My betta fish has black, short fins, isn't eating. What should I do?

Question

Hi. My betta fish's fins turned black along the edges, and they are getting shorter. He is paler than usual, not eating, not active, and his head is turning black. Would you please advise how I can help him, I don't want my Oscar to die :-( . Thank you very much!!! Milena.

Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM · Accepted Answer

Thanks for your question, and I’m sorry that Oscar isn’t feeling well. Thank you for the photos as well - they are very helpful. I agree with you - it looks like his fins are shortened and I can appreciate the color changes you are seeing. Both of these changes can be caused by infections, including bacterial, fungal, and parasites. When these infections occur, the first thing that we evaluate is the water quality. I am not sure if you have done this or not yet, but you can take a sample of your water to a pet store for evaluation if you don’t have a kit at home. If the parameters are not ideal, this can make Oscar susceptible to diseases that he would normally be able to fight off. Once you have determined this, then you can either try to treat empirically with an over the counter medication, or you can seek veterinary advice for Oscar. Your veterinarian would take a sample from the skin surface and maybe the fins to evaluate for what is causing the changes. They would then prescribe medications that are tailored to what they find. I hope that gives you a place to start, and that Oscar feels better soon!

My betta fish has black, short fins, isn't eating. What should I do?

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