I'm taking care of a betta fish at work. He is sick & I need help.

Question

Previous owner didn't change water often, never added conditioner for tap water & fed him ONLY pellet food. How he lasted this long not sure. He eats like a piggie(feed him freeze dried blood worms which he loves), but he does have fin rot & now his chest is a little bloated, light grey color starting but minimal. What's the best medicine to use (using Maracyn-TC now Day 1): Should I fast him for a few days to cure swollen chest or will that not help either? I have a new tank waiting for him & don't want to mess this up. I want to bring him back to a healthy betta as much as I can.THANKS!

Answer 1

sounds like u over fed it.. give him 1 pallets twice daily and 3 bloodworms twice daily...

give him a fresh peas..for a day or two..

u dont have to change water daily... if he is sick with fin rot and stuff then u will need to change the water daily.. once in  a week should be fine... if u still feel its necessary or dont want to take chance of getting any disease change the water once in three days.. remember to dechlorinate every time u change the water..

get him a big bowl.. not necessary to keep live plants... if u have  live plants the water tends to become cloudy soon.. remember u need to feed the plants to.. the oxygen from ur betta is not enough so u will have to add a filter and airpump and stuff.. so u get the picture right? too complicated... if u are just a beginner and have  a betta in bowl (preferably one galon bowl) just get him some gravels and a artificial green colored plant . sufficient...

:)

Answer 2

Fast him for a couple of days so he can pass whatever he's got in his stomach.  If it's not passing and he's still bloated try giving him the inside of a boiled pea.  Pellet foods are good for Bettas as long as they are from a good brand like Hikari or Omega One.  Make sure the freeze dried worms aren't hard because that could be the cause of his bloating.  The worms should also be fed only as a snack.  Remember that the Betta's stomach is literally the size of his own eye ball so don't over feed him.  Feeding him a little in the morning and at night should be fine after you fast him and he passes everything.  Using Bettafix is also a good medicine because it's gentle.  If you use something too strong it may just heal up the ends of the fins to the point where it will stop all growth and the fins won't grow back to it's original size.  Puting a Java Fern or Java Moss will benefit the Betta with a place to hide and rest in and it will also help keep the water clean.  These types of plants don't need much light at all.  Other plants will need special lighting and can cause the water to get cloudy because the plant starts to die.  Bettas are carnivorous and will only chew on plant roots if that's the only thing in the tank, they aren't being fed and are hungry or maybe bored.  Keep the Betta in a warm place, this makes them happy and will help him heal faster.  They do come from Thailand where it's hot.

Good luck!

Answer 3

hey.. how long did that other person own it for? it seems like it is just old..

remember, dont keep feeding it over and over, just give him its regular food once then like a little snack later.. thats it..

Maracyn-TC is fine... just use as directed.

if he is just sick, he will eventually get better

also, when u change the water, only change half one day and half the next.. they need to get used to it.. they can go into shock.. and im not just talking about the temperature, i mean the type of water you use and stuff..

one thing that they love, once you move it to a new tank, go buy a live plant that you can stick its roots in the water and leave the leafs sticking out.. they will nibble on the roots, its good for the plant and healthy for your beta ;)

Answer 4

Use mela fix!!  It is the best thing to use for all fish diseases and open wounds!!