Beta Out Of Tank

[Gadstrike08]

Something is wrong with my Beta...

Tonight i was downstairs and when i came back to my room my beta was not in his tank i could not find him till i looked on the floor where he wasnt moving at first. He then started to squirm abit. I put him back in the tank he has some hair and fuzzys attached to him but he is swimming around again... I dont know if everything is alright or if it is possible for him to jump out. What should i do, has this happened to anyone before?? I had just cleaned his tank early in the day if that may have caused anything weird. Please help??

Thanks, Dylan

[dramaqueen]

He may get an infection from being on the floor so you might want to treat him with some Bettafix. Bettas are jumpers so it's wise to keep a cover on his tank.

[Gadstrike08]

How long could ha live out of water?? is it possible some damage was done by being out for abit??

[dramaqueen]

They can breathe air so I guess they would live until they dry up. I have a betta that I got from a cousin's granddaughter. Their cat knocked the bowl over and the fish was out of water for who knows how long. That was a year ago and he's doing fine. He does have some swimbladder issues and floats on his side sometimes for no reason. When I first got him, his water was FILTHY and he was very lethargic. He had several different issues going on but he's fine now, with some tlc.

[Nauriel]

Everything should be fine with him. Bettas have a special organ called a labyrnth that allows them to actually breath air. That means that can survive out of water a lot longer than other fish.
If the "fuzzies" have fallen off of him and he is acting naturally, then don't worry. Just be sure to find somthing to cover the top of the tank with because betta fish are jumpers, and he'll probably try to pull that stunt again.

[SolaceTiger]

That's not a fun sight to see for sure. How's he doing now? lol

[Gadstrike08]

Thank you everyone, he seems to be well and swimming around normally. I cant tell if he is eating or not? I had a similar problem when i first brought him home but I dont think he is eating again, could this be from the fall or being out of water?? any suggestions?

[radiobath]

Don't feed him for a day. When you feed him, do it one pellet at a time and watch him. If he doesn't eat it, scoop it out and try again with a new pellet. If he's just distracted, put the food in front of him or wait until he's done playing with the plants/gravel/filter current, and try again. If he's still not eating, let us know.

[Gadstrike08]

I tried that but he still doesn't seem to be eating he also seems to have something growing on him or it could just be stuff from when he was outside i was going to get some Betta fix and brine shrimp today any suggestions im afraid hes sick??

[radiobath]

Describe exactly what is growing on him. Is it white spots? Fuzzy? Does he look velvety or like he has a fur coat? Is it little stringies? Is he bumping into stuff and trying to scratch himself?

If you don't know how to describe it, here's a link with a few pictures and detailed information of how to help it. Though, don't assume the worst. He probably just has an infection or a fungus, at most. Don't think that it's fish TB immediately. Treat first, then diagnose (as Dr. House would say).

betta diseases