# Does my fish have SBD (Swim Bladder Disease) or is he malnourished?



## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

I just came back from a 2 week vacation to go home to Hawaii a few days ago to see my family and friends. I had my aunt feed my betta 4 pellets every 3 days to make sure that he was fed but also to make sure that the water was clean. I came back to a tank that had white-clear looking surface at the top. I believe that was from the bad ammonia from the water not being changed. Which was expected because I didn't ask for my aunt to change the water. Wouldn't trust anyone to know how to clean it properly unless they knew a lot about bettas...

Anyways, my symptoms are pretty clear. He has a hard time swimming normal. He lazes around more often at the bottom. He sometimes hangs out at the top on a leaf which is fine. But he always tends to slowly fall back to the gravel no matter what. He tends to breathe hard when he's down there. I also tried putting a mirror in front of him which instantly he would flare up, but now it takes him about 20 seconds just to fully open and flare which is a pretty pitiful flare to begin with.

I am thinking he can also be malnourished because for the first few months I had him, I would feed him 3 pellets per morning and 3 pellets per night and fast him once a week. Now, before vacation and after getting back from vacation, I feed him 3 pellets a day and fasted him once a week. I read somewhere that 3 was fine for the day and that's it. Keep in mind, I feed him New Life Spectrum and those pellets are quite tiny. So, I don't know if I'm underfeeding him causing him to be like this or if it really is SBD?

I have heard of the pea treatment for SBD if that's really the case... But I want to know some answers first from you guys. I take good care of the guy. Water parameters are always solid. Temp is always at 80. I bumped it up to 82 just in case he may be lethargic for whatever reason but his temp is always perfect. His filter is always running. And he's in a great 5 gallon with frequent water changes of 50% every few days. 

I'll fill out the form for clearer indication.

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Housing 
What size is your tank? 5 gallon
What temperature is your tank? 82F
Does your tank have a filter? Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? N/A
Is your tank heated? Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? N/A

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? New Life Spectrum pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 3 pellets a day, fast once a week

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? Every three days or so
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 50%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? API Stress Coat water conditioner

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

Ammonia: .25 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Nitrate: 0 ppm
pH: 7.4
Hardness: N/A
Alkalinity: N/A

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Tail isn't as opened up anymore, slouchy tail(s), used to be a nicer color but has faded a bit these past couple months
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Stays at the bottom mostly, and also looks like he has a hard time swimming but he gets where he needs to be
When did you start noticing the symptoms? When I got back from vacation. And he also changed where he was sleeping before I went on vacation. He would always sleep at the top of the leaf at the surface, and before I left, he preferred sleeping on the gravel at night.
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? Changing the water, a little of API Aquarium Salt just to see if his fins would grow back nicer
Does your fish have any history of being ill? He had fin rot several times before
How old is your fish (approximately)? Will be making 7 months this month since I've bought him from Petco.

Any ideas/thoughts/suggestions? I am open for anything. I just want him to be healthy and happy.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Bump..


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Well, since I don't have a hospitalized tank, I changed the water 100% and took the gravel out. I now only have 2 gallons in a 5 gallon tank. Waiting for the water to heat back up to 80F before I put him in again. He's in a cup at the moment and looks miserable.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

A few things stand out to me:

*1) Ammonia: .25 ppm*

You're doing plenty of water changes. It's great that you're doing this! Since there's still ammonia present, either your tank may still be cycling, or your tap water may contain ammonia.

I would run a test on the tap water (straight out of the faucet). Some water companies add chloramines or ammonia to disinfect the water. If yours does, you may want to consider switching to a water conditioner that temporarily neutralizes ammonia (such as Prime). Or, you could add some live plants, which would use up the ammonia.

If your tap water doesn't contain ammonia, then it could be that your tank needs some minor adjustments for it to become better cycled. 

*2) New Life Spectrum pellets, 3 pellets a day, fast once a week*

I agree with you on this. IMO, you can definitely feed him more than this. Mine get about 6 pellets per day, and I feed a larger pellet than the NLS brand. 

