# Fish poop looks looks stringy but brown - what could this mean?



## chicagojo (Oct 13, 2011)

I have been treating our guy Feathers for SBD and he is scheduled to be done with treatment tomorrow and return to his tank but the past couple of days I have noticed that instead of looking like a round or oval-ish ball, his poop looks like a long, thin piece of string. It seems to be about the same amount of waste as usual, just in a different shape/form. I am wondering if something is still bothering his insides because right before he poops he is relatively inactive/slow and just after he makes waste he becomes very active, as if he is suddenly feeling a great relief. What could this mean?

For the SBD I have been using Epsom salt 1 tsp/G and fasted him for 4-5 days initially but he is now eating 2 pellets/day (1 morning, 1 night) and has been pooping pretty regularly - at least every other day but mostly every day. I was meaning to try to get some frozen daphnia but with the thanksgiving holiday things got a bit crazy and I never got around to it - should I still try to see if that would help him further? 

I feel bad that he has been in a QT tank for most of the past 2 weeks and would really like to return him to his 2.5G but I'm worried that maybe he's not all the way better yet....

ETA: I neglected to mention, I have been doing 100% daily water changes while he is in the QT tank.


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## Indyfishy (May 31, 2010)

Good news, his poop is normal! As long as betta poop is a healthy brown color, then he's just fine =) SBD can be caused by overfeeding, make sure you only feed him about three to four pellets a day or the equivalent in other foods. Also, it's best to feed in the morning because their digestive systems slow down at night. Sometimes they get a little bloated if they eat before bed, which can cause SBD to re-appear.


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## chicagojo (Oct 13, 2011)

Oh, that is good news. Thanks so much. I am only a few months into betta ownership and very much still learning!


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