Hi readers. Sorry I have been absent these last two weeks. I am in the process of buying a house (yay, more fish!) and have a killer deadline looming at work. My email is overflowing with reader questions which I will get back to answering next week when life slows down a bit.
Thanks for hanging in there everyone. In the mean time, if you have a fish related question try using our search engine bar above. We literally have hundreds of common betta fish questions answered here on the blog and tons of great information to help you.
And for everyone leaving comments; I am reading them and enjoying them every day. Thanks for participating and sharing your thoughts at Nippyfish: A Betta Blog.
Thanks,
Christie
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Betta Fish Twitching
Q: AH wrote,
I have a question about my betta fish and, because your site is so informative, I thought you would be a great resource. I’ve had my little betta, Sam, for about 3 weeks. He lives in a 2 gallon tank filled with tap water and conditioned with TopFin Betta Water Conditioner. I have a thermometer and his water temp is usually between 76 and 78 degrees. I have a small filter that I run once a week. When it’s running, the current is so strong that he struggles to stay in one place, but his tank is clean. Every day I feed him 3 freeze dried bloodworms and he’s happy about that. He seems healthy, he swims a lot and he greets me. The past couple of days though, his swimming seems different. He seems a little jittery. Almost like he’s twitching. I haven’t made any big changes to his environment or water and I can’t seem to figure out why he is swimming like that. Is this normal? I did a little research and he doesn’t appear to have an illness. He has very colorful scales, long and colorful fins, no fungus, dark eyes and I don’t see any white spots. Maybe you can help me. I just want to make sure he is comfortable and happy.
A: If your betta fish begins twitching irregularly it may signify an external parasitic infection like Ich or Velvet or may be an indication of water quality problems like the presence of ammonia or chlorine irritation. Whenever your betta’s behavior changes from what is routine, it is a good idea to give him a thorough look over and test your water parameters. Ich has the appearance of small white salt like granules stuck to your betta’s head, body and fins. They are easy to spot and if untreated can become serious. Velvet is a similar parasite but harder to see with the naked eye. It often appears as a rust colored dusting on the betta’s head and body. It can also look brownish, gold or red in color. It is often easier to see with a flash light as the parasites will sometimes have a little sheen to them. Again, it appears more like a sprinkling of fine powder.
You should also test your water for dangerous toxins like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate with a freshwater aquarium test kit. If you don’t have one, call your local fish store to see if they will test it for you for free if you bring in a sample. Most will do free water testing for their patrons. Rapid changes in pH may also lead to behavioral changes like twitching. It is always good to have a pH test kit handy as even small variations in pH over a short time can be problematic. While I do not recommend pH adjusters like pH Up or pH Down, it is good to know if your pH is fluctuating. Often, simply allowing your new change-water to sit overnight in a container will be enough to stabilize the pH before your water change and will do it without harmful pH chemical agents.
Betta's Head Changing Color
Q: DH wrote,
I have had my betta Lapis for a little over a month now, and he's been through quite an ordeal. About a couple weeks ago he managed to get stuck against the old filter system I had in the tank and ripped his caudal fin to shreds. He's healing from that, thanks to help from my local mom and pop fish store's help. Up until Friday he was in a 5 gallon tank, but I had to replace it that morning because the 5 gallon was leaking. He is now in a 10 gallon tank, and this one has a light. I turned it on only for a few moments (honestly don't use the light, don't like the idea of algae growth) and noticed for the first time that his face is duller than the rest of his body. There appears to be no signs of ick, velvet, or cotton wool. He's swimming around like normal, eating normally, so there doesn't seem to be anything WRONG with him. I read on a website that they sometimes lose their scales due to stress, but that they might heal back. Is that true? Should I start another Melafix treatment? (I was using less than a half dose for a while for his fins; the small amount because I wasn't sure if he would be allergic or not)
Oh, and I forgot to mention he's now in a 10 gallon hexagonal filled only a little more than halfway. There's still an adult's hand-length from the top of the water to the top of the aquarium. I was worried about the water being too deep if I filled it up any more than that. He's also got a brand new Marineland Visi-therm submersible rated for a 10 gallon tank, and a Hydro-Sponge 1 sponge filtration system (which I put in after the old filter chewed up my poor baby). I live in a dorm-style apartment so unfortunately he's stuffed in my room, where I'm often moving about. I read somewhere that too much activity might stress him out... should I make a fabric cover for his tank so that he can have quiet times or something? Would that help him de-stress?
