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3K views 35 replies 10 participants last post by  TheBlur 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey-o~ so I went in to get my dog's nails done and ... lo and behold I came home with another freakin' fish. :roll: At least I have space for him now that my little girlie is in the 10gal.

PetSmart gave him to me for free because he is BLIND in both eyes (and was severely clamped)!!! His cup was also horribly filthy. (Have photos will upload later). He's a dumbo too, and a red of sorts I think. We'll see when he colors up more.

I've never had a blind fish before, and right now he's temporarily in my 1gallon with sand substrate and a tiny silk plant. He'll be upgraded to the 3 gallon bowl after I get my new 10gallon this weekend. And boy is he a jumper! He keeps flailing himself into the lid of his icky cup x.x

Does anyone have any advice or experience with BLIND betta fish? I'm not sure if he needs any kind of special set-up for not being able to see...Help is appreciated <3 I hope I can rehab the poor guy...
 
#2 ·
how do they know he was blind? could it just be an infection that once cleared up he may regain some ability to see? I have no clue if bettas can even eat without seeing their food since they like to lunge at it.
post pics when you get a chance and good luck!!
 
#6 ·
They didn't. I brought him to the Fish Department representative and told them, which they confirmed. His eyes are clouded white to the point of little to no visibility of a pupil. Also, he was listless and non-responsive in his cup, even when I removed him from the other betta fish and attempted to drive a response with my finger. This guy clearly had no vision what so ever. Though his blindness is not caused by any sort of scaling over the eye, so he MIGHT recover from it if it is in fact caused by an infection.
 
#3 ·
I have one that is partially blind due to scales over the eyes. Sometimes he's ok with "hunting" his food, but usually it floats and I'll wiggle my finger near the food. I think he feels that through the water and he'll find it on his own. Mine is only partially blind though, so I don't know if that would work.
 
#4 ·
p.s. from what i read online soaking his food in garlic juice and making sure you put it right by his little nose when you feed him should help him to find the food and eat. Plus the garlic juice is supposed to help boot his immune system.
 
#5 ·
My female betta had a sister who was blind, she didn't seem to miss a thing. Came up to the glass like the rest of her siblings. As far as I could tell, she acted like any normal betta.

Nice to hear you got this guy.

One way you can tell if he's participial blind is by waving your finger or a pen in front of him. If he reacts then he can see to a certain degree.

I've seen a woman on YouTube test a Border collie who was labeled as blind at the pound but when she waved her hand in front of him he reacted to it which meant he hadn't completely lost his sight.
 
#7 ·
Photos Incoming!
As you can see his eyes aren't fully clouded over, but I just tried to feed him and he cannot...for the love of fish...cannot find his food. :C Also it looks as though he might have something wrong/deformed about his caudal but I can't tell... e.e On the flip side, when he colors up, he's gonna have epic lips :p

In the death-cup:




In the hospital bowl (covered/heated/1gallon):



*this is a good example of his eyes... They're the same on both sides. v
 
#8 ·
I had a fish with similar eyes and I some times think my current betta may be near sighted. Or possibly just stupid. He never flares up and gets close to new things and just stares at them. My betta with the cloudy eyes never did get his eyes cleared up and honestly I was pretty young so not really sure how to treat it. You might want to try a little epsom salt to see if it is an infection. About two weeks of daily partial water changes with epsom salt seems to clear up most eye infections and it worked like a charm on my betta's popeye.

As for feeding, I feed in the same space every day. There are floating logs that have feeding holes in the top so food can't get away and I find those to be very helpful as the food can't 'escape'. I lightly tap the water and he comes to the sound and eats as I drop a couple pieces in. Getting into a habit with the fish of feeding it in the same place, even if you make a little ring trap for the pellets out of like a milk jug ring to keep it from moving away in a current should work. You'll just have to rely on sound and as mentioned before possibly 'smell' to help him find the food to eat.

Good luck with the little guy! Glad you saved him!
 
