Betta fish-Taking care of Betta Fish the easiest fish ever

 I have found a few articles on this matter ,pay close attention  here to keep your friend healthy

 

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Body Rot is easily confused with Fin Rot because they share similar names.

The fact of the matter is they are quite different. Fin rot is caused by a bacteria called “Pseudomonas” and is an external primary disease caused by stress and poor water conditions. Body rot is caused by a bacteria called “Aeromonas” and is internal rather than external. This makes it much harder to diagnose. It is also a secondary disease meaning it primarily occurs in the presence of illness.
Luckily both fin rot and body rot are gram-negative, rod-shaped, bacteria meaning they can be treated with the same medications. This helps if you are unsure of which bacteria is infecting your betta fish and whether or not you are dealing with both types at once. To read more on fin rot, click here: Betta Fin Rot

Body Rot – Aeromonas

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Body rot is caused by a bacteria called Aeromonas which is a negative-gram, rod-shaped bacteria. Body rot is a secondary condition, meaning it infects only sick betta fish. Aeromonas very rarely infects healthy fish. This is because Aeromonas is always present in your tank and will only infect your fish when its health has already been compromised. However, in rare cases, it can be a primary infection caused by the consumption of tainted food.
What causes body rot? When stress and poor water conditions exist in a betta’s environment, the immune system weakens and mucus lining thins. This leads to stress and illness in your betta fish. Aeromonas waits for the perfect opportunity to jump in and join the party once a disease has set in. The bacteria will get into the blood stream and travel to the first organ it can find to infect. It releases Aerolysin Cytotoxic enteroToxins(ACT) which causes inflammation and hemorrhaging.

So how will you know if your betta fish has body rot?

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A body rot infection can be hard to diagnose because the infection is primarily internal and there are many different species of Aeromonas. However the most common symptoms are ulcers, hemorrhaging around the gills or at the base of fins. fin rot, swollen abdomen, protruding eyes and scale loss.

Treatment of Body Rot

It is important to know that this disease is immune to many antibiotics and water conditions which includes varying temperatures. An immediate water change(click here for bowls: water change) is crucial and the treatment of underlying conditions. Once you have your betta bowl(or aquarium) water stable you must treat your betta fish for any primary diseases. This would be likely to include a parasitic infestation. Once you have pin pointed the original disease and have completed treatment, your betta should be able to recover. If not you can treat the actual body rot itself. Tetracycline would be best especially if fin rot or any other bacteria is apparent.

Prevention

It is important to remember to keep up with regular maintenance to keep your betta healthy. Quality water conditions will prevent many diseases and keep your betta’s immune system running efficiently. Water changes can be tedious when you are first starting out. Once you get into the habit of performing water changes and testing regularly it will quickly become a normal routine for you.
Here are some resources to help you out:
Clean a Betta Bowl in 5 Easy Steps
How to Clean an Aquarium in 5 Steps
Also you can keep your betta’s water at about 82 degrees and add a light amount of aquarium salt on a regular basis. I follow this and have not seen fin or body rot infect my bettas or aquarium fish since 2008. Do not think of the salt as making the water being “salty”. Think of it being soft. That is why we have water softeners in our homes and fill them regularly with salt and yet when we drink we do not taste the salt. Unless you put too much in of course.

The beautiful Betta is gifted by Mother Nature a body which not only helps its tough fight other co-occupants around but also take care of the small fry like a good parent.
The main parts of a Bettas body are -
1. Mouth
2. Eyes
3. The ‘Beard’
4. The Finnage
5. Labyrinth
6. Various Internal organs

1. Betta Anatomy - The Mouth

The jaws of an adult Betta are as impressive or evens more impression then the jaw of a giant White Shark! The lower jaw of a Betta has sharp shredding teeth, which can tear of body of brine shrimps, worms, mosquito larvae and other such water organisms. A study reveals that on proportionate basis to the body size, Betta jaws are bigger and stronger then those of a White Shark.

Behind the sharp teeth, lies a small place to keep the fries. Male Bettas are hold the tiny fries in this area and take them to the bubble nest and safely release them. No fry is hurt by the teeth situated just millimeters ahead of them.

2. Betta Anatomy - The Eyes

On each side of the head lies a bulging eye. Eyes are protruding and have black colored iris. The rest of the eye could be of any color. A Betta cannot blink its eye. The eyes move as per the movement of the target. The sharp eyesight is one of the prime reasons to explain how Bettas are highly efficient warriors of their habitat.

3. Betta Anatomy - The “Beard”

A Betta has a membrane under its gill plate cover. The membrane sticks out when the gills are closed and is seen as a distinct part of the fish body. It gives a beard like look, hence it is often known as the Beard of a Betta. For a dark, blue or red colored Betta, this “beard” would be normally dark. For Bettas with yellow, white or other light colored bodies, the “beard” would exactly match the body color. When a Betta opens its gill plates, the protruding membrane would make it look bigger and hence mightier then it actually is. This would help it eventually scare away adversaries. In females, this distinct feature is not clearly visible as compared to their male counterparts.

4. Betta Anatomy - The Finnage

Broad colorful attractive fins form the most visually attractive part of a Betta’s body. Fins start getting developed from about 8th week of the birth of a Betta. Bettas younger then 8 weeks have tiny usually microscopic fins. Around 2 month after their birth, anal fin starts developing. The caudal and dorsal fins soon follow. The female fin development stops after a certain period. However studies show that male fins continue to develop in its entire life span. The fins are a few cell thick and hence don’t hamper free movement of the fish. However this frequent movement, diseases often leads to wear and tear of the fins. The fins due to this tear and drop off. Some varieties of Betta have the ability to simply drop off an extra large fin. The fin then again grows and the cycle continues. Every newly developed fin has a different coloration then the previous one. Bettas with a large full-developed caudal fin are called Half Moon Bettas due to the shape of the fine, which resembles a half moon.

5. Betta Anatomy - The labyrinth

A red betta male. Copyright www.jjphoto.dk

Apart from breathing oxygen through its gills, Bettas can breathe air from the surface of water. This is possible with the assistance of the organ called Labyrinth.

Labyrinth is located in the gill chamber and above the gill plates. It has a set of bony plates covered by a membrane. As soon as the air comes in contact, it is inhaled in. By gaseous exchange, the oxygen is passed straight to the venous blood in labyrinth and the other waste contents of the air are exhaled out. However the size of labyrinth in a Betta is small. Hence it cannot take more amount of oxygen in the one trip to surface. Hence a Betta makes frequent visit to the water surface. In shallow waters or water with low amount of oxygen, labyrinth plays a key part in ensuring that oxygen levels are maintained in the body of Betta.

If a Betta is kept outside water, it can survive longer then other fishes due to respiration through the labyrinth.

6. Betta Anatomy - Various Internal Organs

The critical organs of the Betta namely, Heart, Stomach, Liver, Spleen, Brain are situated in the first half of body. This organ can be found in the belly area of the Betta just before the beginning of the anal fin. Near the beginning of the anal fin is the anus of the Betta. Female Bettas have an opening, which looks, like a white spot in this area. This is used to release eggs during spawning.