Miscellaneous

Swim Bladder Disease

Symptoms: Bloated body, difficulty swimming
Description: Fish with aswim bladder disorder look like ballons and have trouble swimming or balancing in the water. Bad diets or internal infections are the most common causes of this disease. The best thing to do is to cut down on the food your betta gets and turn down the filter so that your betta doesn't struggle swimming.

---

Physical Injuries

Symptoms: scratches, nipped fins, red spots
Descriptions: Accidents and fights do happen in aquarium communities. Whether the injury was caused by a sharp decoration or a bullying fish, it should be fixed right away. Adding aquarium salt (1 teaspoon per 5 gallons) is a good way to prevent the cuts from becoming infected.

---

Constipation

Symptoms: bloated body, loss of appetite
Description: Poor diet is the main cuase of constipation, wether it is feeding too much or feeding the wrong food. For example, feeding too many flakes can cause bettas to bloat because the dry food soaks up water where it expands in the betta's stomach. To prevent this, be sure to fast your betta once a week to let their digestive system clean itself out. Also for severe cases, feeding a defrosted and deshelled pea cut into small pieces can help clean out the digestive system.

---

New Tank Syndrome

Symptoms: Blackened scales, red gills, labored breathing, staying near the surface
Description: New tank sysndrome occurs in, as the name suggests, new tanks where the nitrogen cycle has not yet been completed. This means the fish will go through spikes of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate, all of which in heavy concentration (especailly ammonia and nitrite), can cause severe damage to your betta. It is important to cycle your tank before adding fish.