# Something hanging from tummy(??)



## Betta1234 (May 17, 2011)

"Diablo" seems to have something hanging from his undersides, just started today, was not there yesterday. Considering we do not know where the poop hole is..could that be poop? A parasite?
He is in a nice 5 gallon 80 degree filtered tank all by himself. We HAD a live plant in there that did not do well and was taken out (5 days go)as soon as it 
seemed stressed so as not to put ugly stuff in the water.
So, our question is..what is it? 
FYI..He is eating, swimming, not lethargic.


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

omg, that pic is gross >_>!

Sorry, had to say;

I'm not an expert but I will give you some heads up;

Please fill this form for us:

Housing 
What size is your tank?
What temperature is your tank?
Does your tank have a filter?
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?
Is your tank heated?
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?
How often do you feed your betta fish?

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change?
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change?
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters?

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity: 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?
How has your betta fish's behavior changed?
When did you start noticing the symptoms?
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?
Does your fish have any history of being ill?
How old is your fish (approximately)?

And I don't know, this is just my opinion but if I had to guess this looks some sort of parasite yes. :X


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## Betta1234 (May 17, 2011)

*something hanging from tummy reply*

In 5 gal tank, 80 degrees, filtered, no air stone, heated,,yes, no fish mates. Food="AQUEON". once a day 5 pellets..he doesn't eat them all as some fall to the bottom. Water chg= once a month 30% change with no additives.

Checked the following this am
Ammonia 0 ppm
Nitrite 0 ppm
Nitrate =nothing to ck it with
PH 8.4
Hardiness= nothing to ck it with
Alkalinity 180

No appearance or behavior change. Not treating as I do not know what it is. No illness history. Age? Purchased from pet store two months ago who just got them in.

We have another Betta who is doing fine..checked water also, it is the same as above.


Thanks for anyones help


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Welcome to the forum.....

That is in the location of the vent or anus......looks like poop and it should fall off on its own....., however, I would increase the water changes.......

I would start with 25% for 2 days then 50% for 2 days then 50% with vacuum weekly thereafter to maintain water quality in a 5gal filtered tank with one Betta....
I would also split the food into two meals...feed small amounts twice a day....

What kind of dechlorinator do you use or are you on well water.....


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## SillyCone (May 7, 2011)

The pic doesn't show up good but now that I see, he looks a bit bloated...


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## Betta1234 (May 17, 2011)

*something on tummy has fallen off*

I just did a 30% water change on Diablos tank. With him swimming around, the attached "whatever it was" is now gone. Hopefully it was just poop now that I know where his vent is..you are probably right. He does look a bit bloated in that area,( I compare him to our other Betta).So, is it from too much food at one time..I didn't think he was eatting that much. The guy at the pet store suggested feeding every three days, I do not agree. I believe a little each day, I wouldn't like eatting every three days so I will not do that to them either.
I will follow the water change info provided, but..... We are on well water via
a community system in the mountains. Since you suggested the water
change more often I thought about the water before it even gets into the 
tank. I get it from our filtered system through the refrigerator, heat it to 80 and put it in the tank. I TESTED IT BEFORE PUTTING IN THE TANK..it
has the same PH and ALKALINITY as what was in the tank. So now what?
Use bottled water..or how do I change the PH and AK in the water before
I put it in the tank
Thanks..:dunno: oh yah....no de clorinator used(what is it used for/)


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Since you are on well water...you may not need dechlorinator...this is for treated water from the city water supply....if you can- I would use water from the tap and bypass the filtration system altogether..it will be better for the fish long term health......

When you get the water from the tap adjust the temp and check it with the thermometer so that is is within a couple of degrees of his tank water so not to cause temp shock problems and by making small frequent water changes over the next 3-4 days you will adapt him to any chemical changes too....you don't want large sudden swings in the pH....with that said-I wouldn't change the pH with chemical additives either.....the small frequent water changes should take care of this....

Don't confuse bloat with a full tummy....with bloat you will have other symptoms too....other than the distended tummy...the fish is usually lethargic, stops eating and pooping, clamped fins, hides in the corner, generally non-responsive.......with large tummy from overfeeding or just eating a meal they are still active and often still begging for food.....however, this can lead to other problems like constipation, pressure on the labyrinth organ, buoyancy problems, fatty liver, bloat, dropsy and death......small frequent meals are best with a one day a week fast....


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## Betta1234 (May 17, 2011)

*water changes*

How does the PH change in the tank when it is the same PH coming from the tap?? Isn't the PH toooo high coming out of the tap at 8.4. My betta book says the PH should be between 6.8-7.4.

Thanks for your help


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

It depends on the pH change...higher or lower compared to source water and was the pH test on the source water after the 24h de-gas...if the pH is higher in the tank than the source water-then something in the tank may be causing it...like the substrate, decoration, shells...etc.....

Your pH is fine...this is a domesticated fish and can adapt to pH....you just want to avoid extremes and sudden changes....


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