I would try SLOWLY increasing the amount of food you give him. For example, if you normally feed in the morning, I would give him ONE extra pellet at night.... After a few days, if he tolerates this well, then raise this to TWO pellets at night, and see how he does. 

Go slow with any increase, and give it several days to see if he tolerates the change. If needed, back the amount down again.

NLS is a great food though, so you've made a good choice with it.

*3) Aquarium Salt*

If his fin rot isn't an issue now, I would stop using the Aquarium salt. It contains sodium, which can cause fluid retention and bloating. These in turn, can contribute to buoyancy issues. Sodium also puts stress on the kidneys, which need to work overtime to eliminate the fluid retention. 

So unless there's a specific reason you need to add it, I would stop using it. Simply do your regular water changes without any extra Aquarium salt added. This will gradually remove it from your tank.

*4) Buoyancy issues*

I would start with the above changes. If he has trouble reaching the surface, you can lower the water level so he doesn't have as far to swim.

If he continues to have buoyancy problems, let us know. He may need a low dosage of Epsom salt to help eliminate any remaining fluid retention. But, for now, I would concentrate on removing the Aquarium salt, since that may be the cause of the current swimming issues.

Keep us updated!


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for the reply, Fishlets!

For the ammonia, I think I may need to switch to prime instead of stress coat to get rid of those iffy contaminates. But I may go back to buying real plants again instead. Are there any specific plants you suggest and how many is ideal for a 5 gallon?

As for the pellets, I decided to fast him for 3 days and then on the 4th do the pea treatment.. because it looks like he does have swim bladder issues. He is having a hard time coming to the surface.

I did a 100% water change (yesterday) and left the water at 1/3 of the tank filled allowing him to come to the surface easier and to remove the salt completely.

Do you suggest I still do the pea treatment because of my assumption of SBD? Or should I just get Epsom salt to assume that it will help instead and continue feeding him normally? Please let me know as soon as you see this reply so I know not to continue to fast him.

Thanks so much.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

IMO, the SBD is could be caused by the aquarium salt. The sodium in it causes fluid retention.

I would remove the aquarium salt and see if the problem goes away. I would not fast him, as I feel he's being underfed already. So I would suggest:

1) remove the aquarium salt
2) keep feeding him his current 3 pellets of NLS
3) if the SBD continues for more than 1 to 2 days after the salt is removed, add Epsom salt (dosage of 0.5 teaspoons per gal).
4) once his SBD is resolved, slowly increase the number of NLS pellets each day.

I would not use a pea. He isn't constipated. Most likely, the SBD is caused by the Aq salt. The pea would not help in this situation.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Thanks for the quick reply.

Update:

Fed him the pellets individually. He did not want to go to the surface. I drowned the first pellet, and he swam to it slowly and ate it. Second pellet - he did the same thing. As for the third pellet... it was right in front of him and he doesn't eat it.

Is that weird behavior for fluid retention?

Like said, I changed the water 100% yesterday. Should I change 100% again today or wait another till tomorrow? It's currently at 2 gallons for his condition so he can reach the surface better.

If the problem persists, I will get Epsom salt. What brand and where can I buy it?

Thank you.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

He is being a little twitcher while swimming, as well. But mostly stays in place at the bottom. :/


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes, it's possible that the fluid retention is affecting his appetite.

Just remove the uneaten pellet so it doesn't foul the water. Try again later. 

Since you did a 100% water change yesterday, I would just leave it alone today. Since he's currently in about 2 gal of water, I would do a 50% change tomorrow.

Epsom salt is available at most supermarkets and pharmacies (but not petstores). Look for 100% magnesium sulfate. (No dyes, perfumes or additives.) It is not expensive. You can find it at Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, Publix, Shopwell, etc.

You'd asked about plants previously. I suggest asking at the Planted Tanks forum. There are people there who know a lot about aquatic plants.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Just tried feeding him another pellet, and he went to the surface, but he went for a breath of air instead of the food. 

I will definitely pick up some Epsom salt on Monday if he still has not recovered.

Update: I just checked our tap water for ammonia and it was the same color as a clean change in the fish tank. So, it would be best to forfeit the stress coat water conditioner and go for prime?

I'm glad you remembered me  I will check in the Planted Tanks part of the forum for suggestions. Thanks!


