# my betta has bloated stomach please help :(



## chaosbaby (Aug 20, 2008)

Hi guys! i'll enumerate the details regarding my fish's condition etc.
1. My fighting fish stomach is so bloated but its scales doesn't resemble an open pinecone.
2. It still swims normal, jumps when being fed and of course eats. He normally stays at the top of my tank so I'm quite sure it's not dropsy or i might be wrong.
3. I tried not to feed him for 1 day cause he might be constipated then I gave unshelled green pea from a Can uncooked but it didn't cure it.
4. Right now I just put 1 teaspoon of kitchen rock salt to hopefully cure it and I'm still observing it.
5. I'm planning to put tetracycline or general tonic or multicure but i don't know how to use them.

Please help me...its been almost a 2-3 weeks since his stomach got bloated


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## Kim (Apr 30, 2008)

Does he still swim ok, or does he seem to float up to the top on his side often? This could be swim bladder disorder, and fasting him as well as taking care of any underlying issues such as constipation should cure it.

Did you only fast him one day? Have you been feeding him normally for the entire 2-3 weeks except for the one day fast? What is his diet?

Sometimes the pea doesn't work the first time, so maybe you should try again. And fast him longer as well.

There is also a distant possibility that what you are seeing is not his stomach and is something like a tumor.

Um...I don't think that you would want to use tetracycline. This is for gram negative bacterial infections, and it does not sound like this is what your fish has. I am not an expert, but I haven't heard of internal bacterial infections causing severe bloating. Sometimes overmedicating or using the wrong medication is worse than doing nothing at all. Also, you would want to make sure to clear all of the salt out of the water before you put any medication in because most of them already contain salt.

Does your fish poop? If so, what color is it?

I hope this helps!


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## chaosbaby (Aug 20, 2008)

Kim said:


> Does he still swim ok, or does he seem to float up to the top on his side often? This could be swim bladder disorder, and fasting him as well as taking care of any underlying issues such as constipation should cure it.
> 
> Did you only fast him one day? Have you been feeding him normally for the entire 2-3 weeks except for the one day fast? What is his diet?
> 
> ...


hi tnx for the reply...im sure that its not the bladder thingy cause he is swimming just fine.

i used to feed him 4 pelets twice a day but GF overfeeds it sometimes to trice a day and he plays with it dipping her dirty hands, after a couple of days my fish stomach started to get big....its been almost a month since it started and now his stomach is soooo freakin big and its like a transparent balloon in w/c you can see the inside and I see some lines of blood from the inside.

since the day he was sick i didnt feed him for 1 day then gave him a pea for about 3 days...nothing happened so a resumed his usual diet but i just give 3 pellets now instead of 4.

I called my pet shop here and they told me that tetra's hexa-ex can cure it but they don't have a stock so they said that i can try to give it some tetracycline for internal bacterial infection.

this is my male betta's picture..please take a look  poor thing
what should i do? how long should i not feed it? =( this is the first time a have a pet fish and i don't want it to die =(





By chaosbaby2


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## tmz (Jul 3, 2008)

oh my god. those picutres are not what i expected when i read that he was bloated.

i really dont think thats overfeeing. i keep looking at the picture and i think its an infection of some kind. im not entirely sure though, im jsut comparing it to the infections i always get on my fingers. the other thing it might be is maybe internal parasite of some kind. but idunno...

i feel so bad for you and your fishie. i really wish i could help =(


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## amyw16 (Jun 15, 2008)

Hello,
I recently posted a similar question to yours under the subject "Help, my betta fish has a big bulge." You can review those posts and they might help. What I ended up doing was sending a "pm" to bettababy. She helped me through what to do for Sam. She said mine looked like a bacterial infection or an internal parasite. You should send her a pm and some pics. She's been great and a huge help. I had no idea what to do for him, but she talked me through it step by step and so far he's still alive. I'm confident he wouldn't be without her help. 

I hope this helps and good luck!!


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i dont know if its the picture quality or the water quality, one (if not both)of the two isnt the best looking.


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## chaosbaby (Aug 20, 2008)

@tmz
yea..poor thing =(

@amyw16
i saw the thread and read it all. I also saw the pic of your betta but ur betta's stomach is quite small compared to mine. How long did ur betta had this sickness? can u walk me through some of the stuff you did to cure it while im waiting for bettababy's reply. I sent her/him a pm and im still waiting for the reply..thanks for the info...

@onefish2fish
yea its both...I downsized the picture's quality and i added salt to his water

I think I posted my thread in the wrong section. I'm having problems navigating the forums. Any mod can move this to the right location. Im so sorry


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## Flashygrrl (Jan 18, 2008)

Ugh...it looks like a balloon molly. I'd say if GF was playing with it with dirty hands there's probably a parasite involved. You need to make it clearer than clear to her that she cannot feed it unless you're gone somewhere and she's willing to follow your instructions and that she NEEDS to wash her hands first.


