Betta Fat Or Sick?

[raggy]

Hey guys, not sure if my betta is sick or just getting fat! I don't think he's got dropsy because his scales arent puffed out.  He just seems kinda chubby.  He's swimming around a lot really aggressively like always.  
 
I feed him around 3 and sometimes 4 pellets 2 times a day.  is this too much?  Sometimes I just give him 3 pellets because I'm afraid ill over feed him.  I've also minimized the amount of worms I gave him (once a week).  
 
Is it normal for a betta do be a little fat underneath his head/ gills area?  

 

[Livewire88]

IMO you are feeding him too much, I only ever feed my Betta 3 pellets per day 5 days a week, and now and again feed him bloodworm, brineshrimp or half a boiled pea. 
 
Starve him for a couple of days and see if he looks a little thinner, 2 or 3 days fasting wont do him any harm at all. 

 

[Shelster]

+1 on livewire, also with the bloodworms, it's a maximum of 3.

Their stomach is about the same size as their eye - to give you an indicator.

Ignore what feed packets say.

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Do you presoak the pellets? I've heard of not presoaking pellets to cause bloating.
If you could provide a picture then that will help in identifying the problem.

 

[raggy]

wow!! 3 pellets a day!!?? man u betta must be puny! lol ive been feeding him 5-6 pellets a day.  must be dangerous.  i will try to get a pic.  

 

[Livewire88]

wow!! 3 pellets a day!!?? man u betta must be puny! lol ive been feeding him 5-6 pellets a day.  must be dangerous.  i will try to get a pic.  

 
I wouldn't call it puny, I would call it healthy 

 

[Ninjouzata]

I also feed my betta 3 pellets a day..actually I recently increased to 4-5 a day and he seems to be getting a little fat so I'm cutting back down to 3

 

[Wildbetta]

It all depends on the brand of pellet you are feeding.  Some pellets are really tiny and others are a good bit larger.  I personally don't feed my bettas everyday.  I have only once had a problem with bloating and that was when I kept a betta with a african dwarf frog.  I feed about 5 pellets once a day to my "fancy" bettas (*fancy - not wild species).  The brands I feed have tiny pellets so 5 is fine.  If your betta looks like it has a "belly", then it needs less food.  They are piggies and like to beg for more food so don't be fooled into thinking he is starving when you cut his food down a bit.  A picture would definitely be helpful for us to see if it might be something other than bloating or overfeeding.
 

Do you presoak the pellets? I've heard of not presoaking pellets to cause bloating.
 

Most pellets are not going to cause bloating from not soaking.  There are some bettas though that may need them to be soaked.  If a person decides to feed freeze dried foods of any kind, they need to make sure to soak them first because they are a cause of bloating and constipation

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Do you presoak the pellets? I've heard of not presoaking pellets to cause bloating.
 

Most pellets are not going to cause bloating from not soaking.  There are some bettas though that may need them to be soaked.  If a person decides to feed freeze dried foods of any kind, they need to make sure to soak them first because they are a cause of bloating and constipation

 
Really? I'm sure I remember reading several times about Bettas that were bloated because the owners didn't presoak. Like you said, it may have just been the individual Betta.
 
Didn't know that about the freeze dried food, good to know.