Bloated betta
- Thread starter lucky123
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Hello,
What sized tank is he in?
How often do you do water changes and how much?
Do you have a filter?
What are you feeding him?
Can you see what his poop look like?
My first thought is do a water change.
What sized tank is he in?
How often do you do water changes and how much?
Do you have a filter?
What are you feeding him?
Can you see what his poop look like?
My first thought is do a water change.
Thanks for replying! He’s in a 2.5 gallon tank. I do 25% water changes once a week. I do not have a filter. I haven’t been feeding him for the last couple days but normally he had 6 Hikari or Omega one pellets and as a treat sometimes freeze dried bloodworms. I haven’t seen him poop in a while actually. I’ll do a 50% today! Thanks for the help!
Also make sure to soak the freeze dried worms for a couple minutes, even in a corner of the tank, or in a net for a minute or 2, as they could cause a bit of blockage if a bunch are dry and get gulped up fast.
If you have a lfs with live Brine shrimp, they are helpful to ease constipation for the fish. Frozen would be good too if not available. Also you can buy a pack and grow your own fairy shrimp/sea monkeys, lol. A little bit of the eggs goes a very long way, and easier to buy them.
If that doesn't help him - adding pure Epsom salts - no fragrances or oils added, just the kind from the grocery pharmacy department.
If you have a lfs with live Brine shrimp, they are helpful to ease constipation for the fish. Frozen would be good too if not available. Also you can buy a pack and grow your own fairy shrimp/sea monkeys, lol. A little bit of the eggs goes a very long way, and easier to buy them.
If that doesn't help him - adding pure Epsom salts - no fragrances or oils added, just the kind from the grocery pharmacy department.
For illness 1 tablespoon per gallon of tank water treated 7-14 days
if all seems well, then another week but with 1 teaspoon per gallon of tank water, then if the fish looks great just keep doing pwc and the ES will be removed over time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We will make a concentrate of Epsom Salts (magnesium) 2 cups is usually fine to start out.
Take a cup of hot water and dissolve the ES into the water stirring when the ES is pretty much all melted in, then take either ice cubes or cold/cool water to get to tank temp, you can wait if it is still too hot or add a couple more ice cubes for 2 cups. The amount of water is not critical.
Add dechlorinator!!!
This should be done during your pwc or right after to have best quality water parameters.
Side note - Your water changes should have already been done to have the tank water in ideal water parameters with no unsafe levels!
Remove the same amount of water from the tank as you have prepared. (~2cups)
Then add 1/4 of the water ES mix to the tank,
Wait a little while ~4-8 hours add another 1/4 of the water
repeat and the whole amount should be added in the 24 hours.
If the fish looks like it is on death's doorstep, the adding of the ES water can be sped up and I have never had any issues in doing this. (Even the entire amount in an hour with a near dead fish - emergency.)
The idea in adding it over a day is that the changing tank water will be more slow and should be most gentle way to keep less stress for the fish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each day do a near to 100% pwc if the tank is smaller. My thoughts are a hospital tank / container is ideal if you have one fish or just a couple with an issue.
ES is good for plants and I haven't ever had any issues using it. Doesn't seem to cause any issues in shrimp or in snails in a FW tank.
Medications should be used if necessary, (I am not a fish doctor
)
Good clean water with near daily 100% water changes also helps get the fish back on track.
This is a therapeutic additive which can help many fish regain strength and in addition with the water changes allows them to get back to regular daily activity.
Again if at any time you feel you need to use medication that is a decision for you to make.
Usually about the 3rd day you will note a much better condition of your fish or if not any change for the better, using medication should be considered and in the mean time figure out which stores have what you kind you need and how fast you can. obtain it.
This process has helped many fish over the years for me and I have had many people tell me their fish responded well and got better.
Over the years, I have had to use medication in some of my fish, but clean water is #1 and for several other issues this has helped.
It is helpful (from my experiences with fish keeping) for assisting in constipation, minor bloaty issues, and also for scrapes from decor or wounds from fighting. Osmotic regulation.
You can read about lots of studies of what things magnesium is helpful and good for in humans. (IME helps leg cramps like a champ)
Info starts around the top of the 2nd column
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5168986/?page=2
if all seems well, then another week but with 1 teaspoon per gallon of tank water, then if the fish looks great just keep doing pwc and the ES will be removed over time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We will make a concentrate of Epsom Salts (magnesium) 2 cups is usually fine to start out.
Take a cup of hot water and dissolve the ES into the water stirring when the ES is pretty much all melted in, then take either ice cubes or cold/cool water to get to tank temp, you can wait if it is still too hot or add a couple more ice cubes for 2 cups. The amount of water is not critical.
Add dechlorinator!!!
This should be done during your pwc or right after to have best quality water parameters.
Side note - Your water changes should have already been done to have the tank water in ideal water parameters with no unsafe levels!
Remove the same amount of water from the tank as you have prepared. (~2cups)
Then add 1/4 of the water ES mix to the tank,
Wait a little while ~4-8 hours add another 1/4 of the water
repeat and the whole amount should be added in the 24 hours.
If the fish looks like it is on death's doorstep, the adding of the ES water can be sped up and I have never had any issues in doing this. (Even the entire amount in an hour with a near dead fish - emergency.)
The idea in adding it over a day is that the changing tank water will be more slow and should be most gentle way to keep less stress for the fish.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each day do a near to 100% pwc if the tank is smaller. My thoughts are a hospital tank / container is ideal if you have one fish or just a couple with an issue.
ES is good for plants and I haven't ever had any issues using it. Doesn't seem to cause any issues in shrimp or in snails in a FW tank.
Medications should be used if necessary, (I am not a fish doctor
)Good clean water with near daily 100% water changes also helps get the fish back on track.
This is a therapeutic additive which can help many fish regain strength and in addition with the water changes allows them to get back to regular daily activity.
Again if at any time you feel you need to use medication that is a decision for you to make.
Usually about the 3rd day you will note a much better condition of your fish or if not any change for the better, using medication should be considered and in the mean time figure out which stores have what you kind you need and how fast you can. obtain it.
This process has helped many fish over the years for me and I have had many people tell me their fish responded well and got better.
Over the years, I have had to use medication in some of my fish, but clean water is #1 and for several other issues this has helped.
It is helpful (from my experiences with fish keeping) for assisting in constipation, minor bloaty issues, and also for scrapes from decor or wounds from fighting. Osmotic regulation.
You can read about lots of studies of what things magnesium is helpful and good for in humans. (IME helps leg cramps like a champ)
Info starts around the top of the 2nd column
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5168986/?page=2
Last edited:
Keep us posted.
