How to Diagnose and Treat Betta Parasites
Bettas are feisty little fish that are full of life and character.
Unfortunately they can sometimes become afflicted by betta parasites-little creatures that can make bettas' lives miserable.
However, there are many things that can be done about these creatures in order to get your betta healthy and happy once again.
Parasites of bettas are hardly unique to bettas themselves.
As a matter of fact they are also common parasites of other species of fish.
Betta parasites can be grouped into two sorts depending on where they attach to the fish.
There are external parasites and internal parasites as well.
The first sort, external parasites, come in many different forms and sizes and shapes.
Some can be worm-shaped, or appear to be worm-shaped, such as copepods that burrow into betta skin and trail long egg sac clusters behind them, which may appear to be worms.
Others, like fish lice, can look like small grey or black dots, and can be very easy to overlook-but if you look at them at the right time, you can be able to tell that they are parasites, because they like to move from time to time.
Others, like fungi, take the form of gray clouds or matter, and may cause the fins to rot or tear.
Then there are the internal parasites that make their way inside bettas' bodies, either as larvae, eggs or adults.
Some common ones are gill flukes, which, as their name suggests, hide inside gills, and may make it very hard for a betta to breathe.
Others invade the fish's intestines, like certain kinds of worms.
It can be very easy to determine that one's betta has been parasitized by any of these creatures.
All you need to do is check out the symptoms.
For example, a betta suffering from gill flukes will more often than not find it very hard to respire, and you will be able to see it gasping frequently and acting tired.
(Make sure you have determined that the water is clean first, though, as gasping may be a reaction to chemical contamination as well.
) Fin rot is easily seen, as are torn and bloody fins, which can be symptoms of fungal infections.
And intestinal parasitism can be easily seen as well, as the fish's belly will often be swollen.
Here's a tip when buying bettas.
If you can be patient enough and meticulous enough to examine a betta up close before you buy it, you can very often be able to determine if it is sick or has parasites.
I recommend that this be done so that you can be sure not to take a sick betta home, which may just die on you later on if there is nothing you can do about the infestation, and be both a waste of money and something that might depress you.
Unfortunately they can sometimes become afflicted by betta parasites-little creatures that can make bettas' lives miserable.
However, there are many things that can be done about these creatures in order to get your betta healthy and happy once again.
Parasites of bettas are hardly unique to bettas themselves.
As a matter of fact they are also common parasites of other species of fish.
Betta parasites can be grouped into two sorts depending on where they attach to the fish.
There are external parasites and internal parasites as well.
The first sort, external parasites, come in many different forms and sizes and shapes.
Some can be worm-shaped, or appear to be worm-shaped, such as copepods that burrow into betta skin and trail long egg sac clusters behind them, which may appear to be worms.
Others, like fish lice, can look like small grey or black dots, and can be very easy to overlook-but if you look at them at the right time, you can be able to tell that they are parasites, because they like to move from time to time.
Others, like fungi, take the form of gray clouds or matter, and may cause the fins to rot or tear.
Then there are the internal parasites that make their way inside bettas' bodies, either as larvae, eggs or adults.
Some common ones are gill flukes, which, as their name suggests, hide inside gills, and may make it very hard for a betta to breathe.
Others invade the fish's intestines, like certain kinds of worms.
It can be very easy to determine that one's betta has been parasitized by any of these creatures.
All you need to do is check out the symptoms.
For example, a betta suffering from gill flukes will more often than not find it very hard to respire, and you will be able to see it gasping frequently and acting tired.
(Make sure you have determined that the water is clean first, though, as gasping may be a reaction to chemical contamination as well.
) Fin rot is easily seen, as are torn and bloody fins, which can be symptoms of fungal infections.
And intestinal parasitism can be easily seen as well, as the fish's belly will often be swollen.
Here's a tip when buying bettas.
If you can be patient enough and meticulous enough to examine a betta up close before you buy it, you can very often be able to determine if it is sick or has parasites.
I recommend that this be done so that you can be sure not to take a sick betta home, which may just die on you later on if there is nothing you can do about the infestation, and be both a waste of money and something that might depress you.