Betta floats . . . ?

[JessieVB]

I have a male VT betta (only inhabitant of the tank and have had him since Sept. '07), who seems to be floating to the top of the tank against his will. He could be doing this on purpose, but he almost seems to roll a bit onto his side which makes me think he isn't doing this on purpose. He also is hiding in his "cave" (I think he's trying to not float; he's been doing this more as of today). I only noticed him start to do this today.

My test kit is in the mail--I know shame on me, I should already have one. . . but budget finally allowed me to get one. Will post parameters ASAP.

The tank is a 5 gallon that has been up for about 2-3 weeks. I used gravel, plant, airstone, etc. from his 1 gallon to seed the beneficial bacteria. Anything that was in the 1 gallon went into the 5 gallon. Tank has new substrate and a new ornament, both were thoroughly rinsed before they went into the tank.

Using the biowheel that came with the tank.

I did a PWC last Saturday, used dechlorinator and let temp. adjust to the same as the tank.

I feed him betta pellets and introduced freeze-dried bloodworms to his diet about 2 weeks ago. He eats fine and loves the bloodworms.

 

[phishphreek]

Swim Bladder problem - feeding dry food without pre-soaking it to let it swell can cause blockage in the intestines and prevend the beta from making changes to his swim bladder. Once it hapens, it is likely to reoccur. Recomended treatment is a mushed pea or chopped green bean to help clear the digestive track.

 

[Zagz]

I agree, swim bladder issue. Soaking his pellets will help. For now to eliviate symptoms, add some epsom salt to his water to help with any bloating he may have. Frozen peas blanched and mushed will help as well.

 

[JessieVB]

Sorry, meant to update earlier than this.

As of this morning he wasn't doing the float thing anymore; however I will keep a close eye on him and pre-soak his food prior to feeding.

Should I still do the pea treatment? If so I will get one ready when I get home from work tonight.

 

[An t-iasg]

Sure; it won't hurt. I feed small pieces of pea (about the size of their pellets) to my bettas once a week as a bloat preventative.

 

[sameerjoshi99]

i would like to know if the peas need to be boiled and if we can add salt to the peas?

 

[phishphreek]

eat more peas

Yes, salt is small amounts is OK for your fish.
The Skeptical Aquarist

I use caned peas, they are already cooked & salted, but if you have fresh (raw) peas, you will need to cook and mash them so that they are bite sizs and soft.

In general your betta need a high proteen diet (bettas bite bugs) and love live food like daphnia, brine shrimp, small worms, fruit flies & small snails. High proteen bits are a good food but try to give them some variety a few times each week

 

[Sahabo]

About soaking betta pellets...should this be done in all cases? I feed my betta Hikari bio pellets he loves them, eats them right up. I never thought to soak them first. Should I start doing that to prevent digestive issues?

 

[phishphreek]

Yes, it doesn't take a minute or two and after they swell up you can see how much room it will take in his stomach. Also there are some liquid meds that work beter if you can get him to take them internally..... so get him used to eating the softer swolen penets.