Healthy Betta Fish vs Unhealthy: 10 Warnings Signs

Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day.

Bettas or Siamese fighters are small, tropical fish that have been kept as pets for over 100 years. They are usually the first choice of fish for those who want a small and colorful fish that can be housed in nano aquariums. Part of being a responsible betta fish owner is to ensure that they are kept happy and healthy through the next 3 to 5 years of their life.

Due to this, it is a good idea to know the warning signs that your betta fish can be unhealthy. It is also important to be able to determine if your betta fish is truly happy in their environment and under your care.

Although bettas are relatively hardy and adaptable fish, they do show signs that you can use to determine if they are unhealthy.

Let's take a look at these signs below.

©elisabet nugraheni/Shutterstock.com

Bettas are usually vibrantly colored fish, but if you notice that your once colorful betta looks washed out or faded, it can be a sign they are unhealthy. Bettas will lose their vivid coloration in stressful situations or from disease. This is why pet store bettas may look duller in color when you first purchase them and seem to gain their color again in the right environment. A healthy betta fish should have no faded colors unless they are white, grey, or overall, naturally dark colors.

©SoReaux/Shutterstock.com

There is an endless amount of tail fin varieties seen in betta fish, but no healthy betta should have torn, ragged, and damaged fins. This can be from chewing or damage by other fish, or your betta could have gotten caught on sharp aquarium decorations. Damaged fins can also indicate certain fungal or bacterial infections that eat away at the betta's fins. When the fins start developing a translucent appearance at the tips, it can indicate that the fins are healing.

©Wirestock Creators/Shutterstock.com

A healthy betta fish should be active and swimming around regardless of how heavy or long their fins are. If you notice that your betta is spending most of their time at the bottom of the tank without moving, it is a sign that they are lethargic.

Also, a healthy betta will not spend most of its time hiding or laying on aquarium decorations or leaves for a long time. While it can be normal for some heavy-finned bettas to take a quick rest on a leaf or smooth surface, they should still be able to swim normally. This means no abnormal swimming patterns or bouency issues that could indicate that they are unhealthy,

©Pantherius/Shutterstock.com

A healthy betta fish will have a hearty appetite and rarely refuse a meal. If they do, it may indicate that they are feeling unwell or stressed. There are several reasons your betta fish may refuse food, from things like poor water quality, diseases, and stress from incompatible tank mates. It is also important to ensure that your betta is fed an appropriate number of healthy foods. You should avoid overfeeding them, as this can cause uncomfortable abdominal swelling and potential water quality issues.

©elisabet nugraheni/Shutterstock.com

An unhealthy betta fish will act lethargic and spend most of their time hiding or bottom-sitting. This is a clear indication that your betta fish is not feeling good and that something in their environment is causing them stress.

The main reasons a betta fish might become lethargic is when they are ill from a disease or exposed to high levels of ammonia or nitrite in their tank. The water may also be too cold for your betta fish, especially with no heater. This can cause your betta fish to slow down and become more susceptible to certain diseases.

©Lienda Yunita Apponno/Shutterstock.com

A healthy betta fish that isn't feeling stressed typically have a well-functioning immune system that lowers their risk of certain diseases. However, a stressed betta may be getting ill way more than they should be. They could just be recovering from an infection before you notice another one starts to develop.

If this is the case, it is important to determine what stressors could be causing your betta to feel this way. Common stressors like poor water quality, small aquaria, and aggressive tank mates can make your betta fish feel constant stress. This may impact their ability to fight off disease and may make them more susceptible to disease.

©Napat/Shutterstock.com

Bettas should be able to swim up and down without seeming to struggle with bouency. They should also be able to move their bodies and fins comfortably in the water. While it can be common for heavy-finned bettas to be slower swimmers than short-finned varieties, a healthy betta shouldn't have great difficulty swimming.

If you notice that your betta is swimming with clamped fins, sideways movements, and become listless in-between movements, these are signs that they have abnormal swimming patterns. This can be from diseases, poor water quality, or damaged fins.

©Ladanifer/Shutterstock.com

Maintaining good water quality in the aquarium is essential for betta fish. So, when the ammonia levels in the tank are too high, your betta fish may become stressed. This can lead to a behavior referred to as "flashing", where a fish will dart around the tank and dive against the substrate, glass, or aquarium decorations. Bettas will do this to try and alleviate the discomfort they are feeling from poor water quality. Other pollutants like chlorine and pollutants can also irritate your betta fish causing them to flash.

