• NOT an illness. Commonly mistaken for fin rot.
• Torn finnage or complete disappearance of fins, no symptoms of bacterial infections or other infections which may also cause fin degeneration.

CAUSES:

• Fin nipping/biting due to heavy tails
  • Some bettas such as halfmoons may not be able to carry the weight of their tails, and will choose to bite them off. It is possible to surgically trim their tails down ( See PROCEDURES section for more information), however this is NOT recommended due to how small bettas are and that it would require anesthesia.
  • Other fish in the tank may also be aggressive to each other. Nippy fish such as tetras will often go after each other in the group and nip at each other. This is normal, and is not to be worried about unless it is overly aggressive.
• Sharp decor

TREATMENT:

• Clear water/regular water changes
• Remove any potentially harmful decorations in the tank
  • Bettas should only have soft fake plants such as silk plants. Fin loss can be caused by damage against stiff or sharp decor.
• Medicate (Stressguard, Betta revive)
  • Medication will prevent infection.
• FINS GENERALLY WILL REGROW WITH TIME, UNLIKE WITH FIN ROT WHERE IT IS NOT ALWAYS POSSIBLE DUE TO EXTENSIVE DAMAGE.
• Maintain a larger group of fish if they are shoaling or schooling fish
  • Keeping a larger shoal or school is beneficial for semi-aggressive shoaling (loosely schooling and more independant) or schooling fish such as tetras and danios. This evens out the aggression so it is less focused on one individual and more equally spread. This prevents harassment and reduces the chances of one fish from fin mutilation or even being killed by tankmates

• Bloated, abdominal distention
• Unable to keep upright or swim properly, may swim as if it has SBD (see next)
• Usually occurs after a large meal or a feeding with unsoaked freeze-dried food/pellets which are too large for the fish. May occur after a feeding of outer-shell bearing species such as bloodworms.
• Feces may be hanging from fish’s body for longer than it should be.

CAUSES:

• Poor water quality
• Overfeeding
• Blockage in stomach or intestines
• Too large of food pieces
• Freeze-dried foods expanding in stomach and causing a blockage
• Exoskeleton or hard outer shells that are indigestible

TREATMENT:

• EPSOM Salt baths (1 tablespoon per gallon, 13 minutes daily)
• Fast for 2-5 days
  • Fish can go fairly long without food, so don’t worry too much about starvation. DO keep an eye on your fish’s weight and condition. Depending on species, the fast should not be extended beyond a few days. Smaller fish aren’t as capable of a long fast as a large fish who eats more at a time.
• Easily digestible foods which move quickly through a fish’s stomach, including things such as:
  • Frosted or cooked pieces of peas for up to 4 days in a row and watch for improvement
  • Pre-soaked, freeze-dried daphnia or live daphnia

• Fish swims tilted, sideways, or can’t swim at all.
• May be bloated or have a crooked spine.
• Crowntail, Twin tail, and young bettas are more susceptible.

CAUSES:

• Overfeeding
• Internal Injury
• Gulping Air
• Other organs may press against the swim bladder organ the disorder. For example the stomach if overfeeding.

TREATMENT:

• Usually self-treat in a few days with smaller feeding.
• Feed easily digestible foods which move quickly through a fish’s stomach, including things such as:
  • Frosted or cooked pieces of peas for up to 4 days in a row and watch for improvement
  • Pre-soaked, freeze-dried daphnia or live daphnia
• Increase oxygen levels with an air stone
• Lower Water level 50% depending on severity
• For large fish, venting the swim bladder may be an option if there’s no improvement to equalize pressure. This should be heavily researched prior to attempt. See Procedures for more info

• Appears as a white, cloudy layer over eyes with abnormalities around the eyes
• Exophthalmos or Blood in the eye

CAUSES:

• Genetics and Old Age
• Infections such as eye flukes or Nutritional Imbalance

TREATMENT:

• No Treatment

Image from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Synne_Andersen/publication/288663939/figure/fig5/AS:314131115724804@1451906102972/Photo-of-an-Atlantic-salmon-eye-with-a-complete-mature-cataract-Photo-by-Prof-Ellen.png

• Multiple types of prolapse:
  • Cloacal through anal pore
  • Intestinal through anal pore
  • Rectal through anal pore
  • Intestinal through genital pore
  • Ovarian through genital pore
• Constipation may result
• Ovarian prolapses will appear grainy with whitish to yellowish follicles
• Intestinal prolapses will appear smooth

CAUSES:

• Stress
• Egg bound
  • Egg binding is a serious situation where an animal cannot pass an egg or multiple eggs out of their bodies when they are developed. If they remain inside, they can explode and kill the mother fish holding them. See PROCEDURES for more information.

TREATMENT:

• Lower food quantity
• Soak Pellets prior to feeding, or submerge flakes to make them sink
• Surgery resection may also be an option - See PROCEDURES for more information.

Ovarian Prolapse (Image from https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/attachments/image-jpg.1163866/):

• Usually appear as small bumps or lumps beneath the fish’s skin
• Ability to eat and swim are usually impaired as the tumor develops further
• Swollen abdomens may be seen with internal tumors
• White coloration may appear over the tumor site
• POTENTIALLY FATAL. MOST ARE UNTREATABLE.

CAUSES:

• Predisposition to tumors and cancers are common causes
  • Goldfish are more likely to get fibroma tumors and sarcoma cancers
  • Gypsy-Swordtails are more likely to get malignant melanoma
  • Bettas are known to often develop tumors with age. Most bettas are heavily inbred and predisposed to many illnesses and health issues that are untreatable due to the genetic behind them.
• In some cases, viral infections may be the causative agent behind tumors or cancers.

TREATMENT:

• Generally UNTREATABLE
• For gill tumors, use an iodine dosed bath