Bloated Betta, Advice Please!

[katiefairyinnit]

Hi all,

My betta has suddenly developed a bloated belly. It happened shortly after feeding last night but hasn't got any bigger. I don't think its dropsy as the scales are not protruding. He doesn't look unhappy but i don't wanna let it get to a point where he's not doing well. I thought he may be constipated and I have had him 2 weeks now and never once seen him go to the toilet, so maybe constipation is a possibility?

No other fish in my tank have any disease or are experiencing problems. Just the Betta. I have done some research and the general consensus is fast the betta and feed chopped peas to help clear out the system. I also read about Epsom salt baths if he gets dropsy. Is this a good route to go down?


Its worth mentioning that he isn't a typical Betta. He's really placid and a slow mover. He lives with a gourami, 2 endlers, a black mollie, a pleco and 5 platies. He does not bother any of the other fish and in turn, he does not get any grief from them. He keeps himself to himself and is borderline lazy when it comes to feeding. He never fights for food and I have to moniter him at feeding times because if I don't put the food right in front of him, by the time he makes his way to get it, the other fish have cleaned up! This is just his personality and I am sure he isn't unhappy or anything like that.

Also, when I bought him 2 weeks ago, I was advised to feed him Bloodworm, so he had that for the first 5 days because he turned his nose up at flake but when i ran out of worms, I fed him flake. Could the Bloodworm cause his bloating? Somebody said on a message board that it can be quite fatty and low in fibre? He does eat flake but he's lazy about his eating. I am worried that if I try and feed him peas, he will turn his nose up.

The parameters are as follows - NO3 - about 11, NO2 - 0, GH - about 6d, KH - about 5d, PH - about 7, and Ammonia - 0

The tank is a Juwel 120l. Its similar to a Rio but I don't know the exact name of mine as I bought it second hand. The tank is well planted and runs on Juwel filtration and heating.

Also, I can't separate him as I currently have fry in my breeding trap but I am watching him closely.

I've read Betta bloating is common, but I've never had this before. If anyone has experienced this, any advice would be greatly appreciated so I can fix my little guy!

Thanks

 

[MegaZerino]

do you soak the flakes and let them get soggy before you give them to him??

 

[katiefairyinnit]

I haven't soaked the flakes but I've read that i should have done. I shall do this from now on. Is he likely to recover without treatment?

 

[Blubble37]

i dont know if is truely relavent but i spilled my fish food into the tank and my make betta looked likea basketball for several weeks afterwards... and i have never seen such a smug betta!

 

[MegaZerino]

when mine got bloated it died, is it sitting on the bottom and struggling to swim to the top for air?

 

[afremont]

Hi all,

My betta has suddenly developed a bloated belly. It happened shortly after feeding last night but hasn't got any bigger. I don't think its dropsy as the scales are not protruding. He doesn't look unhappy but i don't wanna let it get to a point where he's not doing well. I thought he may be constipated and I have had him 2 weeks now and never once seen him go to the toilet, so maybe constipation is a possibility?

No other fish in my tank have any disease or are experiencing problems. Just the Betta. I have done some research and the general consensus is fast the betta and feed chopped peas to help clear out the system. I also read about Epsom salt baths if he gets dropsy. Is this a good route to go down?


Its worth mentioning that he isn't a typical Betta. He's really placid and a slow mover. He lives with a gourami, 2 endlers, a black mollie, a pleco and 5 platies. He does not bother any of the other fish and in turn, he does not get any grief from them. He keeps himself to himself and is borderline lazy when it comes to feeding. He never fights for food and I have to moniter him at feeding times because if I don't put the food right in front of him, by the time he makes his way to get it, the other fish have cleaned up! This is just his personality and I am sure he isn't unhappy or anything like that.

Also, when I bought him 2 weeks ago, I was advised to feed him Bloodworm, so he had that for the first 5 days because he turned his nose up at flake but when i ran out of worms, I fed him flake. Could the Bloodworm cause his bloating? Somebody said on a message board that it can be quite fatty and low in fibre? He does eat flake but he's lazy about his eating. I am worried that if I try and feed him peas, he will turn his nose up.

The parameters are as follows - NO3 - about 11, NO2 - 0, GH - about 6d, KH - about 5d, PH - about 7, and Ammonia - 0

The tank is a Juwel 120l. Its similar to a Rio but I don't know the exact name of mine as I bought it second hand. The tank is well planted and runs on Juwel filtration and heating.

Also, I can't separate him as I currently have fry in my breeding trap but I am watching him closely.

I've read Betta bloating is common, but I've never had this before. If anyone has experienced this, any advice would be greatly appreciated so I can fix my little guy!

Thanks

Sounds like a really good candidate for constipation, though I'm no fish expert. I'd stop feeding him the flakes and worms for now, he won't starve. Give him the pea and if he refuses to eat it, then give him a bath in epsom salts to make him poop.

From the nutrition labels that I have read, bloodworms contain more protein than flakes and allot less fat. They have allot more fiber though. Given the chance fish will usually gorge themselves on them and bettas only really need a fairly small amount of food. My daughters fish eats like 3 or 4 tiny (<1mm) pellets per day. Seems to be plenty for it.

