betta fish really unwell?????????

Jun 27, 2012
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#1
PLEASSSE HELP!!!????
MY MALE BETTA IS FRIENDLY AND HEALTHY IN HIS 200 LITRE COMMUNITY TANK (with no other male bettas by the way) and last night he was fine, ive just returned from work and hes at the top of the tank not moving much and he seems to have no fins left they look like theyve dropped off, i think maybe fin rot but not sure,
please any help and advice is great!
what could it be and why has it happened within the space of 12 hours???
many regards folks, dave
 

Feb 27, 2009
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#2
What are his tankmates in the 200 litre community tank?

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

How long has he been in the tank with the tankmates?

I would suggest moving him to a hospital tank if he is to recover.
 

Jun 27, 2012
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#3
many thanks for the reply orangecones, he has been in for around 4 months and he has 2 mollys, 5 guppys(which is kinda naughty), but they get on also 4 platys and the newly introduced 1 month ago female betta!, but the female betta seems to flare alot, didnt think they did that, i think i could have been sold a a plakat instead??????,
many regards
 

Feb 27, 2009
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#4
If the male and female are the Betta splendens species, they cannot be housed together. One will likely kill the other, and both could die with the stress.

Do you test your water? Ammonia/nitrite poisoning can cause fin rot to develop also.
 

Jun 27, 2012
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#5
hi OC im a newbie to bettas and to me they come across highly under estimated and appreciated! the male has really long fins and what is supposed to be female has short fins but the female is flaring too, he gets on great with all others, even fancy guppies!
and water test every 2 days and all is good ammonia 0ppm, nitrite <2ppm soo all is fine on that score, he has for first time successfully built a nest though, so the other must be female, right???????????,
many regards,
dave
 

Feb 27, 2009
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#6
A reading of anything but zero ammonia or nitrite is cause for concern, and not at all 'fine.' You should do large daily water changes to dilute the nitrite.

I have no idea if the other betta is a male or female just due to fins being shorter. Either way, they cannot live in the same aquarium together. Except for short, supervised stays together for breeding, they must be separated.
 

Thyra

Superstar Fish
Jun 2, 2010
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#7
Welcome to the forum! I, too, very much enjoy bettas. It would be good if you did some in depth reading about them. Both the males and females can be aggressive. It isn't that they are looking for a fight, they are just defending their territory. In the wild they would just be able to drive an intruder off, but in captivity there is no place for the intruder to go. I have not found the male territorial in a community tank with platies and mollies and that type of fish. And breeding bettas is a rather laborious project both in time and expense if you want a successful out come.
 

Jun 27, 2012
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#8
ive read and read about them but so many different websites and books say different things i guess its just a learning curve, i love them all soo much though and none have died, they are seperated in the tank with an opague divider and they are happy again!, thankyou so much for your advice and any more advice or constuctive critisism is welcome, many regards,
dave*twirlysmi