Betta with bloated belly

[DeirdreHoyle]

I just noticed my betta's belly is really bloated...I'm going to stop feeding him for a day or two and try to get some shelled peas. Are there any other ideas? Also any idea what's causing it?

 

[Greta1981]

I'm new here, so I don't know the details of your tank. If you could tell me a couple details, I might be able to help you with your fish. How big a tank is he in? Is it heated and filtered? Do you know your water parameters?

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

No problem! 6 gallon tank, about 77 degrees, pH is like 6.8-7.0 ammonia & nitrites are 0, and i have two banana plants and some bamboo.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

Oh and I have a HOB filter with carbon and I added a sponge in it to hold the bb

 

[Greta1981]

That sounds like a great set up for a betta! Nothing that could be causing him any problems at all in that respect ... It could be simple constipation which you can solve with the cooked peas you mentioned. How old is he?

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

That sounds like a great set up for a betta! Nothing that could be causing him any problems at all in that respect ... It could be simple constipation which you can solve with the cooked peas you mentioned. How old is he?

Thanks, yeah he seems pretty happy usually. He's about a year old. I stopped feeding him for 2 days and I've already seen an improvement. I gave him a little food today just because he seemed really hungry, but I think I'll skip his dinner just to make sure he's really cleared out.

 

[Haileyjade]

Frozen Daphnia can often have a laxative effect on bettas. I would also avoid any freeze-dried foods if possible, if you feed them at all.

Other methods suggested are usually the pea, as mentioned, and Epsom salt baths. Personally, I do not do either. I think clean water and being sure to not overfeed does wonders.

What brand of food do you feed him? I have found in my experience that poor quality brands with many fillers cause more issues with betta bloating.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

Frozen Daphnia can often have a laxative effect on bettas. I would also avoid any freeze-dried foods if possible, if you feed them at all.

Other methods suggested are usually the pea, as mentioned, and Epsom salt baths. Personally, I do not do either. I think clean water and being sure to not overfeed does wonders.

What brand of food do you feed him? I have found in my experience that poor quality brands with many fillers cause more issues with betta bloating.

Yeah, I've read about the Epsom salt bath thing but it kind of weirds me out to put something in my water like that so I haven't bought any. I did feed him frozen blood worms for the first time a few days ago and he seemed to like them a lot. Are those freeze dried? I've been feeding him TetraFin goldfish flakes for literally the whole time I've had him, but I just ran out over the weekend and bought some better quality tropical fish flakes. Do you have any brands you recommend?

 

[Haileyjade]

Frozen foods are better than freeze dried. Freeze dried foods come in a can that looks similar to fish flakes. I like to offer frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp 2 times a week for a bit of variety.

Pellets are better than flakes in my opinion...less messy. I like New Life Spectrum, some people like Omega One Betta Buffet. Either are better than the stuff commonly found at stores such as Walmart. Amazon has both of these brands. They are a bit more pricey, but worth the extra cost for the health and color of your fish.

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

I have some tetra color pellets but they sink too fast for him to find he is kinda slow. If he can catch them he likes them

 

[Haileyjade]

How is he looking today?

 

[DeirdreHoyle]

How is he looking today?

Thanks for asking! He looks a lot better, can't really see any bloating at all. I've been feeding him smaller amounts of flake food and I drop pellets in front of him so he can eat those.

 

[Haileyjade]

Great, I'm so happy to hear that! Is never fun when we are worried about our fishy friends.