Here's some nutrition information for comparison
http/theaquariumwiki.com/Bloodworm#Nutrition_analysis
http/www.theaquariumwiki.com/Flake_food#Contents_of_a_typical_flake_food_tub_-_Aquarian_Tropical_flake_food_25g

 

[katiefairyinnit]

Megazerino - He's not sitting on the bottom, he's moving as usual. He doesn't look unhappy but this only happened last night. Sorry to hear about your Betta. How long was he like that for?


afremont - Thanks for the info. He looks like he may be constipated, but he doesn't eat much so its a bit of a mystery! He's really picky with foods but I definitely will soak his flake from now on as I should have been doing. I'll attempt to fast him to see if he gets any better. i have a photo of him which I'll put up later when i can work out how to upload onto a Mac!

Thanks

 

[MegaZerino]

she was like that for about 2 or 3 days, but got really bad on the last day, if he startss finding it hard to swim move him to a smaller container so its easier to get to the surface.

 

[lilfishie]

he defiantly sounds constipated, get some peas in him, the bloodworm should be used as a treat, think of it as chocolate to us Bettas don't need much food, small amounts daily are fine, there stomach is only the size of there eye so keep this in mind when feeding him


also keep a VERY close eye on him and the gourami, 2 weeks isn't enough time for them to have there scraps over territory, I have yet to here of anyone successfully keeping the 2 together long term

 

[katiefairyinnit]

Lilfishie - Thanks for the info, I've heard that they can be a bad combination too. I shall keep my eye on them both. The gourami is quite shy and keeps himself to himself. I'm really lucky with how well my tank are doing. They all seem really happy with each other, apart from the odd chase given by my black mollie to a couple of platies. He's big for a mollie, and a bit of a boisterous anomaly. He's currently being watched as well! i spent a while studying each fish in the shop before i bought them, to try and pick the ones with the best personalities. i kept a fighter a few years back and he was a nightmare, always causing trouble but my current one is so lovely. He isn't territorial and doesn't even flare! I hope they all continue to get along! I always have a Plan B if not though. Have you ever kept them together before?

Cheers for the info on bloodworm too, I was advised to feed him on that as much as posible by the store i bought him from. I'm glad I have now asked a second opinion as it seems thats not a good idea! Do you know if the constipation is likely to go away by itself? How long should i fast him for? Thanks

 

[lilfishie]

you could easily fast him for upto a week, just try offering him pea in between, this may mean you have to net him at feeding times. I've never had the 2 together *males anyway* i tried a Honey Gourami with my females and they had none of it, needless to say the gourami was straight out and into another tank .

I keep all 7 of my males separate with only bottom feeders as tank mates.

Is your huge molly a Sailfin? they get pretty big and bossy

would definitely recommend getting a type of Betta Pellet for his stable diet, Atisons Betta food *blue lid* is the 1 mine get they love it! so much easier to control what they are eating with pellets

 

[katiefairyinnit]

Thanks, I'll look into that Betta food. He's difficult to feed as he's so slow but my other fish are greedy so they all get to the food before him. They even try eating my pleco's pellets! My black mollie is just a regular mollie, but like 3 times as big as a normal one. I got him from a pet shop as a rehomed fish and they told me he was unusually large, but lovely. They deffo lied as he's not lovely, he can be very domineering but only to the same few fish. Just 3 of my platies take the brunt of it, but he leaves everyone else alone. He doesn't fin nip or try to butt them or anything yet, but if he does, he'll be leaving straight away! I've had him for about 3 months now and he's not got any worse yet.

Its almost feeding time for my fish so I'll put Betta into a container while the rest eat then put him back. I hope he's ok. How long should I leave him before considering a salt bath? And am i risking him developing dropsy or any other disease?

And when I offer him some pea, should i put him into a container for that, then return him after?

 

[MegaZerino]

he defiantly sounds constipated, get some peas in him, the bloodworm should be used as a treat, think of it as chocolate to us Bettas don't need much food, small amounts daily are fine, there stomach is only the size of there eye so keep this in mind when feeding him


also keep a VERY close eye on him and the gourami, 2 weeks isn't enough time for them to have there scraps over territory, I have yet to here of anyone successfully keeping the 2 together long term

ive managed to, for nearly 7 months

 

[lilfishie]

Thanks, I'll look into that Betta food. He's difficult to feed as he's so slow but my other fish are greedy so they all get to the food before him. They even try eating my pleco's pellets! My black mollie is just a regular mollie, but like 3 times as big as a normal one. I got him from a pet shop as a rehomed fish and they told me he was unusually large, but lovely. They deffo lied as he's not lovely, he can be very domineering but only to the same few fish. Just 3 of my platies take the brunt of it, but he leaves everyone else alone. He doesn't fin nip or try to butt them or anything yet, but if he does, he'll be leaving straight away! I've had him for about 3 months now and he's not got any worse yet.

Its almost feeding time for my fish so I'll put Betta into a container while the rest eat then put him back. I hope he's ok. How long should I leave him before considering a salt bath? And am i risking him developing dropsy or any other disease?

And when I offer him some pea, should i put him into a container for that, then return him after?

Probably best to separate him yes, i wouldn't use the salt unless his scales start to pinecone as its only good for removing excess liquid

he defiantly sounds constipated, get some peas in him, the bloodworm should be used as a treat, think of it as chocolate to us Bettas don't need much food, small amounts daily are fine, there stomach is only the size of there eye so keep this in mind when feeding him


also keep a VERY close eye on him and the gourami, 2 weeks isn't enough time for them to have there scraps over territory, I have yet to here of anyone successfully keeping the 2 together long term

ive managed to, for nearly 7 months

7 months is hardly long term for a Betta

 

[katiefairyinnit]

Hi guys, I've included a photo of my fighter, to get a better idea whats wrong with him.Thanks!