One of the most unfortunate realities of Betta care is that they are fickle creatures, and are susceptible to illness if conditions aren't kept just right, and sometimes even then there isn't much you can do. In fact, there have been countless cases where a Betta owner hasn't even known something was wrong before it was too late; let's make sure that isn't you!Below you'll find a list of common symptoms that sick Betta fish may exhibit.
If you are looking for information on a specific disease of illness and its treatment, please visit our Betta fish diseases page.
Signs of a sick Betta fish:
- He is swimming on his side.
- You notice difficulty moving or swimming.
- A bloated or lumpy body.
- Your Betta fish won't eat.
- Your fish is lethargic/slow moving.
- It keeps one fin pinned to its side.
- Swollen eye(s).
- Fading or dulling color.
- Gold flecks or dust on body.
- White spots on or around fins, gills, and face.
- Appears to have trouble breathing.
- Itching itself intentionally on plants or decorations.
- Red or brown streaks down body.
- Patchy skin / loss of scales in an area.
- Worms visible through skin.
- Torn fins.
One of the hardest parts about diagnosing a sick Betta fish is that they can exhibit many of these symptoms at the same time and since treatments vary depending on the illness (some require water quality improvements, some need chemicals like Aquarisol or another agent like green malachite, etc.) and so if you are observing any of these symptoms our advice is that you have some sort of care guide or professional reference to help you know what to do and give your Betta the best shot at survival with step by step instructions.
We encourage you to visit our Betta fish diseases page to narrow down and identify what your fish may have as a first step, but the best reference for Betta care and treating sick Betta fish hands down is Betta Care Made Easy, a guide that has a whole chapter devoted to diagnosing and caring for fish that fall ill. To learn more about this guide and it's step-by-step approach to curing sick Betta fish, you can read our full review. Also, if you're a relatively new Betta owner, be sure to use the form to the right to grab some completely free Betta care information, including the "3 Deadly Mistakes" of Betta care that you should never make.