Bloated Betta

[sharkybubba]

Hey guys,

wondering if you could help me....i posted about this ages ago but unfortunately its still a problem. one of my bettas is massively bloated. i tired fasting him for seven days, i was told to give him a salt bath, also told to add small amount of salt to his water as well but it hasnt seemed to work. i also noticed the other day the my other betta is getting it to. they are in a dual setup so basically share the same water (sort of). the lfs said to me they were surpirsed he is still alive as he has been this way for literally months.... does anyone have any suggestions as to what it is and what i can do? thanks guys! :unsure:

[Mjay~Fish-Freak]

the fish maybe either overweight or constipated in which, try feeding the fish a few peas, are there any plants in the tank? i've been told of there are a few plants for the fish to nibble on( fine leaved ones like ambulia sessiliflora ) this helps prevent bloating from constipation or gas, it could be a tumour or parasites, genetic, for further reading try the link below( goes into further detail about what i just mentioned )

http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/FAQ.htm#swollen

[sharkybubba]

thanks mjay- guess ill proceed with the peas and salt baths...no real effect but i want to feel like im doing something!

[joz]

Bettas sometimes suffer from Dropsy (http://www.fishjunkies.com/Diseases/dropsy.php).........?

[sharkybubba]

hey guys,

i kept researching bloating in bettas which is actually quite common and i found this site:

http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/12/332/

just a query- this person says not to use aqaurium salt but rather epsom salt...when i went to my lfs they gave me aqaurium salt to treat bloating- was wondering if anyone knew which one was right and why???

also joz- your 100% right about the dropsy, i just figured id treat for bloating and hope for the best seeing as there is not muhc you can do about dropsy!

[sharkybubba]

Anyone know what sort of salt you use for bloating?

[joz]

I'd use epson salt,aquarium salt I can't see the benifits unless the fish has external parasites.
Dropsy can also be treated with an anti bacterial if thats what you have.

[sharkybubba]

cool, so epsom salts it is! thanks joz!

[sharkybubba]

just thought i might add that my betta is still super bloated- super betta? i have heard that most bettas that become highly constipated or contract dropsy tend to die pretty quickly... now from my calculations my little guy has been like this for months!!! over 3 months easy! although i am mega impressed that he is still alive (i obviously dont want him to die) but i am a little confuddled as to why this is...i was treating him for everything left right and centre (not all at once) and nothing has worked and i have basically given up. now all i do is lower the water level so that he can easily get to the top to breathe! long story short- why is he still alive? :unsure:

[razberri]

I can't help much here but I can share. I had a female fighter that was the same. She was fat from fairly early on. I got two females at the same time, and the other's nice and skinny (but also has a below-average appetite which is bizarre for a fighter!). I was really worried about my chubby girl for ages. I did a lot of research and I could find only 3 options: constipation, dropsy and egg-laden. I even tried catching hera nd rubbing her bits witha cotton bud to get her to release eggs, but all it did was piss her off. At least you know it's not the third option for you!

She stayed fat, basically. She also eventually got cataracts and lost some colour. She became my fat old lady. Was always a greedy guts! She'd steal food from everyone and she'd constantly be snacking on plants or debris. I came to accept she was just a fat fighter. A couple of months ago she got REALLY fat though. To the point where she wobbled when she swam! I moved the tank to a vego diet - only spirulina flakes (or whatever they're called) and mushy peas. Helped a little - she went back to her old fat self, but stopped wobbling. She died a couple of weeks ago. I think I must have had her about 4 years? She was a round ball for almost all of that time.

If you've tried treating for everything, and keep the water changes, filtration and heater up, and feed him a good variety of foods (flakes, betta balls, veggies, wormies, etc) then maybe you just have a fatty fish?

I hope someone else can help more. I never did find out why my girl was so fat, but at least I know it didn't kill her quickly.

[wasilawanderer88]

No Way. Betta's were imported to Europe in the 1890s. It is extremely popular, a must have fish for every aquarist at some stage.