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## amyw16 (Jun 15, 2008)

Hello again. I copied and pasted bettababy's response to my problem below. Like you said though, your pics look different than mine. I'm not sure if it would be the same thing or not, but this is what she said. I did everything she said below and the swelling went away. However, now that he's been back in his regular water for the last week, he seems to be swelling up again. I've talked with her and decided to do another round of medicated water. I'm estimating, but I would say it was about 2 weeks he was swelling before I started treatment. Then that was another 10 days and he's been back in regular water for about a week and a half. So he's been sick for a month or a little longer. Bettababy has had a lot of "non-fish" related things going on, so it may take her some time to get back with you. I don't want to recommend you doing the below treatments b/c I have no idea, but she does say that they are safe and won't hurt the fish. Even if your problem is different than mine, it may not hurt your fish to try them. It's at least a place to start. I hope this helps. 


There are 3 things that commonly cause swelling like that in the stomach area. 
1. dropsy 
2. Internal parasite/worms 
3. Internal bacterial infection. 

With dropsy the scales will stand up and the appearance resembles a pinecone... and I don't see that happening in these photos. 
Based on your information, it could be either of the other two. 

Via internet there is no way for me to diagnose between parasite and bacterial infection, that's the bad news. (I would need a feces sample to put under the microscope to identify the problem) The good news is that I can suggest the proper meds to treat for both, it's safe, and which should effectively take care of either problem. 

Please be very specific on these medications, there are no substitutes, and if you mix certain meds they can be toxic. 

The first medication is called metronidazole. It's a white powder and should be pretty easy to find. This med is going to coat his food for 7 days. 
Take a small amount of his food (enough for 7 days) and put it into a zip lock baggie. Add a very small amount of the metronidazole to this, zip it up and shake it until the medication seems to disappear. In between feedings (once/day) keep the bag sealed and in a cool, dry place. It's important not to feed more than a bit or 2 at a time to be sure he's eating it right away when it hits the water. If this means making his meal time later in the day so he's real hungry, then that is fine... but he needs to eat the food before the meds leech into the water. 
That should handle any problem he has with internal parasites/worms. DO NOT feed him any more peas. If the peas happen to cause damage, which is very possible... that could complicate things and cause a treatable illness to be fatal. 

Next you'll need to get Fungus Eliminator and methylene blue. Do not substitute the fungus eliminator with another medication. If you can't find it I can find you a link to purchase it online. Fungus eliminator has very specific ingredients that are not found in any other medication available as of this time, and I have not yet been able to replicate each one in a proper dose to prove as effective and safe as the actual medication available on the market. 
Dose both the methylene blue and fungus eliminator into a bucket (bucket should have a cover) of clean water (after treating with water conditioner). (Please be forewarned that these medications may stain acrylic, so if it's possible to put him into a glass hospital tank, that is always best). Follow dosing instructions for each medication as instructed on the bottles. DO NOT OVERDOSE. 
The first water change should be 100% in the medicated water. Remove all carbon from any filter that may be running, but I find that stopping a filter during this treatment proves more effective. Each day for 10 days, do a 50% - 100% water change with the medicated water in the bucket. Once the meds are mixed into the bucket of water they are good for 2 water changes, then need to be mixed fresh again. Because of the dosing instructions, it is often easier to mix a 5 gallon bucket at a time. If you are doing 100% water changes daily, you should be able to use most of the water, so there should be very little waste. To dose directly to the tank is not suggested. 
If he is going into a quarantine tank for treatment, break down his tank, clean everything well with running water, and start things over. It is safe to use bleach water provided you rinse extremely well, twice, and let everything air dry for 48 - 72 hrs. If the meds are going right into his tank, then sterilizing it won't be needed. 
At the end of the 10 days, do another 100% water change with unmedicated water, and keep a close watch over him. You should notice the swelling starting to go down within the first 7 days. If after 12 days there has been no change in his condition, please let me know. I have every confidence in these meds, they are quite potent, while still being safe. 

Raise his water temp to 80 - 82 degrees. 

Please remember that not all meds are safe for a betta, and not all meds are safely mixed, so please don't try experimenting with other meds without some kind of professional advice.


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## chaosbaby (Aug 20, 2008)

Bad news. He just died    I buried him in my lot to honor the times that we spent together    I love that fish so much cause he reacts to me whenever i move in the room and even jumps when i feed him. Now I've learned a lot in taking care of my fish the hard way. Good news is my GF bought me a new fish guppy and i SWEAR i won't let her play with it again! Thank you so much for all the replies and support.


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## tmz (Jul 3, 2008)

=(
aw...
well, live and learn, right?
that is sad though. i wonder what was wrong with him...


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