How to Diagnose and Treat Fin Rot in Your Betta Fish

Imagine for a second that you didn't have a toilet in your home and were forced to use the bathroom in your bedroom. Do you think that, over time, you would eventually contract some sort of bacterial infection? Well, this is what most betta fish have to deal with and the reason why fin rot is a problem in some betta fish pets. Here are some ways to diagnose and treat Fin Rot.

First of all, Fin rot is a bacterial infection. It is most likely contracted if the water in your aquarium is not changed on a regular basis. When a fish bowl is not changed and there isn't a filter, a lot of times, your betta fish pet is forced to swim in water that is contaminated by its own feces which can produce a toxic level of ammonia. If you over feed your fish, then it is also likely that the fish bowl will have excess food granules at the bottom of the tank as well, which will help the bacteria grow.

How to diagnose Fin Rot

Just because your Betta's fins are deteriorating does not necessarily mean that your fish automatically has fin rot, although it is the most likely culprit. In order to accurately diagnose the problem, you will need to test the water for ammonia. Even small amounts of ammonia in the water can stress your betta out enough to cause a bacterial infection to grow. You can purchase a pH kit at your local pet store.

Once Fin Rot is diagnosed, what to do next

If you caught the onset of Fin Rot quickly, it could be as easy a fix as simply changing out the water and gravel. A lot of times that is all that is necessary. However, if your betta is in a more advanced stage of fin rot, then there is a process that you will need to go through.

Here are the steps:

1. Replace your fish tank with fresh water
2. Clean any items that you may have in your aquarium..replace gravel if you have it.
3. Apply some form of fungus eliminator to the water.
4. Add some aquarium salt to make the environment not so "bacteria friendly".

That is essentially all there is to treat and prevent fin rot.

For more information about Fin Rot, including recommended doses of aquarium salt and fungus eliminators, please visit my site which discusses How to Treat Fin Rot as well as other useful information on caring for your Siamese Fighting Fish.

Leo strongly recommends the beta fish guide [http://bettafishguide.net] on keeping your betta happy and healthy. It is a comprehensive guide to all things tropical fish.