With the popularity of keeping pet betta fish continuing to skyrocket, we have noticed more and more people reaching out with specific questions about taking care of their pet betta fish.
Although we have already covered a number of these questions in other articles, we have noticed a spike in the number of people who are reaching out and asking for ways to treat betta body rot as quickly as possible.
We know that betta body rot can look much worse than it actually is with some beginners to keeping betta fish often thinking the worse but more often than not, it is actually an easy fix.
That said though, the quicker you identify the body rot in your betta fish and start a suitable treatment plan the better and the higher the chances of your betta fish making a full recovery.
As there are usually a number of slightly different questions about betta body rot asked by the community each month, we have decided to try and answer them all in this article.
To make it easier to navigate, we have added the table of contents below so our readers are able to quickly and easily skip to specific sections of the article to get the information that they need.
What Is Betta Fish Body Rot?
Betta body rot is a serious version of the more common fin rot and occurs when the rot on the fins reaches the body of your betta fish.
If the water parameters in the aquarium as poor enough, body rot can set in at the same time as fin rot but this does tend to be rare in most cases.
Depending on when you catch the body rot in your betta, you may actually be able to treat it by simply using Bettafix in the water of your bettas tank.
More often than not though, you will usually have to use APIs Fin And Body Treatment as it is stronger than normal Betta fix. In rare situations though, you will have to take advice from a veterinarian to get specialist treatments directly from the vet to treat the body rot on your betta fish.
This is why it is so important to keep a close eye on your betta fish for any signs of fin or body rot as things can start to escalate quickly once the condition sets in.
If you leave the water conditions in the aquarium as they are then this can cause the various types of rot on your betta to spread faster too.
What Does Betta Body Rot Look Like?
Betta body rot is usually obvious and your betta fish will look like its fins and tail are literally rotting away with the body of your betta starting to lose color and scales starting to displace.
By the time body rot sets in on a betta fish, other problems such as fungal infections, dropsy, red sores, and cloudy eyes can be visible too.
Some betta fish can also start turning white too but this is not only a symptom of body rot in your betta fish and can often be caused by other things too.
The main symptoms and associated conditions are the ones listed above and you should always watch your betta fish closely for any of them as betta fish can be more prone to some of these conditions than other fish due to their long tails and fins.
If you do start to notice that your betta fish looks like it may have fin rot or body rot then starting treatment as quickly as possible drastically improves the chances of survival of your fish.
Beginner fish keeps do often question a number of common illnesses in fish due to them being more difficult to notice but body rot in a betta fish is usually obvious and very easy to see.
Why Does My Betta Fish Have Body Rot?
The most common cause of body rot in a betta fish is problems with the water parameters in their aquarium.
These issues can be as simple as the temperature of the water being too low for too long but is more commonly due to poor water quality and the build-up of bacteria and parasites.
Although betta fish can be an excellent fish for beginners, you really should be getting a basic water test kit for your aquarium to ensure that you are always on top of any potential water issues in your tank.
It really doesn’t take much for the water parameters to start shifting, especially if you are a beginner and may not be cleaning your aquarium correctly during regular maintenance.
The water test kit is an effective, cheap way to know if you are going wrong and to let you know that you may need to make a few tweaks to keep your water quality within the requirements of a betta fish.
This will help to prevent both fin rot and body rot from setting in on your betta fish as well as help to improve the general quality of life for your pet fish too.
How To Treat Betta Body Rot Quickly!
The best treatment for betta body rot will depend on how early you catch the condition. If you catch it early enough then products like Bettafix can be enough to treat the condition.
If the betta body rot has had a chance to develop then you may require antibiotics from your vet to treat the body rot.
If you do think that the body rot on your betta fish has developed to a stage where it may need antibiotics from a vet then we highly recommend that you book a video call with a veterinarian to have them assess your fish.
These video calls are cheap and are an easy way to get professional advice on the best way to treat the body rot at its current stage in your betta fish.
Although some people do recommend that you use melafix on your betta fish with body rot, we would not recommend it as it is generally too strong for a betta fish as we cover in our article on using melafix for your betta fish.
Just because melafix is stronger than bettafix does not mean that it will help to treat your betta fish any quicker and it can actually lead to further problems.
How Much Aquarium Salt To Help A Betta With Body Rot!
Depending on how serious the body rot in your betta fish is, you may be able to mix 1 tsp or aquarium salt per gallon of water in your betta fishes tank to help treat body rot.
You should always add the correct doze of aquarium salt to a glass of water and mix it prior to adding it to your aquarium.
Please note, this is only really an option for anyone who has a betta fish with very mild body rot and even then, it may not actually work.
Ideally, you will be using something like Bettafix instead of regular aquarium salt as it has a higher chance of success for mild body rot in your betta fish.
As we mentioned earlier in the article though, body rot is usually a more serious condition than regular fin rot and even a mild case of body rot can be serious so you may require a specialist treatment from a vet.
Be sure to improve the water conditions in the aquarium of your pet betta fish too as the body rot will just keep on coming back if you don’t improve the water conditions.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over how to identify and treat betta body rot to an end. We have tried to help you better understand the causes of body rot in betta fish as well as how you should be trying to identify the condition too. Although it can be treat at home if you catch the body rot early, the later stages of body rot will require specialist treatments from a vet to treat the condition.