It can be noted that certain external parasites such as Ichythyophthirius (white spot disease), Trichodina, Costia, and Chilondenella can cause flashing behavior in fish.

©Shutterman70/Shutterstock.com

Although betta fish are well adapted to breathing in environments with low oxygen levels for a short period, they still require sufficient oxygen to breathe normally. In tanks with low oxygen levels, usually due to certain medications and overly warm water, your betta may struggle to breathe.

This can cause your betta to rapidly open and close their mouths to pass water over their gills, and it will be clear they are struggling to breathe. Most bettas will show signs of being lethargic when they are rapid breathing and prefer to hide or bottom-sit.

Another cause of rapid breathing in bettas is due to gill irritation. This can happen due to pollutants in the water, high ammonia, and parasitic infestations that affect the gills. You should ideally keep the ammonia and nitrite levels in your betta's tank at 0 ppm (parts per million). The nitrates can be slightly higher at around 15 ppm.

©Rumaisha Project/Shutterstock.com

Bettas should have relaxed fins when they are resting, and upright fins when they are swimming, but never clamped fins. When a betta is clamping their fins, they will hold the fins tight against their bodies when resting and swimming. Clamped fins aren't a disease itself, but rather a symptom of certain fish diseases or water quality issues. High levels of ammonia and parasites are some of the leading causes of clamped fins in betta fish.

If you are new to keeping betta fish or simply want to know how you care for your betta fish properly, these tips will ensure you keep your betta healthy and happy.

Instead of placing your betta fish in a bowl or vase, opt for a suitably sized tank instead. Bettas do not belong in small bowls or vases according to veterinarians Dr. Krista Keller and Dr. Jessie Sanders. Most betta fish require a minimum tank size of 5 gallons, and it should contain more horizontal space than vertical.

Fishbowls are usually too small for bettas and do not offer them enough space to thrive. Furthermore, bowls and vases make it difficult to add a proper filter, heater, and plants inside without affecting the amount of space your betta has left to swim in.

A filtration system and heater are essential for these fish. Bettas need a filter in their tank to prevent the water from becoming stagnant, processing waste, and housing beneficial bacteria. Since bettas are tropical fish that need a temperature range between 74 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, a heater is necessary.

Even though bettas are anabatoides that can develop a labyrinth organ to breathe atmospheric air in overwise uninhabitable conditions, they still need sufficient oxygen in their tank. Unless the filtration system is providing the tank with enough surface agitation, you might need to look into using a bubbler system.

Betta fish are considered solitary fish, with rare instances of some female bettas getting along in sororities. However, all male betta fish are solitary and will fight till severe injury or even death. Housing betta fish together can cause both fish to become very stressed, which is not good for fish. Furthermore, male and female bettas should not be housed together, and may only be introduced in appropriate conditions for a short time during breeding.

It is best to house your betta alone in their tank with snails or shrimp, and not with incompatible tank mates like goldfish, koi, and cichlids.

Betta fish are naturally carnivores in the wild, so they benefit from a similar diet in captivity. A quality betta fish pellet formulated with animal protein as a main ingredient is recommended. You can also supplement their diets with live or freeze-dried foods like bloodworms and baby brine shrimp.

Do bettas make bubble nests when they are happy?

Bettas create bubble or foam nests when they are ready to reproduce. It is a normal part of their breeding behavior, and not necessarily an indication that they are happy or unhealthy. This is because bettas have been known to create bubble nests even in improper conditions like unfiltered bowls or vases. Bettas who are kept in improper conditions without enrichment and plants to explore and space to swim may become bored, and a bubble nest might be the only thing keeping them entertained.

However, a betta fish that is creating bubble nests is doing so because they want to attract a mate and show that they are willing to reproduce. You can expect your betta fish to create a bubble nest around 3 to 5 months of age. If your betta fish isn't building a bubble nest, don't worry too much as it doesn't automatically mean your betta fish is unhappy.

Certain bettas are more avid nest builders than others, and some won't even begin building one unless they are exposed to a female betta fish.

An unhealthy betta fish usually shows two or more of the signs we have discussed below. However, with proper care and appropriate housing, most betta fish will remain healthy and happy throughout their lives.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us? Contact the AZ Animals editorial team.

Do bettas make bubble nests when they are happy?