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5 Responses to “What is the white stuff in my Betta Fish Tank and how can i get rid of it?”
The white clouds are probably a type of fungus. I recommend changing the water every day for a few days and be sure that you only feed enough that he can eat it all and still be looking for more.
from my point a few if you resenty changed the tank all the left over food dos float after a water change try to feed your betta or any fish for that mater once every 4 days and change food to each time you feed him like you could feed him blood worms then betta food then tropical fish food then brine shrimp each time you fed them switching is better for tropical fish and bettas are a tropical fish also check your ammonia and nitrates levels just to make sure its not that causing your problems but it sound like a over feeding problem from my point a few do a 50% water change and scoop as much extra food in to a net and trow it out the food is bad and can spike you readings and can kill your fish
if it is fungus you can go down to walmart and they have fungus meds also i would get some melfix it speeds up any recovery
A betta should be kept in a minimum of a 2.5 gallon tank with filter and heater. A 5 gallon would be even better. The filter eliminates the need to change water which should be done at least every 3 days if it’s in a bowl and the heater keeps the water at a constant 80F which is what betta’s need to thrive.
The white stuff could be any number of things. Water changes are the only way to eliminate it. You do know that betta’s will blow a bubble nest which will look like a film of tiny white bubbles on the surface?
First of all, you have to stop putting meds in the tank. You’re killing off all the beneficial bacteria and making the problem worse.
Do not TOUCH your tank for 2 weeks. And I mean, touch nothing. Feed your fish a minimal amount every other day (no, he won’t starve), and I’m talking a very small amount if it’s just the one fish in there. Don’t change the water. Don’t change the filter. Don’t add any more fish and most importantly no more meds!!!
What you probably have is “new tank syndrome”. It just means that the helpful bacteria haven’t colonized your gravel and stuff yet. Those bacteria break down proteins, ammonia and uneaten food in the tank. Another common mistake for new aquarists is overfeeding. Most people feed their fish WAY more than they need to. Fish are very efficient metabolizes and if they need to, could go a week without eating and suffer little if any ill effects. It’s not good to, but I feed my fish only every other day unless I’m breeding them and they’re healthy as anything. If all you have in the tank is the one betta fish, the most you need to feed is 2-3 pellets or flakes a day if you want to feed daily. Any more than that is overfeeding.
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December 13th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Diane Mortimer
The white clouds are probably a type of fungus. I recommend changing the water every day for a few days and be sure that you only feed enough that he can eat it all and still be looking for more.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Andrew Eicher
Short and simple answer: It may be fungus from the bottom of the tank floating up, or fish poo, or even little bits of food he didn’t eat.
December 16th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Vincent Roach
from my point a few if you resenty changed the tank all the left over food dos float after a water change try to feed your betta or any fish for that mater once every 4 days and change food to each time you feed him like you could feed him blood worms then betta food then tropical fish food then brine shrimp each time you fed them switching is better for tropical fish and bettas are a tropical fish also check your ammonia and nitrates levels just to make sure its not that causing your problems but it sound like a over feeding problem from my point a few do a 50% water change and scoop as much extra food in to a net and trow it out the food is bad and can spike you readings and can kill your fish
if it is fungus you can go down to walmart and they have fungus meds also i would get some melfix it speeds up any recovery
December 18th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Ryan Wacker
A betta should be kept in a minimum of a 2.5 gallon tank with filter and heater. A 5 gallon would be even better. The filter eliminates the need to change water which should be done at least every 3 days if it’s in a bowl and the heater keeps the water at a constant 80F which is what betta’s need to thrive.
The white stuff could be any number of things. Water changes are the only way to eliminate it. You do know that betta’s will blow a bubble nest which will look like a film of tiny white bubbles on the surface?
**
December 21st, 2009 at 3:17 am
Caroline Curry
First of all, you have to stop putting meds in the tank. You’re killing off all the beneficial bacteria and making the problem worse.
Do not TOUCH your tank for 2 weeks. And I mean, touch nothing. Feed your fish a minimal amount every other day (no, he won’t starve), and I’m talking a very small amount if it’s just the one fish in there. Don’t change the water. Don’t change the filter. Don’t add any more fish and most importantly no more meds!!!
What you probably have is “new tank syndrome”. It just means that the helpful bacteria haven’t colonized your gravel and stuff yet. Those bacteria break down proteins, ammonia and uneaten food in the tank. Another common mistake for new aquarists is overfeeding. Most people feed their fish WAY more than they need to. Fish are very efficient metabolizes and if they need to, could go a week without eating and suffer little if any ill effects. It’s not good to, but I feed my fish only every other day unless I’m breeding them and they’re healthy as anything. If all you have in the tank is the one betta fish, the most you need to feed is 2-3 pellets or flakes a day if you want to feed daily. Any more than that is overfeeding.
Visit on for various aquarium accessories.