Betta Bloating?

[Saltypuppy]

Averytime I feed my new betta fish. He gets bloated! I'm not sure why. I am feeding Omega One Betta Buffet Pelets. I changed off of Hikari Betta Bio - gold because the ingredients don't seem any better then any other cheapo food. So I bought these.

Well I don't understand his bloating problem. I feed how two pellets twice a day. This is also what I feed my other fish and they are fine. He will get bloated and then I fast him for a day or two and then he is fine again.

So I have no idea what is going on. The first week or so that I had him he seemed pretty un happy. He has been with me for a week now and he is much better! He is all prickly and he swims around and even has made a nest. So I would believe all is well...

So does anyone have any ideas? Is he sick? Do I need different food?

Also is .25 PPM ammonia a huge problem? My water is ALWAYS .25 PPM, right from the tap... is there anything I can do about that? Do I have to do anything?

Tank Info :

Q -tank - 1 Gallon
Water Changes - Full Every day - Everyother Day
Heated : 80 *
Fed : 4 Pellets a day

This is The day after I bought him...

* EDIT - So maybe bloated isn't the word. Those fish that are 'bloated' look like they could pop! My fish just looks kinda chubby I guess. Chubbier then my other fish though...

 

[tarpon]

Try feeding 2 pellets once a day.
And also if you had a tank big enough for a filter then the .25 ppm would be able to get broken down. But since im guessing you dont have a filter on the 1 gallon than yes, a constant level of .25 is bad

 

[Saltypuppy]

Try feeding 2 pellets once a day.
And also if you had a tank big enough for a filter then the .25 ppm would be able to get broken down. But since im guessing you dont have a filter on the 1 gallon than yes, a constant level of .25 is bad

He is in a 1 gallon Q- tank. He will be going into a divided ten gallon when I am sure he is disease free. I will try giving him just two pellets. I have .25 PPM in my 10 gallon tank.

Ten Gallon Parameters :
pH : 7.4
Nitrite: 0 PPM
Nitrate :0 PPM - .5 PPM (Closer to 0)
Ammonia : .25 PPM all the time!

 

[tarpon]

Ahhh good.

Your ten gallon isnt cycled then. Unless youre getting a false reading

 

[Saltypuppy]

Ahhh good.

Your ten gallon isnt cycled then. Unless youre getting a false reading

It has been up and running with a filter for MONTHS! So... how is it not cycled? Am I doing something wrong? Like I said my tap water comes out .25 ppm.

 

[Saltypuppy]

* (This is from someone else on here... is this true?) ( I do have an API Master Kit...) First, what are you testing with?? If it's the API test kit, then you may actually have 0 ammonia. The test doesn't come out as brilliant a yellow as you see on your color chart. The main thing you are really looking for is a "lack of green", but it can still appear closer to the 0.25 than the 0. The best thing to do is a side-by-side test with your tank water and either RODI or distilled water as a control sample..... something you KNOW has no ammonia in it. If the colors are the same, then you're good.

 

[jlk]

Im just curious if he had bloating issues when you were feeding the hikari? If not, i switch back to it (or nls) & ditch the cheap food. Poor quality food is enough to cause bloating & swimbladder issues in any fish.

 

[Saltypuppy]

Im just curious if he had bloating issues when you were feeding the hikari? If not, i switch back to it (or nls) & ditch the cheap food. Poor quality food is enough to cause bloating & swimbladder issues in any fish.

I don't know if it is poor quality food. Seems better quality then Hikari gold. Those pellets have the same ingredients as cheap food now. Also I have never fed him Hikari as he is new. My other fish used to eat Hikari and I changed foods, and none of my other fish are bloated.

 

[librarygirl]

I'd do as Saltpuppy states and test against some spring water. When I first started I had a hard time discerning between 0 and .25 on test kit and for a while I thought I had .25 ammonia when I really had 0. Test it against spring water which has 0 ammonia and compare the tubes and see if they match; if they do, your tank is 0. If not, then you do have .25. It's expected that the betta bowl would have the ammonia in your tap since it doesn't have a filter but your tank should be cycled and showing 0 ammonia by now if it's been running for months unless it's severely overstocked.

 

[Redd]

@Saltpuppy, thanks for clarifying the API test kit descrepency because my test tube results are never the light yellow that's on the color chart, but doesn't have green in it, so I feel more at ease now.

 

[tarpon]

Thats what i meant by false reading

 

[Saltypuppy]

I'd do as Saltpuppy states and test against some spring water. When I first started I had a hard time discerning between 0 and .25 on test kit and for a while I thought I had .25 ammonia when I really had 0. Test it against spring water which has 0 ammonia and compare the tubes and see if they match; if they do, your tank is 0. If not, then you do have .25. It's expected that the betta bowl would have the ammonia in your tap since it doesn't have a filter but your tank should be cycled and showing 0 ammonia by now if it's been running for months unless it's severely overstocked.

Nope just two bettas in a tank. I will test some spring water when I get home. I find it odd that I have .25 ppm. I saw that problem with the API master kit and thought it was interesting. So I have a new test to do.

 

[Saltypuppy]

@Saltpuppy, thanks for clarifying the API test kit descrepency because my test tube results are never the light yellow that's on the color chart, but doesn't have green in it, so I feel more at ease now.

Yup. I thought it was my tap water. But it may be my test kit. Soooo I am going to test spring water. Maybe you should too!

 

[Saltypuppy]

Thats what i meant by false reading

Ohh! Well at least I found the clarifications.

 

[Saltypuppy]

I fasted my betta fish yesterday. His bloated belly is gone again. So starting today I am going to be feeding him two pellets a day and we will see if he gets bloated. Is two pellets enough to feed him in day?

 

[tarpon]

It is possible to have .25ppm in your tap tho. Mine has that in it.
And yes that should be enough