#9 ·
Yah I tried to get him to find his food earlier by tapping the surface of the water. He acknowledged and went to the surface, but wasn't anywhere near the food. Next time I'll have to wait for him to surface before dropping the food in x3 Making a "feeding ring" is a clever idea! I'll look into that!
 
#10 ·
Also I'm noticing he doesn't swim much. He spends most of his time listlessly floating at the surface or laying on the bottom. I slipped a betta tube in there and he seems to like it...when he can find the entrance x3 Hopefully he'll find some of the food I dropped in there. I'll be cleaning up what he missed in a few hours and trying again...

He obviously hasn't eaten decently in a while. His body is very thin... and he breathes so hard after swimming.
 
#11 ·
Learning Process Update:

He's worse in his right eye than in his left. His right eye yields no response to movement directly in front of it. His LEFT eye I think it can interpret light.... but thats about it. I had brought black phone up to the bowl to take a photo of him and cupped my hand to the glass to get rid of a glare. It spooked him! Which was weird because there was no noise/banging, so he must be able to see just barely out of that eye.

Still somewhat concerned that he isn't swimming or finding food. Will try the garlic oil trick when I get some and will invest in a feeding ring tomorrow...


QUESTION:
Do you think that a 3 gallon will be too much for him? He seems to struggle swimming around as is and I'm worried that more space will be just exhausting and disorienting for him... :C

ALSO I'm willing to release him to another member of the forum who is more versed with "special needs" betta fish if one comes along. I won't ship him so you'll have to come pick him up. I'm exactly half way between LA and SanDiego. Just message me if you are interested. If not I can hang on to him. :)
 
#13 ·
My wild Betta went from perfect to barely hanging on last night. His fins are rotting and clamped, he can't seem to keep himself off the bottom and it looks like he has lost his left eye to some kind of Popeye or fungal infection. I am floored. So I may now also be dealing with a blind betta if he recovers so I will be following this thread closely
 
#17 ·
I can't believe they let his cup get so nasty. No wonder he's having issues.
I'm glad you saved him.
The majority of what was in his cup was food that he couldn't find and wasn't eating. All those pellets on the bottom were not poop. They were food! I'm also pretty sure that the speckles in the water were body slime... hence the cloudy eyes.

Also, I found what I think is a sibling of his today at the same store, also with the same bodily conditions (no blindness though). I suggested they start treatment right away. (The Fish Department rep. is very familiar with me XD)

The 3 gallon is a bowl, so its the same distance around as it is to the surface (about 12 inches, maybe more...). I'm going to keep him in his hospital 1gallon until he proves that he can swim without constantly needing to rest on his plant at the surface. When I'm confident he can swim without issue I will consider upgrading him.

I'm guessing he has body slime (fungal). His fins have no apparent self-inflicted damage or rot. Just very clamped and frail. I would assume its from poor conditions and not eating in a very long time. I'm currently treating with daily 100% water changes, siphoning any uneaten food after each feeding, and treating with API Fungus Cure (1/10th ish of a packet per water change). Its kinda funny, it makes the water green but he seems to be responding to it well. I haven't seen him move as much until I put the treatment in.


SUCCESS though! Tonight I put some Hikari micro pellets like...RIGHT on top of his head and he went bonkers! :'D He ate as many as he could find before he got tired and rested (about 5 micro pellets). I'm so relieved. x u x I'll start feeding him on micro pellets from now on since he seems to like them more than the Omega One Betta Pellets.
 
#16 ·
Is the 3gal tall or long? I'd say a long tank rather than a tall one for him should be ok since he's having issues swimming right now. Once he's used to it and feeling better he'll learn where things are. Don't rearrange decorations too often though. Feeding him in the tube is a good idea too! Good luck!

And to April R, I had popeye hit my betta's right eye nearly overnight, but I'm pretty sure that was from an injury. He had clamped fins and hung out on the bottom of his tank. One day of Epsom salt and he was swimming and eating better and after two weeks he was fully recovered. He had some fin issues in the hospital tank but I think it was boredom biting in that case. I don't know what would cause sudden fin rotting. Maybe he damaged his fin and eye? Or do you see something fungal on him?
 
