Betta's belly starting to swell??

[TheMightyOscen]

Could this be the dreaded dropsy? Or just constipation? This particular tank has been up and running without fish in for a month. I tested the water today and it said that the pH was 7.0 and that the nitrite was 0.1mg/l. Concerned whether I should wait to get my betta today or not I went to my local fish store and told them my readings and they assured me a single betta would be fine - so I bought him and took him home.

He has been in the filtered and heated tank for around 9.5 hours now and I noticed the slight swelling just now. I have another well established tank that has been running for around two years but it's cold water with goldfish in...so I'm not sure if I could put him in there in a fry net due to the temperature being between 17-19 degrees. The only other tank I have has been running for about a week and I doubt the water quality would be good enough to put him in there.

Any suggestions? I can't see any scales sticking out and he has been very active since he was put in. I just don't know how my local fish store was feeding him which is why I'm not sure if he's just constipated. My big established tank did come with a heater so I can actually heat it, but again I'm not sure if goldfish would be able to tolerate the temperature close enough to what this guy would need.

Thanks for your time .

 

[Greta1981]

How big is the tank he's in right now? Definitely don't put him with the goldfish. Different temperature needs and very very different temperaments.
May I ask what you're testing your water with? Strips or API kit?

 

[TheMightyOscen]

His tank is 27l and I thought that wouldn't be a wise idea

 

[Greta1981]

7 gallons, heated and filtered. excellent. And what are you testing the water with?

 

[TheMightyOscen]

And it's an interpet kit - it's the only one the store had at that time

 

[Kirrie]

I see you have your nitrite readings (which should not be above 0 in a cycled tank), but you also need your ammonia and nitrate readings.

Greta is right, the goldfish tank would be a bad idea. He is better off in the filtered and heated tank, but it sounds like his tank is not cycled if you are seeing nitrites. Until you can be sure your tank is cycled (by testing your ammonia and nitrates as well), you may want to do a 25% water change every other day just to be sure he is safe from harmful toxins.

You will know it is dropsy if your start to see his scales sticking out and he becomes lethargic. For now, let's just assume he is constipated. You can try feeding him a thawed pea. Squeeze it out of its shell and feed him small pieces of it, keeping in mind that his stomach is only the size of his eye. You should also fast him for a day to see if the bloating goes down.

 

[Greta1981]

I've just asked a person who knows far more about bettas than I do to come and take a look on this thread and offer her ideas. Her name is Kirrie and she's really really great.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

How long does dropsy usually take to cause real damage? I would absolutely hate for this lil guy go through it. Would it be an idea to remove the goldfish from the tank and into an emergency one I have on stand by and then heat the tank with the heater that came with it and then put him in there but in a fry net? I will be off to a different store first thing in the morning to invest in a different testing kit.

 

[Kirrie]

I found this thread before I saw your message haha.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

And thank you Greta! And to Kirrie

 

[Kirrie]

I think he is best where he is. There is no sense in further stressing him out. Just up your water changes until you are sure your tank is cycled. It might also be a good idea to invest in a bottle of Prime. It will detoxify 1ppm of ammonia and nitrites for 24 hours between water changes.

 

[Greta1981]

Great minds, Kirrie. TheMightyOscen, I'm going to step back and let Kirrie advise you o your other questions. She REALLY knows her stuff. If you can, get an API test kit. Best one on the market, bar none.

 

[Kirrie]

Greta, you know you want a betta! You know all of this stuff too.

 

[Greta1981]

I have the empty 5 gallon now that Fergus is gone () Thus far, I'm resisting the siren call. So much work to do with Masters and Boards and transitioning the comets to their new tank and my sick cat ... but soon, maybe. Hopefully.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

His belly seems the same this morning, no bigger but no smaller.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

Turns out my water does have higher nitrites that it should...I feel so stupid that I didn't get a better testing kit sooner. Any way I have done the 25% water change but I tested my tap water and it seems even that has high nitrites...but I'm not sure if it's stuck between the two colours for 50mg/l and 100mg/l.

Should I use bottled water instead?

 

[Kirrie]

There's no way to be sure, test strips really aren't that accurate. A liquid test kit would be much more reliable, but assuming there are high nitrites in your tank, you really need to be doing a water change every other day at the least because your tank is not cycled. A bottle of Prime will help, as well as a liquid test kit.

Don't feed him today. Fast him for 24 hours and see if the bloating goes down, then feed him some pea.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

I did the 25% water change and I will do another the dat after tomorrow - not feeding for 24 hours noted. What's a bottle of prime? Also I have one liquid nitrite and a broad range test left and spent the money I had spare on this current test kit. I get paid next Tuesday so that's the earliest I can get one.

 

[Greta1981]

No need for bottled water. Prime is a water conditioner that helps bind toxic chemicals like ammonia and nitrite for up to 48 hours. I highly recommend you get some, as it appears your tank is uncycled and this will help get your fish through the cycle safely. A large bottle is about $10 and lasts a long time as you only need two use drops per gallon.

Until you can get yourself an API test kit--$30 offline, $16 at Amazon, but the most reliable water testing kit on the market--I recommend you do a 30% water change every other day to keep the levels of toxins down. If you see your fish gasping at the surface or bottom-sitting, that's an indication to change the water again, even if you've done it already. Make sure you use a water conditioner and match the temperature of the water as closely as possible. Whether or not the bloated belly is related to water toxicity, Prime, water changes and an API test kit will still be very helpful due to the fish-in cycling.

 

[TheMightyOscen]

I live in the UK so I will probably have to order offline - I did look for API this morning but they didn't have it. He is still looking a very happy chappy, swimming around everywhere and not sitting on the ground or staying at the top. The belly bloating hasn't gotten worse either, if any thing it looks like it has deflated a little . Thanks again for all your help.