Betta fish are beautiful, aggressive, and highly sensitive fish. With the increasing demand for betta pets, them comes in questions that worry betta fish owners. Some are worried about how to feed them, how to acclimate them, or some are worried about how to take care of them. Here arises a concern regarding betta fish fungal infection.
Betta fish are hypersensitive to changes in their environment and react almost immediately when there is a sudden fluctuation. Betta fish are generally going into sudden shock when being transferred to a new tank or modifying tank conditions by either adding an object or a tank mate. This sudden shock leads to disease in betta fish. Betta fish fungal infection is one of the most common reactions by betta fish when they are subjected to changes. Therefore, it is always advisable to keep them in isolation for at least a month before introducing them into the community tank. Today we are going to discuss betta fish fungal infection.
Betta Fish Fungal Infection: Symptoms
When it comes to betta fish fungal infection symptoms, you must not be worried about subtlety. They are quite visible through the naked eye in the tank. Some signs can not be evident, but the key is observation. If you get a fish, you will have to regularly watch its behavior. Here are a few symptoms:
- Cotton like observations on head, mouth and other parts of disease.
- You betta will feel itchy and hence rub itself against any tank objects.
- Spots, scaly patches on the body.
- Your betta fish will feel lethargic and inactive.
- They will lose their appetite and consume minimum or no food.
- The most visible reaction is them changing their colors. The color itself does not change but they lose the vibrancy and the shine in their colors.
- Unsual swimming behaviour, like swimming upside down or sideways.
Betta Fish Fungal Infection: Causes
The first step to providing a healthy life to your betta that every betta fish owner knows is to maintain the tank parameters. Any inappropriate tank condition, water quality, or diet can lead to severe issues in your betta’s health and reduce its lifespan. Here are a few causes of betta fish fungal infection.
Tank Size
You must keep your betta in a minimum of 3-gallon water tank rather than in a fishbowl. They are highly territorial and therefore require space to survive. These tiny fishbowls do not even provide the scope of placing a heater and filter for proper water conditions for a betta.
Water Quality
A betta requires a temperature range of 72 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The pH should lie between the range of 6.5 and 7.7. To ensure proper water quality, installing a heater to keep the temperature in check and a filter to ensure clean and crystal clear water is a must. Do not compromise on water quality. Poor water quality is one of the most significant causes of betta fish fungal infection.
Stress
Sometimes the introduction of a tank member or changes in the tank parameters can send your betta into shock and might reduce your lifespan to half. This stress may be developed from the conditions they were kept in the store. Hence, be cautious and purchase a healthy betta. Bright lights might also stress them as they like staying in the dark.
Dietary Deficiencies
Another cause of betta fish fungal infection is dietary deficits. As a result, assure to serve a diverse range of foodstuffs to guarantee that betta fish receive all the vital minerals. Offer them everything, including pellets, flakes, livestock, and bloodworms. Make sure they have access to healthy, premium quality products. Please do not give them whatever food is older than 3 to 4 months, regardless of the expiration date.
Betta Fish Fungal Infection: Treatments
You must follow the following steps as soon as you see indications of betta fish fungal infection in your fish.
Confining Your Betta
This is an essential step if your betta resides in a community tank. Even if it does not transfer to a healthy and clean quarantine tank for the treatment, live flora should not be placed in the confinement tank since the saltwater and medications used to cure your betta will most eventually destroy your plants.
Alternatively, offer your pet cover and leisure by filling the interim betta aquariums with artificial flora and betta slings. Raise the temperature to 80 degrees Fahrenheit of the quarantined tank and add aquarium sodium to the water.
Clean The Tank
Make sure you clean bettas’ previous tank thoroughly. If left with the smallest trait of fungal or bacteria, your betta will catch the infection again. Use a gravel vacuum to clean the substrate and algae magnet to remove algae.
Keep your betta in the quarantine tank and check for the temperature and water quality in the last tank regularly so that you can give a warm welcome to your betta after its recovery.
Try Adding Almond Leaves
Almond tree leaves are an affordable source of organic medicine. The tannic in this leaf can kill fungus and germs that attack betta fish, culminating in speedier recovery from all diseases. These plants also constitute a high quantity of propranolol with infection-fighting features.
These leaves, in short, aid in the rapid recovery of betta fish fungal infection. These leaves are also thought to reduce the occurrence of fungal infection in betta in the future.
Allopathic Medications:
Sometimes these natural methods might not be enough. Hence, go for some betta fish fungal infection medicine. That is generally used to treat betta fish fungal infection. For instance, applying KanaPlex in infected regions is a prudent decision.
Likewise, API medications, Fungus Care, Maracyn, and many more can cure it. Contact a vet or your pet store owner. They will probably give you insightful solutions to the condition.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
What does a fungal infection look like in betta?
If your betta is suffering from a fungal infection, it will develop white fluffy skin abnormalities or sometimes brown-green.
Can salt cure fungus in fish?
Salt might be more than enough to cure betta fish fungal infection in your fish. It is primarily the reason why saltwater fish do not develop such infections.
How much salt should I put in my betta tank?
For every 5-gallon water tank, add a tablespoon of salt. But remember to dilute it first before adding it to the tank, do not add directly.
Does bettafix treat fungus?
Yes indeed. Bettafix is a cream used to treat fungal and bacterial infections in betta. It also claims to re-grow damaged fins of a betta fish.
How long can a betta live with fungal infection?
It depends on the severity of the fungal infection. If fungal infection is diagnosed early and appropriate conditions are taken after that, your betta can live longer. However, if ignored even after the symptoms and water quality kept poor still, your betta’s lifespan would be cut short to half.
Final Thoughts:
Betta fish fungal infections are not a cause of worry in their initial stage. If appropriately treated, your fish will have a healthy life ahead. However, you must maintain optimum tank conditions to ensure it does not happen again with your betta.
