Male Betta Fish Companions
Male Betta Fish Companions
What is wrong with my Betta Fish?
My dear male Betta fish (named Fury) has recently went through some trauma, my sister’s cat happened to get into my room and eat his two female companions but he was luckily alive with only small damages to his fin. He has not eaten for a while now though and seems a bit pale, he is no longer his bright vibrant red color and stays at the bottom of his tank. I do not want him to die…and I do not know how I can help him. Please someone give me a suggestion to get him to eat or find out what kind of sickness he may have.
I am sorry to hear about the tragedy.
I agree with Andy O’s answer. For the time being, please don’t introduce any tank mate for Fury. He is in a very vulnerable state and it is very common in Betta to be in that condition. It is as the similar trauma experience as after he was lost and nearly killed in a Betta fight. I’ve experience this during my younger days when I was active in Betta fighting (yeah, I know it was cruel – I’ve repented myself).
Should you introduce any tank mate (even girl Betta) he may end up killed without without putting up any resistance.
You need to treat him more carefully. Injured Betta tend to hide in dark places. You can try to cover your tank (not entirely, just to ensure the surrounding is dark – leave the cover part.) with dark clothing or place it (if permissible) in dark corner. If you decide you want to put a dark clothing cover, do it partially first. You do not want to shock him further. Cover the entire tank (again, leave the upper part for oxygen from atmosphere) after 1 hour or so. You may put some medication as precautionary measure against fin rot. Take a careful caution on the water temperature. This is vital for his recovering period.
Usually it will take about 2-3 weeks before he regain his confidence, that is depends on his trauma and injuries. I fed mine with minced bee larvae and mosquito larvae for protein during their seclusion period which will make them aggressive. But it is okay to offer his usual diet – they will take less food compare to their usual diet though. Keep feeding him with his regular diet in lesser amount to make sure the water is not polluted. If you want to make any observation, approach the tank slowly and carefully during this seclusion period.
When you are removing the clothing cover, again, do it partially. Observe how he react to his surrounding before uncover the whole tank. If he is sitting still in the dark region, that’s mean he’s not ready.
The most important (no offense anyone), please do not introduce him with any tank mate or mirror before Fury fully recover himself. It may sound unreasonable of me but if he takes more than a month to recover, than it is as good as he is dead – he will never recover.
Good Luck.
