My Beta Fish Is Sick :( Help?
by Aquaboy on Sunday, May 8th, 2011 | 4 Comments
I got a beta fish as a gift about two or three months ago. He was doing fine as far as I knew until a few days ago. I first started to notice it when he was attempting to jumP out of the bowl more often than he usually does. But it wasn’t until this morning when I took a closer look at him. His right eye is bulging out far more than his left.
I tried changing his water and cleaning his bowl throughly, but I don’t think it seems to be working. I really really love my fish and I would really appreciate it if someone could help me to help him.
His name is Quinton by the way and he was a gift from my boyfriend. My boyfriend gave me the choice of an iPod or a fish and I chose the fish, I hope he is okay 
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Hi, I’m sorry about your fish but I’m no expert. However, you might want to try calling the nearest pet store and just ask for help. They’ll be glad to help you. I just called Petsmart today to ask about my fish and they responded with care. Asking a petstore might make u feel more secure and give you the right answer.
If you really love your beta then get him a decent size tank – 5 gallons at a minimum but 10 would be better, puts some java ferns and other low light plants in it, and gets some books on beta care. Your beta may have pop-eye or he may have injured himself on something in the tank or while jumping out of the tank. Usually, when you put your beta in a clean, appropriately sized environment the pop-eye dissapears in a little while. Normally you’d want to cycle a new tank but you can’t cycle a fish bowl so putting a fish into an uncycled tank would be slightly better than leaving it in a fishbowl with uncycled water. You’ll want to buy some water conditioner and some slime coat. If the pop-eye doesn’t clear up then you’ll need to medicate the fish but you probably won’t be able to get the dosage right if you leave it in a bowl.
Maybe you should get a 1 gallon tank because he may need more space. I have never put a betta in a bowl before but I know how it would feel. would you like to live in a house or a closet? and the closet would be the bowl so get a 1 gallon tank or a half gallon tank. I’d rather live in a house than a closet. so your fish may not be sick but in stress ask a local pet store like petsmart or petco about it. Sorry about your fish though.
The problem is with the water in your tank. Your fishes problem with his eye is called “pop-eye” and it’s a fungal infection. These infections arise from bad water quality.
Bettas really do need either a 5 or 10 gallon tank that is heated, cycled, filtered, and conditioned. If you can, put him in a proper tank.
If you cannot afford a proper tank, put him in some fresh, clean water that’s been treated with water conditioner. Then, you’ll need to purchase some medicine to clear fungal infections, a couple of these are called Fungus Clear and Fungus Eliminator and can easily be found at any store with a fish section.
Follow the directions and add it to his water. Wait 24 hours, and do a 25% water change, then treat with the medicine again.
And from there on out, make sure you keep his water clean and conditioned.