Betta's belly starting to swell??

[TheMightyOscen]

I just ordered some prime water conditioner and paid for express delivery, and right now that's literally all I can afford until next week.

 

[Greta1981]

Two of my best friends are UK fishkeepers and they've bought the above products in stores, so hopefully they're available somewhere in your area. Maybe call around, so you don't visit stores needlessly? Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

I ordered the conditioner online and paid extra for express delivery should be here tomorrow or day after

 

[Kirrie]

It sounds like everything will be fine

 

[Greta1981]

Prime's a great start. Just a warning--it smells pretty bad. But that was a wise choice to make in terms of what products to buy first.

 

[Kirrie]

Good idea Greta. No one warned me about the smell when I first switched from Stress Coat to Prime But it's not so bad now that I know what to expect when I open the bottle.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

I don't mind if it stinks to high heavens, as long as it helps the lil guy

 

[Greta1981]

It will help him for sure. LOL, Kirrie. I actually have no sense of smell after breaking my nose as a kid. (Still can taste, for some reason, but no smell.) So I have no idea what it smells like. Just been told repeatedly that it's not pretty.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

Sorry about the bad picture he won't keep still long enough for me to grab a good one - but there's his tummy today...I would say that it's a fraction smaller but what do you think?

 

[Kirrie]

I think he looks better, just keep up with your water changes, and feed him some pea tomorrow to further help with the constipation.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

The water conditioner is going to be here tomorrow, but I was wondering what to actually do with it. How do I use it to help the cycling?

 

[Greta1981]

Prime will help with the cycle in the sense that it will provide some protection for your fish between water changes. It won't actually help the nitrogen cycle establish itself. However, if you use it with every single water change, it will bind toxic ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours, giving you an extra measure of protection for your fish during the cycling process. Hope that helps answer your question.

 

[Kirrie]

Because your tank is not cycled, you will be doing 25-30% water changes every other day. When you replace the water, make sure it is the same temperature, and add the correct amount of Prime (2 drops per gallon). It is the only thing you need to add to your water because it will remove chlorine and heavy metals found in your tap water, while also detoxifying 1ppm of ammonia and nitrites for up to 48 hours. That will he helpful because you are doing water changes every other day, instead of every day.

ETA: Sorry, didn't see your reply Greta!

 

[TheMightyOscen]

Thank you

 

[TheMightyOscen]

Another quick question, does the pea need to be cooked or shall I give it to him raw?

 

[Kirrie]

Make sure you are using frozen peas so there aren't any extra things added that you don't want your betta eating. I usually put a few in a bowl of water and put it in the microwave long enough to boil the water (about a minute). This will soften the pea up. Then you can cool it down with some cold water, and squeeze it out of it's casing/shell. Mash the pea into small pieces and feed a few to your betta. You should only need one pea, and won't need to feed all of it to your betta because their stomachs are only the size of their eyes

 

[TheMightyOscen]

Awesome, thanks again!

 

[Kirrie]

No problem! Let us know when he gets better

 

[TheMightyOscen]

I thought he was on the mend, but I noticed that his belly had swollen back up. Not any bigger than the first time, but kind of the same...I have continued the every other day water change and I'm monitoring his feeding closely. He gets two superfine pellets a day - i give him two because one pellet is about 1/3 of his eye and I've been told several times by several people that their stomach is smaller than his eye. Not too sure what's going on with him. In the hope that he is just constipated, I skipped feeding last night and I will give him some pea tonight. Also, I have been recommended a bottle of biological supplement to boost the beneficial bacteria in the tank...do you reckon this is worth while?

 

[Kirrie]

I have no experience with bottled bacteria, so I couldn't recommend anything there, although I have heard some good things about Tetra Safe Start.

Maybe you should try switching foods. Some foods contain fillers that really have no nutritional value and can lead your betta to bloat. It doesn't sound like you're over feeding him, so that might be the problem. New Life Spectrum betta formula is a great nutritional betta food and they love it because it is made with garlic. You can feed him 3-4 New Life Spectrum pellets a day with 2-3 frozen blood worms or brine shrimp 3 times a week.