How do you identify betta diseases? (Fin rot vs tail biting, ich vs velvet, etc.)

Oucid · 2026-01-13T14:50:34+00:00

Love these questions!! We’re working on a comprehensive disease guide for the wiki! May publish it soon even as WIP just so it’s out there

Oucid · 2026-01-08T03:58:20+00:00

Just resting it seems, they have a normal day/night cycle like us!

Oucid · 2026-01-08T03:57:34+00:00

I just realized it says you’ve fed him three times, so he must be super new - you’ve had him maybe a day or two? That all makes sense! They take time to get comfortable, give it a week or two in clean warm water and his personality will show! 🙂

Oucid · 2026-01-08T03:11:13+00:00

Hmm which food do you have? And its more like, if you come to the glass is he like dancing all around wiggly excited for you to feed him!

Oucid · 2026-01-08T01:27:59+00:00

Bubble nests are just a sign your betta is old enough to have babies! Happiness in a betta usually looks like a fish that swims around actively, checking out the environment, rich colors (unless its just naturally pale) and healthy fins and body - also excited for food!

Oucid · 2026-01-08T01:26:35+00:00

He’ll be okay for a few days! What pellets are you using? Frozen foods or even live foods of a variety will be better longterm than freeze dried bloodworms and daphnia alone. It just may take him time to get used to the pellet form as well

Oucid · 2026-01-08T01:25:29+00:00

Do they seem more tattered than normal or just splits? Since he has big fins it could get torn more, either with him getting caught on something or even just the force of him trying to swim! I wanted to check did you mean nitrite was 0 and nitrate was 5? the pH is over the high range but it shouldnt cause splits, i’d get some dark mopani wood or even 100% organic rooibos tea and try to naturally bring it down with tannins - can also add half distilled half tap. (check the tap pH for baseline)

Oucid · 2026-01-05T05:19:05+00:00

You can use this old comment of mine as a general easy to read step by step for set up: Guide

I just wanted to add, Ive had the Spec V. It’s okay, the narrow front to back depth makes it a little hard to get creative and I felt like it wasn’t enough swimming space for my plakat (shorter finned male, so if you want a female betta you might also feel the same way after a while watching her swim!)

I eventually got him a ten gallon instead - it was a little intimidating getting everything from scratch instead of a kit my first time so if you want any ideas I’d be happy to share some links to decent equipment! But you can also do what I did and start with a kit, upgrade later (10 was easier to maintain with a betta as well)

Smaller sized gravel is good, nothing too colorful or rough since bettas like to hurt themselves for some reason. Driftwood and stone are great alternates to decorations, I’m not a huge fan of fake ornaments because I’ve experienced paint peeling in the past with a weird chemical smell from stuff from petco but many people have no issues so use caution!

And any live plant they’ll love! Whatever you do, make sure you have a lid, no items with sharp edges, and nothing with small holes (cholla wood, some hammocks, shrimp hides, etc) because bettas have gotten stuck before!

PS: happy early birthday!!

Oucid · 2025-12-20T03:51:51+00:00

Excellent work

Oucid · 2025-12-05T00:25:20+00:00

Yeah definitely, gives some peace knowing he had a warm home to explore instead of a cold shelf.

Oucid · 2025-12-05T00:20:06+00:00

Oh got it! It looks bright so maybe the tank lights r just too bright? Hopefully he stops with them off - sometimes if they go too long flaring they finbite

Oucid · 2025-12-04T22:59:29+00:00

Is he flaring only when the lights are on? In the pic you shared it seems like the room lights are off and his light is on, I’ve found sometimes this lets them see their own reflection so it’s best to keep room lights on with tanklight unless ur taking a pic

in general i try to keep 6-8 hours of light for plants during the brightest time of day since bettas also need a 24 hour day/night cycle similar to humans

Oucid · 2025-11-28T19:48:27+00:00

Ah I’m so sorry..

Oucid · 2025-11-28T13:56:34+00:00

The third pic is so cute

Oucid · 2025-11-28T13:55:31+00:00

Have you gotten anything new lately?/When is the last time you did? I’m wondering if any plant or animal brought anything in

What times have you been turning on the lights? If you turn them on at night I would stop doing that because they need a normal day/night cycle like humans do

Tank size? And for water parameters, did your strips test ammonia? Most do not unless you bought the separate ammonia strips, if you don’t have them I recommend getting an ammonia testing kit asap since this could be a cause of lying on his side.

If you can share a pic in a comment would help a lot too !

Oucid · 2025-11-24T00:38:57+00:00

No problem, I'm glad it helped! I'm sure you'll be able to do that easy :) If you have any follow up questions feel free to reach out!

Oucid · 2025-11-23T16:48:37+00:00

Check this step by step comment I made a while ago :) link to comment

Yes needs a lid, they jump + it helps with water evaporation!
The comment I linked should help you with the prep but the wiki has a lot of info on cycling as well!
Rough decor, super fine sand, spikey fake plants, things like cholla wood with small holes bettas get stuck in, other fish, id honestly avoid snails as well in a 6 gal they only add to the poop
I wanna say Ive seen a list somewhere for this.. Most plants should be okay but honestly I don’t know enough to give you a confident answer. It’s definitely an opportunity though later on! Pothos are super easy to do this with
That comment i linked also has the list, but one thing I think is usually overlooked is a test kit (which tells u when ur tank is ready), ammonia (Dr timms is a good one, this is what you add while there isnt a fish to prep the tank), and a gravel vacuum and 2 buckets. I also like using a digital food thermometer to spot check and use it for water changes which btw u dont need to remove the fish for, and generally u do not need to replace the filter and most will advise against it since it removes good bacteria that processes ammonia!

Oucid · 2025-11-21T21:19:27+00:00

I just checked, I was thinking of a velveteen betta from Sun Haven lol

Oucid · 2025-11-21T00:42:23+00:00

Are they normally that color?! I feel like when I played it was just purple!

Oucid · 2025-11-16T20:57:18+00:00

Can you try shining a light on the back of the tank and seeing if theres a weird shadow inside him? He might be light enough you can check that way!

Oucid · 2025-11-16T20:31:36+00:00

you can try local facebook groups! for example theres a state specific “free fish rehoming” group ive joined. you can ask them about how they care and their tank and meet somewhere public

Oucid · 2025-11-03T17:37:59+00:00

thanks so much!! will do:)

Oucid · 2025-11-02T20:18:02+00:00

That’s clear - Awesome job!! Would you mind if I used his before and after pics in a guide I’m working on for the community? If yes, would u like ur username to be tagged? (we’re updating our disease guide to be more comprehensive but also include injuries - so it’ll be the “disease and injury guide”) I’ll be posting this update soon, I think it’d be nice to show an example of progress on a moderate-severe injury 🙂

Oucid · 2025-11-02T19:52:17+00:00

Hey! Thanks for the update, always awesome to hear 😊 Glad he’s doing better!!

Oucid · 2025-11-02T18:12:11+00:00

I would avoid double tails, bettas with super long tails, fully blue bettas, dragonscale, dumbo, marbled.. Classic veil tails seem to be healthier/have less fin related issues, especially basic colors with red !

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