I'm including a link to a picture of what I mean about his scales. You can also see how his caudal fin is still a little tattered... it's amazing that it's healed so well in just about two weeks. I'm glad I didn't listen to one of the other betta enthusiasts online because he was pushing the use of antibiotics and saying that Melafix wouldn't do anything. (I think he was wrong on that one.) This is Lapis Lazuli or "Lapis" for short. I named him that because his coloring often reminds me of the precious stone.
Also, I noticed on your website you suggested that people not add unnecessary chemicals to the tank, yet quite a few betta enthusiasts have recommended API Stress Coat as beneficial to keep the water conditioned for bettas. Should I discontinue using this? I'm on city water and I worry about the chlorine.
A:Thanks for writing in and for sending the link to the photo of Lapis. The good news is I don’t see anything out of the ordinary and your betta, from the photo anyway, looks completely healthy. The dark coloration around his head is very common among bettas and is completely normal, especially for blue betta fish. After bettas adjust to their new surroundings they often begin to show their true colors and most often this means their colors get darker and more saturated. I believe you are just seeing Lapis with his natural and healthy coloration. Even his fins look almost completely healed. You may also find that the light will affect your betta’s coloration. Turning a light on will tell your betta it is time to wake up and hunt. During the day, your betta’s color will darken and become richer. When it is dark they will go to sleep and become pale. While you don’t need a light in your betta tank it is good to make sure he is getting at least ambient room light so that he can maintain his natural rhythm of waking and sleeping.
You can also feel free to fill up that 10 gallon aquarium. While Betta fish may be able to survive in shallow water they by no means require it. It will give him more room to roam and enjoy his surrounding and give you a little more time between water changes. Ten gallon tanks are great for bettas. It’s what I use at home too. You might even get an itch to add a small tankmate or two down the road, which you will be able to do once your tank has cycled.
Oh, and regarding your water conditioner question... A conditioner that neutralizes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals is absolutely necessary if you water has them. That is something you want to keep using.
Thanks for writing in.
Betta Fish with Lump on his Head
LH wrote,
I’ve seen your site and figured I’d get an opinion on my fish if you don't mind taking the time. I’ve had him since the end of January and about a month after I got him, he had a spot on his face that just grew. I thought it may have just been a scrape but it hasn't gotten better, just worse. I tried to avoid medications because I’m scared of them doing more harm then good, but the lump on his head just seemed too big and kind of cottony so I treated him for fungus. It didn't really help much. For the most part he has been on a diet of brine shrimp. He lives in a filtered 5 gallon tank that and I do about an 80% water change every 2 weeks and treat the water with aquarium salt. His appetite is healthy, but I would really like to do something about his problem before it gets too bad. Lately I’ve been trying salt baths, but over the last one, he lost too much colour too quickly. Today (before said salt bath) I had noticed that little white bits were a part of his lump too. I took some pictures, I will enclose the best.
A follow up with your opinion would be appreciated. Thank you for your time
(He doesn't have any other dots on his body, those are just bubbles) he also had a bit of fin rot off and on, but it never got too bad. Right now his fins are in good shape. He a little bit lethargic and has trouble keeping balanced, but he is still enthusiastic.
A: Most betta illnesses can be easily identified but occasionally I get one that really stumps me. The Nippyfish reader above sent in this photo of her betta showing an unusual lump on his head with specs of white. I have speculated that it could be a tumor or perhaps a parasitic infestation of some sort. Despite what you may read on some websites, tumors are not very common among bettas. Most of the time lumps can be attributed to constipation or fluid retention which is commonly misdiagnosed as a tumor. This, however, is neither of those. The white specs are also unusual, which makes me think it could be parasites. Is it possible the lump is filled with some sort of bug which we are seeing poking through the scales? Perhaps gill flukes? It does appear to be near the gills but it is hard to tell if it is an infection of the gills specifically. Could the white we are seeing be the result of slime coat build up from the salt baths? I am just tossing out ideas because truthfully I don’t really know what has caused this. I’d love to hear our readers’ thoughts and ideas as well. Have any of you seen this in your fish?
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