Bloated Or Dropsy?

[iBetta]

He has a bloated belly, so I fed him some deshelled pea - that was yesterday.
Today, there is still no real change, if anything, his belly has gotten a fair bit bigger. I haven't fed him since the peas.
The day before I noticed this, he was fed a small amount of freeze dried bloodworm and his usual pellets.
I did some research and found out it might be a tumor if his belly is swollen on one side, which it isn't, its swollen on both. So he is either bloated or has dropsy. I had a close look at his scales, and they don't appear to have the 'pine cone' look to them, which makes me unsure about the dropsy.
He is still his normal self, flaring at his tank mate through the divider, swimming normally and exploring his tank.

I took a few photos and put them all together:


The tank wasn't dirty, but I did a water change today, so his tank is still nice and clean.
The water temp is currently at 26*C.
All the water parameters are at safe levels also.
He is in a 16L tank.

 

[Aquamaniac]

Not sure but that fish looks just like a swordtail i had when he got dropsy.
And i might be wrong but in some picures the scales do look to have the dropsy effect.
From my knowledge most of the times dropsy is lethal,by the time the fish gets swollen like that he already has enough internal damage that makes it impossible to be saved.
Keep checking for new sympthoms as new sympthoms may help diagnose the real problem.

here some help with dropsy

 

[Aquamaniac]

I was doing some reasearch on another disease and found this about dropsy:

Dropsy (Aeromonas, Pseudomonas)
S: Fish infected with Dropsy are characterized by protruding scales, bulging eyes, pale gills, the body cavity is filled with fluid, and there may be red patches on the skin.
A: An infectious disease that spreads most readily among weakened fish. Infected fish should be removed and destroyed, or treated with antibiotics. Treatment is not usually successful.

this is the website

Hope it helps

 

[iBetta]

I just had a closer look at him now, on his belly there are some raised scales...
I'm not sure if this is because his belly is bloated or it is actually dropsy.

 

[Fishy friend2]

Can you get a picture of him from above maybe we will have a better idea from that so we can see if the scales are raised, but IMO it just looks like he is bloated fast him for 2 or 3 days and then see how it turns out

 

[lilfishie]

Freeze dried bloodworm needs to be soaked before feeding as it expands when in water, if he's eaten it before it has expanded it will bloat him

do you have any Eposm salt at all? might be worth giving him a 5-10 min bath see if that helps.

definately fast him for a few days, have you seen him poo at all?

 

[betaphish]

what is the dropsy effect?
do you mean like dropsy symptoms or something

 

[iBetta]

I'm unable to get a more photos at this time, but I will try later.

I did actually soak the bloodworms before feeding them to him, and my other betta had the exact same food/amount as this guy and he seems fine...
No, I haven't got any eposm salt, but do you think it would be a good idea to get some?

There has been no poo from this guy yet, even after eating the peas...
How long does it usually take after feeding him the peas for him to poo?

Thank for all you replies

what is the dropsy effect?
do you mean like dropsy symptoms or something

Yes, the dropsy effect = the symptoms

 

[Louiseness]

Just gonna chime in and mention that my betta developed a swollen belly quite suddenly, and it got HUGE, much bigger than this. Water stats were fine, no pinecone scales, tried peas incase it was constipation, etc. Apart from being gigantic he was flying about the tank, eating normally, so I figured it was some kind of tumour. I missed a few feeds for probably about a week on and off because I've been busy/away a lot and yesterday I noticed he had just....deflated. Maybe skipping a few feeds altogether will help his swelling reduce?

 

[Dieses Madchen]

My betta got really bloated and was unable to sink. Turns out he had swim bladder. I fasted him for 3 days, and then tried peas(which he wouldnt eat) then i used the little green balls on brocoli tips, and he has deplated some, but I get the feeling in the next few days there is going to be a betta sized poop at the bottom of his tank lol

 

[marieukxx]

I just had two with dropsy. Look at him from above. If he's pineconed then it's dropsy. With mine the whole body was bigger not just the belly.

