Betta with swollen belly

[Havindier]

Someone is giving this betta away, I might take it but first I need to know what is wrong with it and how can I help it. I have never owned a betta fish before. Can anyone recognize what type of disease it has? I'm guessing dropsy.

 

[Colin_T]

I can't tell anything from pictures due to a dodgy monitor. Others will have to deal with this.

What does the fish's poop look like?
Is the fish eating well?
Are the scales sticking out from the body?

 

[Havindier]

I just received it.
The color of the poop is white. and it's a bit long.
He has eaten five small pellets three times a day, but as far as I know, the quality of the food isn't good.
The scales aren't sticking out.

 

[Colin_T]

Is the fish being fed 3 times a day?
Does the fish eat 5 pellets each time you feed it?
If yes, it might be fat.

The stringy white poop is either worms, or an internal protozoan or bacterial infection. However, if the fish is eating well (and 15 pellets a day is well), that removes an internal infection.

You could try deworming the fish and maybe reduce the feeding to once a day for a few weeks. See if it loses weight with less food.

 

[Havindier]

Is the fish being fed 3 times a day?
Does the fish eat 5 pellets each time you feed it?
If yes, it might be fat.

The stringy white poop is either worms, or an internal protozoan or bacterial infection. However, if the fish is eating well (and 15 pellets a day is well), that removes an internal infection.

You could try deworming the fish and maybe reduce the feeding to once a day for a few weeks. See if it loses weight with less food.

Thanks a lot. I have high quality flakes for tropical fish, but I heard flakes aren't good for bettas since they become larger when swollen. Should I switch to pellets?

 

[Colin_T]

Thanks a lot. I have high quality flakes for tropical fish, but I heard flakes aren't good for bettas since they become larger when swollen. Should I switch to pellets?

Any dry food can swell up when wet. This applies to flake, pellet or freeze dried foods.

Try to feed fish a varied diet consisting of dry, frozen and live foods.

 

[Havindier]

You could try deworming the fish

I have ordered this product. It is going to be delivered to me in a few hours. I am in doubt whether it is the right choice for worms. A little help please.

 

[Havindier]

I have not seen any white and stringy poop other than the first day I received it. Here are some new pictures. Has the swelling lessened?

 

[Valkyrie_Lips]

That fish is definitely not just 'fat'. It looks like it has severe bloating/constipation or possibly a tumor. I would suggest fasting the fish for a few days then feeding it daphnia to help with constipation.

 

[Colin_T]

fish can't get constipated, that is a land animal thing caused by lack of fibre and moisture.

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I have never heard of Tremazol but Google says it treats tapeworm so presumably it has Praziquantel in. It won't do anything to treat thread/ round worms, which are the more common worms in fish.

I can't offer any more help with Tremazol because I don't read German (I'm assuming that's the language the info was written in).

 

[Havindier]

I have never heard of Tremazol but Google says it treats tapeworm so presumably it has Praziquantel in. It won't do anything to treat thread/ round worms, which are the more common worms in fish.

I can't offer any more help with Tremazol because I don't read German (I'm assuming that's the language the info was written in).

They share the same name. but it isn't sera tremazol.
Are worms considered endoparasites? Or protozoan parasites? I am so confused.

 

[Colin_T]

Protozoa are single celled microscopic organisms that can affect the digestive tract of fish or are more commonly seen on the outside of fish. White spot is a protozoan parasite.

 

[Havindier]

if the fish is eating well (and 15 pellets a day is well), that removes an internal infection.

I'll stick to that and forget about medications.

 

[Alice B]

I would reduce feeding to once a day and maybe put a pinch of epsom salt in the water. And I do mean pinch, like 1/8th of a teaspoon