. As mentioned earlier, size can be considered a benefit. However, since they're so small, they're only suitable for younger fish. As your fish grows, he'll run out of space and you'll need to buy something bigger.
Remember how easy bowls are to setup? Well, since you won't be installing a filtration system, you'll need to do water changes manually. The water can become toxic in such a small environment pretty quickly, so this should be done very frequently.
However, you can get a filtration system for a bowl. But it can be tricky. You'll need to find a design that's efficient enough, but not powerful enough to generate a strong current. Your fish wouldn't appreciate that at all.
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