My Roommate's Betta Has A Moldy Looking Fin

[yaykittyeee]

My roommate got a blue betta fish recently and named it George. It was ok for a few weeks but now it's growing moldy looking bluish black spots on one of it's little side fins. I've googled and read stuff about how some parasites are sorta like that but most of the descriptions say that the spots would be white or something and these aren't white at all. so i have no clue. i tried taking a picture of it but it wouldn't come out right. does anyone know what this could possibly be?

 

[azulfire24]

fungal or bacterial infection, propaly due to poor water conditions, water needs to be heated too bout 78 what size tank? what r the water stats?

 

[yaykittyeee]

fungal or bacterial infection, propaly due to poor water conditions, water needs to be heated too bout 78 what size tank? what r the water stats?

it's an average goldfish bowl. i'm not sure what size exactly. i'm guessing the water is around 70

 

[Lokemer]

Uh oh man when u said goldfishbowl u asked for trouble see betas don't do well in such a small tank. Yes they can live in only about three gallons of water but that is purely for survival if needed so that beta right now is probaly stressed and not breathing to well it would be a very good idea to pick up a 5gall maybe ten with a heater and filter. As for what it is he has I am not sure but if he gets moved to a larger tank it could go away if the tank conditions improve. The people here are prolly going to flame you so just hold on look thru the criticism and try to find the advice. I wish the best of luck to your beta

 

[LauraFrog]

Loke's being a bit pessimistic - I won't flame you, promise! I don't think many people would - but there are a few people who expect potential fish owners to be omniscient, and as Lokemer said some of them are a bit free with the flames.

The more information you can provide us with here, the more likely we'll be able to diagnose the problem and help you treat it before it becomes serious.

We really need an approximate tank size. Can you measure the diameter and height of the bowl, or take a photo of it? Even a rough estimate would be better than nothing.
How often does your room mate change the water and what water conditioner is used?
Is the bowl heated, and if not, what sort of temperature does the room stay around? Bettas are tropical fish and low temperatures are very likely the cause of the problem.

When you put a fish in a small container (such as a goldfish bowl) without a cycled filter, the fish's waste products (ammonia) builds up. This causes difficulty breathing and the resulting stress often allows 'opportunistic' diseases to get a hold - they will attack any stressed or weakened fish. If the bowl is less than about three gallons and not filtered, the water should all be getting changed once a week. You can't change it all at once, but two 50% water changes every week should keep him healthy.

If you are in a cold climate though you really do need to get a proper tank and heat it. Tanks of 1-3 gallons are really only feasible in hot climates or dedicated fishrooms because it's virtually impossible to heat anything smaller than 4-5 gallons.

 

[wilsonnw8]

Loke's being a bit pessimistic - I won't flame you, promise! I don't think many people would - but there are a few people who expect potential fish owners to be omniscient, and as Lokemer said some of them are a bit free with the flames.

lol no one should be "flaming" anyone and its not as if yaykittyeee owns this Betta, helping it even though its not yours is a great thing to do

 

[Lokemer]

This is true I forgot the betts wasn't his. In sorry man, how is he today? Any steps twoard a bigger heated and filtered tank?

 

[yaykittyeee]

i couldn't get a picture of his fin.
she got him from wal-mart and the beta fish bowls they sold there were smaller than the gold fish bowls. the bowl is not heated and our room stays around 70 more or less. we live in a dorm room so there's not really room for a huge fish tank. my roommate changes the water once a week
he doesn't seem to be too affected by it. he still moves around a lot and he seems pretty happy i guess. but his fin is slowly getting worse. it's still only on that one fin. is there anything we could buy to put in the water that would make him better?

 

[Syphoniera]

Your roommate might be able to find a small hex fairly cheaply, 3 gallons would do in a pinch, wouldn't take much room or be too heavy for a sturdy desk, table or dresser and a heater would then be possible.
The betta as shown has little room to move, little water to disperse toxins which will build up rapidly and no live plants or filters to help deal with any of the results.
Bettas are tropical and are happier and healthier at a steady temperature in a range between the high-mid 70s to 80F - they won't do well in variable temperatures or at 70 degrees.
If your roommate had any idea of how miserable and unhealthy that fish is likely to be, she'd take no pleasure in watching it.
But she would be finding more suitable accomodations as rapidly as possible, along with a good antifungal med.

Edit: with that apparent amount of water, I'd suggest daily water changes with a good dechlorinator.
Not only does fish poop and any uneaten food produce toxic ammonia and poisonous nitrite, but fish constantly respire ammonia as well.
Imagine living in a small closet in your own waste and having it shovelled out weekly, when it's on your skin and you're breathing the fumes, inescapably, always, continuously worsening through the long slow week, after week, after week...

Re-edit: bettas love to squeeze into/through things and the holes on that ornament look rather small.
If the betta gets stuck and can't surface for air, he'll slowly and agonizingly drown.
Is that ornament safe or can betta get wedged in the holes or elsewhere?

 

[yaykittyeee]

i'll check at petsmart or somewhere for a better tank as soon as possible, i'll see about some actual plants or something too. that ornament is safe. it's his house, he's goes in and out of it all the time. thanks for all the advice

 

[LauraFrog]

Keep us posted... it looks as though he has mild bacterial finrot. In poor water conditions, especially when the fish is also kept too cold, it can stick around for months, no matter what you throw at it. Melafix will help, but your best bet at a cure is an improvement in his living conditions.

 

[Honeythorn]

i'll check at petsmart or somewhere for a better tank as soon as possible, i'll see about some actual plants or something too. that ornament is safe. it's his house, he's goes in and out of it all the time. thanks for all the advice

A heater and filter are basic essential fishkeeping equipment. Bettas are no different to gouramis in their needs apart from a higher temp of 72 gedrees C minimum, or from any other tropical fish in fact. They do not live in puddles in the wild and need far more than a jar for a permanent home in captivity.

A tiny unfiltered uheated jar like that will invariably contribute to illness, especially if your friend only changes the water once a week!!!??? . In a jar like that you need to change the water every couple of days.

You don't need a huge tank for the fish. 5 gallons will easily fit on a desk or worktop like you have him on there. Have a look in the classifieds section of newspapers or craigslist, or even Ebay for a second hand 5 gal tank. You should easily get a cheap 25-50 watt heater and a basic sponge filter and airpump ( to run the filter ) on Ebay also.

If you can't find a suitable tank, a big clear plastic storage tub is fine . You can get ones that will hold up to 17 gallons so finding one that holds 5 gallons should not prove difficult at all . One like this ( but more transparent/see through of course )

Will work perfectly well for a temporary tank until you can get a glass one. Or will work fine for a permanent home if funds are tight ( I was a student myself once so I know how it can be )

A tub like that, a basic sponge filter, air pump to run it, a cheap heater and a few bunches of silk plants and some cheap fish gravel or even smooth glass pebbles as you have there in his bowl, and that will be fine for a tank.

The filter will help to keep his water conditions stable, and more water will dilute his waste products. A 5 gal tank/tub will need 50% of the water changed once a week.

Honestly, a bigger tank will be so much healthier for the fish and actually easier to look after.

 

[bronzecat]

Hi

Temperature wise for a betta in its native habitat is on average 22 - 28 degrees c (72 - 78 f) If the temperature is consistantly low, around 22/23, your betta will be more prone to disease and/or cronic illness resulting in death. It is far more healthier to keep the temp constant somewhere in the middle. Around 25/26 c.