Betta - Too Fat Or Constipated/bloated?

[cowgirluntamed]

Do you wish me to link you articles on how a bit of roughage in their diet can be beneficial? Bettas are actually omnivores to an extent, while in the wild they mainly eat of insects and insect larvae, they also can and will eat plant life, its simply not a preference for most bettas.

Honestly I wouldn't mind some links if you have them! I was googling it a bit after your post and I really couldn't find much but maybe one or two things but it didn't really describe anything. Diet is very very important as I know for my two male cats. (Most foods have way too much plant material which cats can NOT digest because their system just can't do it, they don't have the enzymes to. My 2 males started having issues. Both had blood in urine. Through my own research I learned it was cystitis and not an infection. My oldest male, now 15 was losing so much weight I didn't think he'd last too much longer. 2 years later and still annoying me like always. Lol. So their new diet of almost raw chicken-cooked slightly before getting ground - and chicken liver with some added vitamins to round it out has done wonders!)

So...i know diet is extremely important. Since my betta I had recently passed, I was thinking of maybe getting a giant betta eventually. And I know for them diet is crucial to get them to be giant. Lol.

Anyway, not saying either of you are right or wrong. As of now it seems though that wild Bettas prefer to be insectivores and whatever else is moving they could eat. Maybe they are also a bit like cats and dogs when they eat grass. Maybe just on a minimal basis. I honestly have no idea so again, any reading material you may have, please share!

 

[NickAu]

 
I apologize if I hurt your ego/feelings Nick,

My feelings are not hurt.
 

 
Do you wish me to link you articles on how a bit of roughage in their diet can be beneficial?

Yes please, I guess everybody that feeds their fish nothing but live or frozen food is doing it wrong.

 

[FroFro]

 

Do you wish me to link you articles on how a bit of roughage in their diet can be beneficial? Bettas are actually omnivores to an extent, while in the wild they mainly eat of insects and insect larvae, they also can and will eat plant life, its simply not a preference for most bettas.

Honestly I wouldn't mind some links if you have them! I was googling it a bit after your post and I really couldn't find much but maybe one or two things but it didn't really describe anything. Diet is very very important as I know for my two male cats. (Most foods have way too much plant material which cats can NOT digest because their system just can't do it, they don't have the enzymes to. My 2 males started having issues. Both had blood in urine. Through my own research I learned it was cystitis and not an infection. My oldest male, now 15 was losing so much weight I didn't think he'd last too much longer. 2 years later and still annoying me like always. Lol. So their new diet of almost raw chicken-cooked slightly before getting ground - and chicken liver with some added vitamins to round it out has done wonders!)

So...i know diet is extremely important. Since my betta I had recently passed, I was thinking of maybe getting a giant betta eventually. And I know for them diet is crucial to get them to be giant. Lol.

Anyway, not saying either of you are right or wrong. As of now it seems though that wild Bettas prefer to be insectivores and whatever else is moving they could eat. Maybe they are also a bit like cats and dogs when they eat grass. Maybe just on a minimal basis. I honestly have no idea so again, any reading material you may have, please share!
 

I'd be happy to link some things for you. Also, I appreciate that you are polite when you quote me

 
Now please keep in mind, Nick is right that Betta are primarily carnivorous and they lack the ability to digest plant matter in large quantities, that is why feeding them small bits of deshelled peas serve as a great natural laxative for a high protein diet. My betta is a bit older and used to get constipated easily. If you do get a new betta I only suggest giving them a bit of greens if they have digestive issues/are easily constipated. As I said, my betta only nibbles at them but they really do help as I haven't had a single issue since I started doing this.
 
Here is this article that talks about the benefit of using roughage as a natural treatment. While I know it isn't 100% going to work for all fish, I hate using chemical remedies because of the stress it causes and most times I've had little success with them.
 
http/allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2012/01/23/natural-prevention-treatment-constipation_bloat-freshwater-fish/
 
Another article from the same website, although on natural prevention of parasites if you find it helpful. I haven't had parasite issues with my betta yet, thank god, but I think that's due to the fact he lives in a tank by himself.
 
http/allnaturalpetcare.com/blog/2012/01/31/natural-prevention-and-treatment-of-aquarium-fish-parasites/
 
I've also read various posts and threads from other fish websites but for some reason I can't post some of them onto this website. There are a few that I googled myself when he first got constipated (as I thought it was dropsy at the time) by basically googling "constipated fish" and "bloated betta help" 
 
 
This page is informational but has a stupid Ad for fish products that floats at the bottom of the screen so its kind of annoying.
 
http/www.fishchannel.com/fish-health/disease-prevention/fish-constipation-food.aspx
 
And giant betta? Like, how giant are we talking here? I might need to look into that it sounds pretty cool. And I'm sorry you lost your betta

 
I've actually grown attached to my little betta, his name is Susan. The fish in my main tank are neat and all, but only my betta really interacts with me and not just at feeding time 

 

 
I apologize if I hurt your ego/feelings Nick,

My feelings are not hurt.
 

