Please Help?

[LizM42]

I believe my male orange/red betta is sick but I've scoured the web and can't seem to figure out what's wrong with him. He is eating and acting normal, but his appearance has changed. He used to be a beautiful orange color, but it looks like between his scales is turning black and the tips of his fins are fraying. If anyone could please help, that would be great!

What size is your tank?: 1 gallon
What temperature is your tank?: 78F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? Yes
Is your tank heated? No
How often do you feed your betta fish? Once a day
How often do you perform a water change? every 3-6 days

Pictures are in order of which best showcase his symptoms
http://i47.tinypic.com/znopcw.jpg
http://i49.tinypic.com/2hgh8cj.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/35n7xnk.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/2e4x5wm.jpg
http://i48.tinypic.com/331lnwx.jpg
http://i47.tinypic.com/1zbrsls.jpg

[MattsBettas]

Honestly, I don't think there's anything wrong with him. Can you please Fill out the full form?


Housing
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

[Syriiven]

I am not sure what's up with his scales....but I do know water changes should be done more frequently in a tank that small to make it viable as (prepare yourself) many people on here will tell you it won't work.

Of course for a fish that grows to 2.5 inches, a 2.5 gallon tank would be preferable for more reasons than the '1 inch per gallon' rule; it's easier to maintain the temperature , he has more room to swim, you have more room to give him decorations to hide in (ie; caves, silk plants with broad leaves).

The fraying fins could be finrot, but I think it more likely they're getting caught on something - like plastic plants or sharp decorations.

As for the scales....do they look 'raised' to you? It's easier for you to tell than from these pics. If they look like they're starting to life from the body (and if his belly is turning grey) he may have dropsy - the early stages. But I don't want to alarm you! I'm giving you my best guesses based on the pictures and someone else who's actually seen the illness might know better.

I stand by more frequent water changes - personally I would do a 50% every second day and a 100% change once a week. Ammonia can build up fast in the smaller tank, especially more so if your fish is sick.

[blu the betta]

i dont see or think anything is wrong with him.

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

I took a look at your photos and I honestly can't see anything wrong with your boy. The black colouring around the edge of your bettas scales are simply his colouring...... when a betta has black edges to their scales they are known as a pineapple betta.

His fins also look okay to me, he is a veiltail betta and as bettas age their fins sometimes change slightly in shape causing them to look a bit messy but he has no signs of fin rot that I can see. Most fin problems begin as a hole or split in the fins, they also sometimes get black edges to the fins and sometimes red streaks. Your boys fin do not seem to have any of these symptoms.

If you are still worried about him you could give his tank an extra clean and add some stress coat but from the looks of him he is just fine.

[Syriiven]

Looking at the pics again...he probably is just fine. Having owned a veiltail though, I definitely suggest replacing those plastic plants with silk aquarium ones. Less risk of damage to the fins as they do get caught super easy.

[callistra]

The color on his scales is normal. Are any sticking up/out at all? He has a touch of fin rot. He also looks a little bloated. Fill out the guide and we can give more help.

Also filtered 1 gallon? The current will only stress him and you can't grow any real amount of bb in there. How are you maintaining a constant temp of 78 without a heater? What are you using to monitor this temp?