#19 ·
he looks like a little old man, so cute. I am glad he is eating and responding to treatment!

My guy has gone missing, I fear he may have passed during the night and is stuck in the canister filter somewhere. I have family in town staying at my place for my husband's graduation so I can't look for him until they leave on Sunday. :(
 
#20 ·
Update: his dorsal, caudal and anal fins are absolutely rigid. Its very concerning. I'm assuming its from being severely underweight. I saw him last night, backlit by the kitchen lights. You could actually see his bones. Not good. Hoping he eats a little more today... He's been spending the last night on the bottom. I did a water change and fear he's disoriented and can't find his plant...
 
#21 · (Edited)
I'm so glad he's doing better! I'm really rooting for you two! I'm so glad he seems to be slowly getting better!

Just read your update. When you do a water change do you do a 100% change and take him out? you might want to consider leaving him in when you change the water so he doesn't lose track of where he is in his tank.
 
#24 ·
Yeah he hasn't moved at all since the 100% water change last night... Still alive though! Not eaten yet today... I sort of want him back up on his plant near the surface though, since I know he'll eat right off the surface... I'll be doing smaller water changes now. Thanks guys!
 
#25 ·
Blind bettas are quite difficult to care for, at least until they get used to a routine. I have, currently, one blind betta, and one partially blind.
My very first suggestion would be to get freeze dried bloodworms an/or garlic soaked food. These are both going to 'stink' in the water, meaning that your fish can sense where they are due to the 'scent' they release.
Always always always make sure you buy some kind of food that floats! Do not buy sinking food, as this can be much harder for your fish to find, and much harder for them to catch. Blind bettas will not be able to see them sink, so they won't notice them and they'll dirty up your tank much faster than necessary.
Develop a schedule with your fish. Every time you feed, feed in the same spot of corner and gently tap the side of the tank a few times to alert your fish that food is coming. If he has a hard time finding it still, try taking a pair of tweezers and very gently waving a bloodworm or piece of food in front of him, not enough to cause a ton of ripples in the surface tension, but enough to show him where it is. Most blind fish will lunge or snap at their food because they can't see it. Be patient and be prepared to drop a good five-ten minutes into him daily for feeding alone.
Your next step in to keep him in a small tank. Why? Because the less room there is for him to get used to, the easier time he's going to have. My two are both in sparsly decorated five gallons. I recommend that size or smaller.
Do not heavily decorate your tank, and be absolutely certain that there is no place in or on your decorations where your fish could get caught or rip fins. Blind fish are going to slowly swim along the sides of your decor, not zip around and see exactly where they go, so they kinda feel their way. They're much more likely to tear those gorgeous fins on a tiny sharp corner or get caught in that spot a normal fish wouldn't. Silk plants or solid decors without hidey holes would be my choice. As far as color? Well, it's to your preference. It shouldn't matter to your fish either way, as it won't see them either way, so whatever you want to see in your tank is what to buy, as long as it's soft and not easy to get trapped in.
Next, do not move around your decor much when you clean. This will confuse the poor boy when you put him back in, and you want to avoid stressing your fish if you can!
I would say no filter, as your betta won't be able to see it and risks becoming stuck and ripping fins/dying because of it. A heater would be good though, to keep the water nice and warm to encourage fin growth, healthy fishies, and activity.
Another recommendation: buy a betta leaf hammock. You've already noticed that your fish rests a lot. Most blind bettas will. ;3 Nothing to worry about. Mine do too! The hammock will provide a nice place for them to rest with less effort.
I would add a little stress coat to his water with every change, just to give him a bit of a boost, and about once every two changes, drop in a crystal of aquarium salt too. Not much; one crystal ought to do just fine.
I've heard of people using pipettes to feed, though this hasn't worked for me. There are several other ways too, but the ways above are what's worked in my experience.
Any questions you have, you can reply here or PM about. ^^ I've owned blind bettas for over two years now. ;3
 
#28 ·
aaah thank you so much!

