# Betta swims and floats on side with stomach pus



## Tea4Me (Jul 10, 2010)

Hi, I've had my betta for a few months and during that time she has changed colors and grown. When I left her last night she seemed perfectly normal but this morning she was floating at the top and has some white substance coming out of her stomach. She is alive, but no matter how hard she tries she can not right herself. Is there anything that can be done?


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Can you tell us more about your setup? What is the tank size, temp, frequency of cleaning, what kind of food and how often?

Can you describe the "pus" a little better? Is it seeping from an open wound or just off of her side without any wound? Is it coming from the anus?


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Sorry your are having problems....have a few questions...

How big is the tank, how much and how often are the water changes and when was the last one, water temp, additives used, treatment tried if any, filtration, live plants, how long have you had her in this set-up, food-how much, how often, what kind?


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## Tea4Me (Jul 10, 2010)

Well I put her in a travel container last night so that I could thoroughly clean her bowl. The water temp is about 70 degrees at the highest (current room temperature). I clean her bowl once a week and I feed her twice a day. The food is Betta Color Bright by HBH and it was the only food she took a liking to. The white pus is coming out of the anus and it seems to just be sitting there on her, so there is no oozing.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Can you post a pic, and your temp is too low, she needs 76-80F range, what size bowl? Are you on well water or city and do you use dechlorinator?


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Possibly severe constipation along with internal parasites--white discharge, loss of appetite, and bloating are very common symptoms of intestinal worms in bettas. The bloating puts pressure on the swim bladder, causing them to lose control over their ability to sink/float/remain upright. 

I would put her in a hospital container--for this I use 2 gallon rubbermaid/sterilite plastic storage bins. These are ideal because they are long and shallow, and can be safely heated. 

Part of the problem is that your fish is too cold--when a cold blooded animal is kept at a lower temperature than is normal, their entire metabolism slows down, leaving them vulnerable to infections and infestations. It also slows digestion, causing food to get caught in the gut. You need to get a 25 watt adjustable heater and slowly turn the temperature up a degree at a time every few of hours until it gets to 80 degrees.

I would keep the fish in clean, heated water and leave her alone in a quiet, dim place and see if there is any improvement. If there isn't, you should consider using a medication with the ingredient praziquantel. Fortunately, if the problem is internal parasites, fish tend to respond very well to this treatment, in a few days you will see the fish pass the worms (lots of poop!) then the fish will begin eating again. I have had some success with Jungle Parasite Clear.


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## Tea4Me (Jul 10, 2010)

She has well water and right now she is in a traveling container. I am on city water and use a dechlorinator. I am currently trying to take a decent photo of her.


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