# Pot-belly Betta



## Inaras Mommy (Mar 10, 2010)

Well my Betta looks like he's pg for the past few days. I couldn't figure out why till I caught DH feeding him extra and a lot. I explained that he doesn't need to eat 3 x's a day and he doesn't need a lot when u do feed him. What can I do to fix this... Maybe cut back his feeding w/ exercise? Plz reply, I don't want him to die from being unhealthy.


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## kikuhoshi (Mar 26, 2010)

He's constipated. Just fast him until it goes away, and then clean out his poo (depending on the size tank you have; I have a 1.5 at the moment, so I try to clean it out ASAP; others can give you advice for other sizes). It's really nothing to worry about.

What is the average temp. for his tank? Do you use a heater? I find that when I have Armand at about 80ºF, it helps his constipation. Also, have a talk with your husband about the feeding schedule of the fish. I had a friend who ALWAYS fed Armand whenever she saw him (which was about 2x a day), without my knowing, and I couldn't figure out why he kept bloating until I caught her. We got into an argument (she had a poorly-kept betta, I'm sad to say, and was stubborn about the way she treated it), but she stopped messing up Armand's feeding after that.


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## Inaras Mommy (Mar 10, 2010)

I just changed his water 2 days ago, how often should I change it till he regulates? And should I continue exercising him w/ the mirror? How long should take to get him back to his old self? ATM he is in a 1/2 gal tank, but we have come to the agreement that I'm going to get an aquarium top for our 10 gal instead of the oven thermometer I've been needing. BTW, what would be a safe product to use to disinfect my 10 gal for him, as it used to be home to a leopard gecko? I don't want him getting sick as he died a few months back, of old age.


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## Inaras Mommy (Mar 10, 2010)

As far as the feeding, we had a 'nice' conversation about that as he was doing the same thing cause he 'acted like he was hungry all the time'. Poor thing, can they die from being overfed? Stupid question I know, but I figure it's best to ask, rather than be ignorant.


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## kikuhoshi (Mar 26, 2010)

Okay, I can help with a 1/2 gal (I have Armand in one at school, but I go home every 4 days). Honestly, I'd change him every day/every 2 days period, even healthy.

As for disinfectant... I'm not sure. I've heard a drop of bleach in a gal/gal&½ is a good thing, but I never had to disinfect. I just put water in a my tank, then let it stand over night (rinse&repeat for a week), and that was it. I'd google it, but I found this on this site: http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=17069

Let me know how the 10gal goes - I'm thinking about getting one for Armand. 

I don't know, honestly. I think it's a possibility (their stomachs are the size of their eyes), but I don't know. And yeah, they're little pigs, haha. I had to stop my boyfriend from feeding Armand because "he's starving, look at him dance!". It wasn't his feeding time yet, but my boyfriend's a fricking bleeding heart, of *course* the fish is "starving".


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

If you keep overfeeding him, it'll cause internal problems because all of the vital organs are near each other so it'd be putting stress on all of them. How much are you feeding each time? I feed mine 2-3 pellets twice a day so 4-5 pellets a day. Their stomachs are the size of their eye so it's VERY small. Some bettas will bloat even if you're feeding them the correct amount. When the pellet is dry, it'll expand in the bettas stomach and cause them to bloat. You can cut down on this by soaking the pellets before you feed them. I'd say for about 10-15 minutes, but you can do it for longer if you wanted. Just keep experimenting with things until you see good results.

I love how the directions for the pellets I use says, "feed as much as the fish will consume in a couple minutes". If I did that, my fish would eat the WHOLE thing.haha They will always "act" hungry to get more food, but it's not good for them. It's like a little child begging to have candy; they want it really badly, but it isn't good for them.


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## kikuhoshi (Mar 26, 2010)

BettaxFishxCrazy said:


> I love how the directions for the pellets I use says, "feed as much as the fish will consume in a couple minutes". If I did that, my fish would eat the WHOLE thing.haha They will always "act" hungry to get more food, but it's not good for them. It's like a little child begging to have candy; they want it really badly, but it isn't good for them.


Well, if the fish dies due to overfeeding, and we don't know that it's wrong, we'll go buy another fish, we have to buy more food and... Rinse&Repeat.

Eh, I like to think they mean well, but are terribly misguided. :dunno:


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

Oh and I forgot to mention, you can use bleach and water or vinegar and water. I'm not sure what the ratio is, but I'm pretty sure you use more water for both to dilute it. And scrub with hot water like crazy.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

Make sure that 10G is sealed for water before you fill it up! Reptile terrariums are not built to serve as fish habitats! ;-)


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## Kittles (Feb 8, 2010)

Mister Sparkle said:


> Make sure that 10G is sealed for water before you fill it up! Reptile terrariums are not built to serve as fish habitats! ;-)


This. I've heard people say that the glass used for reptile terrariums is thinner and that they can bow when filled with water. Or maybe that's just a sealant issue, I don't know. Or maybe it doesn't happen at all.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

On a 10G, I wouldn't be too worried about the strength of the glass. But I can just about guarantee that it isn't sealed!


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## honeyfish (Feb 9, 2010)

haha On the feeding issue. I asked my boyfriend to feed my fishie *once* and will never ask him to do it again (at least until I can trust that he follows my instructions this time). I told him "Just 2 or 3 pellets before you leave the house, oK?" When he texted me later, he said that Andrew ate like 15 pellets! "He was starving, he wouldn't stop eating." "OF COURSE HE THINKS HE'S STARVING!! HE'S A FISH!" Needless to say, I do all the feeding now. =P


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## Inaras Mommy (Mar 10, 2010)

Ty so much, my Betta Pie is looking so much better now. I was getting pretty concerened there. As far as the terrarium I didn't even think of that. Duh!! I guess I'll have look for a different option as I cannot afford a 10 gal aquarium, I'll definately be keeping an eye out, going to town today, so I'll be doing some window shopping.


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## Mister Sparkle (Apr 13, 2010)

You can usually find aquarium sealant for between $5 and $10, and you can do it yourself. Just be sure that it's AQUARIUM sealant. Other products may contain chemicals which can do damage to your fine scaly friends!


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## truthequalslies (Jan 21, 2010)

well im using a 20 gal teranium as a tank in never hurts to fill it up with water and watch it for a few days as for the cleaning the best you can do is hot water and vinegar according to most is just as good as bleach if not better also if you dont rinse the tank well enough after useing bleach it can prove fatal to ur fishy =(


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