I have him in a 1 gallon right now with a sand substrate bottom (for resting on his belly) and 1 silk plant that doesn't take up much space. Its the same plant I used for my PetCo baby when she was a teensy tiny fry, so I know its safe for his fragile body too. Its heated to 80F but not filtered. (Its my hospital tank so its low stress).

A schedule! Ha! I already do that with all of my fish, AND my dog lol! Everyone gets fed at 9am when I get up, and everyone gets fed at 6pm when I get home, in the exact same place, every day! :D At least I'm doing something right :p He does LUNGE at his food (lunge being an understatement.) I'm pretty sure he thinks he's a flying fish...

I get what you're saying about the leaf hammocks. :) 3 of my (now) 5 bettas have betta tubes by ricepattyfish. I'm buying 1 more for my 10 gallon tank that has my female in it. So far the blind guy has been using his silk plant for a hammock! Its actually really nicely shaped and has scooped leaves that cradle him nicely, he just has a really hard time finding the right spot, poor guy... That is what he was resting on in all of my photos, and where he ate from the one time I got him to eat... I guess you can never have too many betta tubes!

He has API Fungus Cure in his tank right now, but should I add stress coat too? The water is also conditioned.

Also, his dorsal fin is rapidly deteriorating... I know he has body slime for sure now and am treating with said API Fungus Cure. My concern is now how ridig his fins are! All of his fins except for his pectorals are absolutely stiff as boards. They don't flow or bend whatsoever, even when he "swims". Do you know what might be causing this and how to treat for it? *will post to diseases thread too*

Thank you so much! I'm doing everything I can for this little guy, and he seems to be hanging in there.


STATUS UPDATE: He's moving more today, just a little. Its a good sign. :)
 
#27 ·
Right?! He was in the very last row though, in the very back. So i have to assume that unless they're changing their water, they're not really looking. :C His cup was full of uneaten food too, which I have to assume means that no one even watches to make sure they eat... its sad.
 
#29 · (Edited)
Update!:
VISION RESTORED IN THE LEFT EYE!!!! He's now able to find his food with mild success and is EATING! OMG I'm so happy. You can tell because he tilts his head to the side to use his good eye to find the food. x3 Slime is also no longer simply falling away from his body and his eyes are slowly starting to clear up.

Now, to treat those stiff and deteriorating fins! >:C
 
#31 ·
From what I've seen, a truly blind betta is relatively rare. Clearly they're undesired by most other than us fanatics who love our babies, lol, so (thank god) they don't breed them and sell them. They certainly can be challenging.
I mentioned in my last post that I have one partially blind betta. The blindness is usually caused by dragon scaling, in which case the scale actually grows over the eye and causes what we call 'diamond eyes'. A picture of my little guy Andrea, my fully blind betta, is below. Jack is the one I bought blind, who slowly recovered, which is his case, isn't actually diamond eyes. In some cases, because of the water quality in pet stores, they'll get an eye infection (such as Popeye, but instead, they get blinded) or a bacterial issue and become blind until their water quality is improved. It sounds like that may be happening with your little one. That's great!
Kudos to you for a good schedule with your pets! That's also great. The stability will make life a lot easier for him. In time, he'll be waiting for you to get up and feed or get home and feed. xD
It sounds like your plant is a perfect option for him to rest on. ;3 Your tank sounds good overall. I'd keep him on a schedule and keep doing exactly what you are right now. If you're already treating him for something, do not mix products. Wait until he's completely better, then give the water a week or so to cycle out with water changes. Then you can add a little stress coat. But do not mix products! Always a bad idea. xD The aquarium salt should be fine to drop in, but remember, only one crystal each water change or two. Not a whole ton. The dissolving salt can burn your fish, but one crystal won't hurt him. Too much will.
Other than that, all I can say is to try bloodworms. They're a great way to feed blind or impaired fish, and even if he fully recovers, they're a great supplement anyways. ;3 A lot of mine are on a full bloodworm diet despite the fact that they're labeled as treats. ^^ And they're all gorgeous fish!
Andrea, as promised, is my diamond eyed betta. He has colored in some since this picture was taken, the day I got him, but his other eye is now entirely blind too.
 
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