 

[betaphish]

I don't know, maybe I'm going paranoid but (to me) my fish looks sick ever since I looked at this thread.
I noticed this very slight red patch and she might be bloated. I might be thinking this only because there were pictures of the betta on here and the only bloated fish pictures I've seen are really bloated.

 

[loraxchick]

I just had two with dropsy. Look at him from above. If he's pineconed then it's dropsy. With mine the whole body was bigger not just the belly.

yes yes yes! Bloating/constipation can cause pineconing in the immediate area. Dropsy is all over down the entire length of the fish.
honestly looks like he ate tooooo much. Im guessing constipation, particularly since you mention hes still mostly normal-aside from the big belly.
Epsom salt would help in either case (all betta owners should have epsom as far as im concerned. Bettas are particularly prone to constipation from overeating and not having a varied enough diet. Epsom salt is cheap and handy when you need it) You can find epsom in any pharmacy or store where they sell over the counter medicine for people. It is magnesium sulfate. mix 1 tablespoon per gal if using as a bath. Leave the fish up to 30 mins up to 2X a day. Epsom helps draw fluid out of the tissue so will help with either bloating/constipation, popeye or dropsy (although as mentioned dropsy is usually fatal). Do not feed him for at least 3 or 4 days. even if you see him poo. Let the system clear out. Then give some more pea and fast another day. Ive seen much worse bloating and the fish recover. You might notice loss of equilibrium due to swimbladder issues from the bloating (swimbladder cannot regulate until swelling goes down)
some bettas are more prone to constipation than others. Prob why the other fish isnt affected. Just be careful with the feeding with this bloated guy. Maybe feed every other day instead of every day once hes recovered. Dont feel like you are starving the fish. Bettas are greedy and will eat until they look like they will burst. So cut back with this one. Seems like once they get constipated they are more prone in the future..
best of luck with him! Im hopeful he pulls thru!!
cheers

 

[Dieses Madchen]

I just had two with dropsy. Look at him from above. If he's pineconed then it's dropsy. With mine the whole body was bigger not just the belly.

yes yes yes! Bloating/constipation can cause pineconing in the immediate area. Dropsy is all over down the entire length of the fish.
honestly looks like he ate tooooo much. Im guessing constipation, particularly since you mention hes still mostly normal-aside from the big belly.
Epsom salt would help in either case (all betta owners should have epsom as far as im concerned. Bettas are particularly prone to constipation from overeating and not having a varied enough diet. Epsom salt is cheap and handy when you need it) You can find epsom in any pharmacy or store where they sell over the counter medicine for people. It is magnesium sulfate. mix 1 tablespoon per gal if using as a bath. Leave the fish up to 30 mins up to 2X a day. Epsom helps draw fluid out of the tissue so will help with either bloating/constipation, popeye or dropsy (although as mentioned dropsy is usually fatal). Do not feed him for at least 3 or 4 days. even if you see him poo. Let the system clear out. Then give some more pea and fast another day. Ive seen much worse bloating and the fish recover. You might notice loss of equilibrium due to swimbladder issues from the bloating (swimbladder cannot regulate until swelling goes down)
some bettas are more prone to constipation than others. Prob why the other fish isnt affected. Just be careful with the feeding with this bloated guy. Maybe feed every other day instead of every day once hes recovered. Dont feel like you are starving the fish. Bettas are greedy and will eat until they look like they will burst. So cut back with this one. Seems like once they get constipated they are more prone in the future..
best of luck with him! Im hopeful he pulls thru!!
cheers

My poor betta just got over a bout of constipation. From the pressure on his swim bladder, it caused him to float and swim on his side. Poor fishy bobbed on top of the water like a cork. I was going to give him a salt bath today, but when I got home from work he was lying on his bed at the bottom of his tank. I fed him another small piece of peas, as I am afraid to feed him his normal food just yet. lol I felt so bad for him.

 

[caaraa]

Freeze dried bloodworm needs to be soaked before feeding as it expands when in water, if he's eaten it before it has expanded it will bloat him