constipated betta

[MerShell]

Hi everyone. I have noticed ever since I got my betta about 3 months ago, he has always had a bit of a curve in his spine. It has never been a problem until yesterday I noticed that he was at the bottom of his tank curved and struggling to swim. I immediately isolated him in a shallow container to monitor him as he seemed to be struggling to get air. He lives in a communal freshwater tank with 9 neon tetras. After doing a little research it appeared that he may have a swim bladder issue, and my sense is that it was constipation. Anyway, I tried the "pea" trick last night... i thawed out a frozen pea and fed him a tiny amount (maybe 1/6) of it which he loved. Today I noticed he pooed out a fairly large round poo, and he seems to be a bit better. Ever since he pooed, he has not gone nose down and curving like he was earlier. He is swimming fairly normally now and seems much happier (not lethargic or sad looking!) The only thing is that as he comes up for air, its like he does a little shudder and his spine twists a little... How long should I keep feeding him peas? Do i feed him a little more today and see how that goes or do I fast him for a little first? Cheers, Shell

 

[Bettababe1011]

Do you regularly fast him? What I mean is, do you feed him everyday then give his digestive track a rest by fasting him one day a week? This will clear his system out regularly. I hope this helps.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.

 

[MerShell]

I generally feed him Nutrafin flakes every 2-3 days, so he definitely gets a rest a couple of times a week... maybe he needs more regular feeding of smaller amounts?

 

[dkpate]

I feed my bettas every single day, twice a day, but they get the boiled, shelled peas once a week. Flakes tend to bloat bettas, and they need the food that is made specifically for bettas, pellets are best. I like Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets.

 

[Mark1092]

I fed my betta once a day for a while, but decided to change it to every other day... People will go on about cruelty and what have you, but in the end his stomach is miniscule and feeding him 2 minutes worth every second day is plenty... it's a tiny fish, they can live for days without food. This way hopefully I will avoid any issues in the future.

 

[dkpate]

Bettas can go up to a month without food actually. I choose to feed mine twice a day, and I have never had any problems.

 

[Bettababe1011]

I feed mine Once a day except for on Saturday. Every other week I don't see my fish on Saturday because I'm at my dads.

Courtesy of Dakota's iPod.