Help betta is sick!!!!!!!!!

[Crazy4fish]

I just looked In my tank and I saw this huge belly on my betta. I don't know is it dropsy or is it bloating if so how do I treat if?? She is swimming normally, there is no scales standing up for anything like that but idk what to do please help!!!

 

[Alyxx]

She looks constipated or bloated. How much do you feed her and how often? The first step I would take is feeding her some peas. Just microwave a frozen pea in a little bit of tank water, let it cool, remove the shell and feed her little pieces of it. It helps to clear out her digestive system.

 

[Crazy4fish]

I feet once a day 3pellets and I do skip a day once a week. But I will try the frozen pea!!!! I hope it works how often do you give the frozen pea for??

 

[Alyxx]

I would feed nothing but peas for a couple days until she starts pooping and the roundness subsides. Brine shrimp can also act as a laxative, so if you have some frozen brine shrimp maybe rotate those with the peas. And keep feeding peas to help prevent this from happening again. I would advise cutting down the pellets to maybe 2 a day, and feed peas on the day before you fast her each week.

 

[Crazy4fish]

Ok thank you so much for helping!!!!!! Is there any chance at all she has dropsy? I read some place that sometimes they look bloated when they really have dropsy I didn't know if that was a rumor or not. I really hope it's just bloat..

 

[Alyxx]

If her scales aren't pine coning it probably isn't dropsy. If it were dropsy she would also probably be swollen throughout her body instead of just her belly, and she would probably be looking pretty miserable. I've had a couple fish get dropsy, and it isn't a pretty sight. I've had quite a few Bettas look like yours does now, though, and it has always been a case of too much food leading to constipation and bloating. I had one male who would bloat up like that after almost every feeding and have swim bladder issues as well. I just had to be very careful about how much and how often I fed him. Just keep your water clean and keep her meals a little smaller and you shouldn't have any trouble getting her back to normal. The peas should help her recover faster. I just keep a bag of store brand frozen peas in my freezer at all times and I feed the peas fairly regularly to keep my fish's digestive systems in line.

 

[BettaGal]

If the pea doesn't work, fast for a few days. I've had stubborn fish that prefer to play football with the peas than eat them. I haven't done frozen brine shrimp. It might work. Try these two methods, and if they don't work, fast.

Dropsy looks like a pinecone and they have issues moving around. They I think don't eat either. To me, your betta just looks bloated. I'll get a picture of a betta with dropsy to help you see the difference.

 

[Crazy4fish]

Thank you both so much!!!!!!!!! She is not wanting to eat the pea so I will fast get for a few days and give her very little food. How much food should I at start give her??

 

[BettaGal]

1-2 pellets probably. They tend to swell up once they get wet. That's why they cause bloating sometimes.

 

[BettaGal]

This is dropsy.

 

[Alyxx]

1-2 pellets probably. They tend to swell up once they get wet. That's why they cause bloating sometimes.

True! I forgot to mention that. You may want to soak her pellets in a little tank water before you give them to her so they swell up before they are in her belly.

 

[Crazy4fish]

Great thanks!!!!! My betta definitely doesn't look like that. I have been fasting her because she will not eat the peas. But I will try one pellet later tonight! Thanks so much

 

[BettaGal]

No problem. We all need help sometimes. Better to ask and know than to guess and be mistaken.