And then there were two.

[jaimoe]

So we started our foray into the world of bettas just one week ago, when I bought my girlfriend a beautiful crowntail betta as congratulations for a new job she got. He's a little guy, blue so dark he's almost purple, with well formed deep red fins. "The Gipper" is doing great after a week in his new bowl, is responsive and active and a good eater.

Now, quite unexpectedly, my girlfriend "saved" a betta from her current job, where a retirement party was using the little guy as a centerpiece at their table(she's a waitress). "Blue Max" as we've named him is an irridescent sky blue, and seems active enough, but he has a problem. He stays at the top of his bowl and struggles when he tries to swim to the bottom, or swim to hide under one of the leaves. He can swim downward but it takes alot of effort and he doesn't stay down there for long. He also has a swollen belly, and seems to spit out bubbles every once in a while.

Is it safe to assume he has a swim bladder infection? I don't know what he was fed during his time as the centerpiece, the party was drinking merrily and I can only imagine what people may have been putting in his cup. I'm figuring maybe he was overfed on bread and french fries and who knows what else and this somehow led to his problems.

I'm going to fast him for a couple of days and feed him a cooked pea afterwards, as I have seen others post about doing when they have similar problems. We're both kind of new at the betta thing though, so I figured I'd post my symptoms here to see if someone with more experience could let me know if I was on the wrong track.

If he gets better I'll post a pic of him. He's not bad looking at all for a castaway! B)

 

[cutecotton]

what your betta has seems to be a swim bladder disease. Try teh cooked pea thing first and see if it clears up

 

[jaimoe]

Well when I woke up this morning the little guy was doing much better. Still has a fat belly(but not nearly as bad) but is swimming around fine and isn't hovering at the top of the tank. I think I'll still fast him for one more day and feed him a cooked pea tomorrow, just to be sure.

 

[Bangin]

Well when I woke up this morning the little guy was doing much better. Still has a fat belly(but not nearly as bad) but is swimming around fine and isn't hovering at the top of the tank. I think I'll still fast him for one more day and feed him a cooked pea tomorrow, just to be sure.

Great plan!

Since he's already showing signs of swim bladder problems, I would be careful with feeding him in the future. My little guy had the same problem due to my LFS feeding him brine shrimp. I fasted him for a day or so, then I fed him a shelled pea. He's been better ever since.

Be sure not to overfeed the little guy, because that can lead to future swim bladder problems.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi jaimoe

Thank goodness your girlfriend was there to save him!

I don't usually like to medicate fish unless there's a real problem, but in this instance, since he seems to have been put through an ordeal, I suggest you give him a course of BettaMax, if you can find some.

When a fish has been unduly stressed it is more apt to come down with a bacterial infection than it usually would be, and this is a common problem with new fish that have been shipped and kept in small containers. Your fish has probably suffered this and the party too, so why not give it a try.

 

[Grim Reaper]

cooked pea??? what do u guys mean by that???

 

[jaimoe]

I'm guessing that the cooked pea acts as some kind of a laxative for fish, or at least for bettas, because I've seen it suggested for a number of intestinal disorders or anything involving a swollen belly.