Fat Betta.....

[EllieJellyEllie]

Ummm.... My betta is fat. And I know why.
 
Whenever my brother uses the computer he gives him like 8 of the betta pellets. He uses the computer like 3-4 times a day. And when I use the computer Ill just give hhim a blood worm or two.
 
He is also in a 1/2 gallon fish bowl. Im saving up to get him a 5 gallon. I think this has also contributed.
 
How can I slim him down? Will only 3-4 pellets a day help? 1-2? 2-3? Only pellet diet? Only blood worm diet? Please help. Fairly new to bettas.

 

[Sophie]

Stop letting your brother feed him would be a good start
 
Also, get that 5g ASAP, 0.5g is .. just cruel
 
Feeding rules seem to go along the lines of, feed what they can consume within a 5 minute period, and then remove all excess food. I guess it also depends how big the pellets are etc, it should say on the instructions and give some sort of guideline? I normally feed mine bloodworm every other day but.. They're not bettas, I'd feed it as a treat maybe twice a week? It is good for the digestion afterall.
 
Sure he's just fat and not bloated? Behaviour is normal?

 

[Skies]

I feel you already know the answer to this question >_> however:
 

Diet: Bettas are carnivorous. A varied diet is important. A combination of pellets, frozen and live food is best for your betta. A betta's stomach is smaller than its eye. It is important not overfeed your betta, as this can lead to constipation, swim bladder disorder, obesity and fouled water. Most bettas should be fed small amounts two times per day.

Frozen foods can be offered instead of pellets some evenings. Frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, tubifex worms, mysis shrimp, and daphnia are all popular options. Thaw a small amount (a couple worms is plenty, remember how small bettas stomachs are) in dechlorinated or tank water, and drop it into the tank, or offer it with an eyedropper. Bettas will quickly learn to associate the eyedropper with food! Live foods such as wingless fruit flies, pinhead crickets, and blackworms can also be offered to your betta. Live foods should be purchased from the petstore -- wild insects may be carrying disease or contaminated with pesticides.

Flakes and freeze-dried foods, though popular, are not recommended. They are dry, which is unnatural in a carnivore's diet, airy, and can possibly swell with liquid inside the betta's stomach, and can lead to swim bladder disorder and constipation. Freeze-dried bloodworms are often fed as the exclusive diet to bettas in chain pet stores. This diet is nutritionally inadequate and dangerous.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/423364-betta-splendens-caresheet/

I've always read that you should feed them what they can consume in 2min... but with betta pellets a good rule of thumb is no more than 2-3 a day MAX.

 

[Wildbetta]

I would personally do no more than 2 pellets a day.  This is because your betta is in such a small container and not heated.  Therefor with a lower temperature and not much room, his metabolism is going to be slower than it would normally.  This means that he will "pack on the pounds" so to speak and be at a bad risk to become bloated/constipated.  Even in a nice sized tank with heating, you should be once or twice per day max and only a couple of pellets each time depending on the size of the pellet.  A betta's stomach is smaller than the size of its eye which is very small.  You have to watch bettas as they beg worse than some dogs.  
 
I really do recommend you get a bigger tank -- the bare min 2.5 which will allow you to reliably heat it to 78F min.  While you keep him in the tiny container he is in, you need to be doing 100% water changes AT LEAST once a day -- possibly twice a day to keep the ammonia level low enough to not harm him.  

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Behavior is normal, super agressive, flairing at everything, swimming his laps. I cant get the 5 gallon right away but I took his plants out  so he has more room to swim. I have NO money at the moment, saving up for his tank first, and then hopefully the 10 gallon
 
Ok. Ill start feeding him 2 pellets a day and  twice a week he will get 2 blood worms instead of pellets. Or would a bloodworm and a pellet be good for everyday?
 
Oh, an the bloodworms I feed are the ones you refridgerate, I freeze them and then take out 1 or 2 the night before I feed them and put them in the fridge until I feed him in the morning.
 
I have moved his food upstairs so I can control what he eats. And Im sorry I cant get a five gallon right away. If my parents say yes, I will ask a guy on Craigslist if I can have his five gallon for free. Maybe even buy his 10 gallon at a later date!
 
I do promise I will get a five gallon as soon as I can

Also, I will start changing his water twice a day as I have time It takes about 5 minutes so yay!

 

[Sophie]

Behavior is normal, super agressive, flairing at everything, swimming his laps. I cant get the 5 gallon right away but I took his plants out  so he has more room to swim. I have NO money at the moment, saving up for his tank first, and then hopefully the 10 gallon

 
Ok. Ill start feeding him 2 pellets a day and  twice a week he will get 2 blood worms instead of pellets. Or would a bloodworm and a pellet be good for everyday?
 
Oh, an the bloodworms I feed are the ones you refridgerate, I freeze them and then take out 1 or 2 the night before I feed them and put them in the fridge until I feed him in the morning.
 
I have moved his food upstairs so I can control what he eats. And Im sorry I cant get a five gallon right away. If my parents say yes, I will ask a guy on Craigslist if I can have his five gallon for free. Maybe even buy his 10 gallon at a later date!
 
I do promise I will get a five gallon as soon as I can

Also, I will start changing his water twice a day as I have time

It takes about 5 minutes so yay!

 

 

[Wildbetta]

I would fast him for at least 3 days to allow his body to process the overfeeding that he has been dealing with the last little bit.  Don't worry it will not harm him to do this.  My fish get fed every 2-3 days and they are nice and healthy and I never have to deal with bloating or constipation.  I also recommend leaving the bloodworms out until you get a bigger tank as they are higher in fat which he doesn't have the room to "run off".  If you can't get a tank right now, you can see about getting a rubbermaid/steralite container (storage containers with lids) that hold at least 2.5 gallons which are pretty cheap and are better than the tiny bowl you have at the moment.  You can find these at any Walmart.  You also really need to get a heater once you upgrade.  Heaters are required for betta health.  
 
For now though, you need to focus on keeping his water very clean.  So follow the water change schedule I listed above to keep him as healthy as possible.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Ok. I textede a guy from Craigslist if he could hold his 5 gallon and if he was willing to give it away for free. I cleaned out his tank as well. He is just swimming around it.
 
OK! The guy texted back and said no to free It came with a filter and the tank. Oh well. Ill keep looking and texting

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Ok. Its is the 1st day with no food and I feel kind of bad. He saw me and got all excited and still is. But I wont give in. I think it might have been bloat, because he is alot smaller today. Should I continue to fast him?

 

[Wildbetta]

Yes continue to fast him for another 2 days no matter how much he gives you the "puppy dog eyes".  This is especially important since he has been fed so much and in such a small tank.  LOL  It will be good for him so don't stress.    They are hard to resist so stay strong.  

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Ok. He just keeps swimming in the front because when I come to the desk he does that. He is also faliring.... at me.... alot LOL