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Prime temporarily neutralizes ammonia by converting it to ammonium. But the effects only last for about 48 hours. After that, it converts back to ammonia.

So using Prime is good for situation like yours, when the ammonia comes in via the tap water. But you'll still need to do frequent water changes, or find an alternative solution (such as live plants).

Does he look bloated at all? Do you know the last time he pooped? (And if so, what did it look like?) 

I would go ahead and add the Epsom salt, whenever you can pick it up. A dosage of 0.5 teaspoons per gal is a good starting point. If he continues to have trouble, you can raise it to 1 teaspoon per gallon. (But start with the 0.5 tsp/gal dosage. Sometimes, that's all they need.)


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

I will hold off getting a plant(s) for him until I am able to get him healthy and back swimming normally again.

Just got back from the store, changed his water about 50% with new water and still the API slime coat conditioner. (Or should I buy prime and use it with the Epsom salt remedy?)

Also, applied 0.5 teaspoons of Epsom salt (100% magnesium sulfate). It was actually pretty cheap, like you said.

We'll see how this goes.

Also, as I was cleaning, I saw his poop and it was clear with little specs on it. The specs looked the same color as the pellets he eats. Strange?


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Well, their poop is usually pretty much the same color as their food. So that part, at least, is expected. 

Any chance of getting a photo of it? (OK, I never thought I'd be asking questions like that in a public forum, but.... LOL)


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

LOL! Well...

I don't have a picture on me right now, but the next time I clean, I'll try to remember to snap a shot of it... Haha.

It's clear, with brown specs. Mostly clear though.

Should I be cleaning 50% out every other day since at the moment the water is 2 gallons?

Update: He's swimming better and is actually swimming up and eating the food I give him. But, he still likes to be at the bottom. He sinks down there as soon as he's done eating the food or catching a fresh breath of air. A little more active than yesterday, I'll give him that. :/


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

He did a lot better this morning. Swimming more. More attentive to eating.

He still likes to stay at the bottom but at least he's moving back to normal.

Should I go back to 5 gallons tomorrow with plants and gravel?
I am sticking with API Slime Coat water conditioner since Prime only temporarily neutralizes ammonia and I'll be picking up new plants tomorrow instead.

I think he'll be good to go but it's up to your suggestion that will change it. 

Thanks


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

I will never use aqua salt ever ever EVER gain. :l It's caused me so many problems when I was trying to get rid of the problem.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Sounds like he's good to go. If he's happier in his regular home, go ahead and put him back into it.

If possible, keep an eye out for poop. A one time "strange looking" poop is OK, especially if you'd just started the Epsom salt. But it should go back to looking normal again soon. (Normal would be about the same color as his food.) If it doesn't, let us know.

I laughed at "API Slime Coat." I believe API probably prefers it to be called "Stress Coat." But I liked your name for it. 

And I agree with you on the Aquarium salt. It caused a lot of issues for one of my guys. I try to avoid it, unless there's a very specific reason to use it.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

I haven't seen poop in awhile. If I'm mistaken, it's probably just clear poop now and/or I didn't see it.

I thought he was ready to go back to his 5 gallon, (I put everything back together yesterday), but he's back to staying in one place on the gravel again. 

I bought new gravel to make sure the aqua salt was completely gone. I even bought a big java fern and banana plant to keep the ammonia down from the tap water but he's still acting back to the way he was. Is it because he's not in epsom salt anymore? It was quite the miracle worker at the time... now he's back to square 1.

He does know when to go to the surface for food when I feed him though, so it's not like he starves himself.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

I'll try the Epsom salt again in 5 gallons. Maybe he wasn't quite ready to be without it yet.


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## LittleBlueFishlets (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes, I would add the Epsom salt again. You can put it into the 5 gal tank without problems. It won't hurt plants. (In fact, it might help them grow better.)

Generally, I keep mine in Epsom salt a couple of days after they're looking better. Then, I go back to using plain water for water changes. This removes it slowly from the tank.


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## Cliffy (Mar 4, 2013)

Thank you so much, LittleBlue. 

I'll let you know how it goes!


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