 
Do you wish me to link you articles on how a bit of roughage in their diet can be beneficial?

Yes please, I guess everybody that feeds their fish nothing but live or frozen food is doing it wrong.
 


Nick... I did not claim that everyone was doing it wrong. I did not claim that everyone, but myself, do not know how to care for bettas and fish in general. You are taking slices of my posts and twisting them to make a snarky remark and making it seem as if I am being rude, even though I apologized to you and explained that my intent was not to be rude, simply helpful. Allow me to also point out that little word I used, IF. Meaning IF I offended you I apologized. Since you are not offended I see no reason why you need to continue to be rude. Please stop quoting me if you can't carry a polite conversation and at least offer me information instead of sarcasm.

 

[cowgirluntamed]

I believe giant Bettas can be around twice the size of a normal betta. Lyra guppy said normal ones are 2.5 inches and she's seen the big ones be 3 inches or more. There are also some called king as well. But I've found that the names can sometimes be intertwined. Here is a video on the size different.

https/youtu.be/f5p6_DqSbjI


I will definitely check out the links. Thanks for those! I was really attached to my guy. Got him in December when he was 6 months old. I think I introduced parasites from some new plants I put in but didn't treat. And I didn't fully realize it until too late. I mostly had Hydra and then planaria. But I'm wondering if something else was going on as well. He ended up with dropsy and just didn't pull through. And again, thanks for the links!

Oh and here is a link to a seller that has some giants. You have to scroll down for those a bit. Clicking on them will bring up a bit more info and size on the parents.

http/www.prismbettas.com

 

[FroFro]

I believe giant Bettas can be around twice the size of a normal betta. Lyra guppy said normal ones are 2.5 inches and she's seen the big ones be 3 inches or more. There are also some called king as well. But I've found that the names can sometimes be intertwined. Here is a video on the size different.

 

That giant betta is absolutely gorgeous, I didn't know they could have reflective stripes in their fins. This makes me want to get another betta tank.... but I think I might need bigger than a five galleon for one of those fellas o_o!
 
Thanks for the link, I'll be sure to check it out! I've lost two bettas a few years ago to dropsy and no medicines I bought worked. That's what put me off of chemical treatments and having any beta until a few months ago until I finally decided to get one. My Susan was the one that caught my attention. I was looking for a cave like ornament for my pleco in my main tank when I passed by the betta shelf. I always look at them but he caught my eye. He was the only white one with shimmering see-through fins. He looked me smack in the eye and instantly flared when I got closer so I ended up getting an entire tank set and betta instead of a small ornament 

 
I really wish they didn't keep them in those tiny bowls where they can also see the other betta fish. They get stressed easily and it's just not good for them. The petco I got Susan from though has a very good employee who makes certain that the betta at least have clean water in their cups, not like Petsmart where I see them lounging in what looks to be days of poop and uneaten food 

as they give bad advice to new fish keepers.
 
One of the teenagers told a female shopper that a regular pleco can live in a bowl and won't outgrow it
 
I have a picture of Susan if you'd like to see c:

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Yeah, the more I think about it I do believe I'm going to wait for one of my ten gallons to be available. One is a quarantine right now for a couple of baby super red calico bristlenoses. The other has a male guppy I'm letting live his life out. I want to try to grow some more plants in the 5 gallon though until then and see what works with my water and such.

This was my pretty boy, Aidan(little fire). The first pic is from the seller and then the next is not too long before he passed. His red got a bit darker and more of it. And here his fins weren't what they should be. He was feisty and ate up until he got dropsy. He was a trooper.





I would love to see Susan. And I agree on the little cups. And the staffing. Some people just think they know stuff. I lost some tetras introducing new ones from petsmart. Oh well. Such is life. I'm ordering online next time. Lol. It's actually cheaper!

 

[FroFro]

 

A very pretty betta, your Aidin didn't mind a snail in the tank?
 
I don't have as clear a picture as you do unfortunately, but here he is!
 

 
I've been trying to catch him when he flares at his reflection but he seems to know just when to move away

 
I also noticed some of those giant bettas are not as expensive as I thought they'd be o_o! 
 
38 dollars for a specially bred betta ship WITH shipping isn't bad at all. I had to pay 42 dollars to mail my BN pleco overnight and his box only weighed six pounds

 

[cowgirluntamed]

Pretty boy! Lol. Aidan was a hoot. Loved to flare at almost anything. Never minded the nerite snails in the tank at all.

The shipping from there isn't bad at all. My bristlenose babies I got recently were $15 shipping sent priority. Aidan came priority as well and got delayed! I was worried to death but he came out fine at least. I'll miss him.