# Dropsy or swim bladder?



## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

Hi

I got a new little female hm betta a week ago and she has gotten quite bloated overnight. I have been feeding her bio-gold pellets, she is in a 20 gallon with an internal sump, no new decorations. However the tank is new but the media is from my old tank. 

Ammonia 0ppm, nitrite oppm, nitrate 15 ppm. There are also a few snails and shrimp in my tank as well but no other fish. 

There are pictures here of my little betta. Is this dropsy or something swim bladder related? - Album on Imgur


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## kbraz303 (Oct 15, 2016)

How many pellets do you feed her, and also can you post some pictures of her from above?


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## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

About 5 a day and I fast her every Wednesday too. 

Yep ill just go take them


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## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

from above 
from above - Album on Imgur


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## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

I just fed her a pea as well.


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## Wildsho (Jan 24, 2016)

It does not look like she has dropsy, make sure you are soaking the pellets in the tank water for 15 minutes before feeding them to her, cause they expand in the stomachs, frozen daphnia makes them do a poo also for constipation.


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## Wildsho (Jan 24, 2016)

You can also feed her 4 pellets soaked and split them up between day/afternoon and see how she does, overfeeding her can cause problems in the stomach.


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## kbraz303 (Oct 15, 2016)

From what I can see in the above pictures she does not appear to be pineconing which is a obvious sign of dropsy. At this point it seems it is just swim bladder disease. do you spread out the feeding of the 5 pellets or feed them all at once? Did you fast her for a couple days before feeding her the pea?

Is she exhibiting any other unusual behaviors? for example, does she seem more lethargic than usual, is she swimming funny?

What is your tank temperature?


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## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

I usally do soak the pellets before I feed her but lately I havent so ill go back to soaking them first and split it up into 2 in the morning and 2 at night. 

I usally feed her all 5 pellets at once. Is that too many? 
No i didnt fast her before feeding the pea. I wont be feeding her anything else tonight though. 
She seems to be a bit more lethargic than usual. A few days ago she was almost constantly glass surfing now she is sitting on the bottom a lot more. Still swimming a lot though. 
The tank is at 26C


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## Wildsho (Jan 24, 2016)

i was feeding my guy 4 soaked pellets in the mornings but now i'm going to change just in case things go bad, 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. she may be stressed out because she is constipated, i usually give my guy frozen daphnia before i fast him, you should try get some daphnia and feed her a tiny bit and then fast her the next day.


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## Wildsho (Jan 24, 2016)

It's also a good idea to alternate different types of food instead of feeding dried every single day.


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## mmckmg (May 2, 2015)

She is looking so much better after eating that pea last night. She was carrying it around the tank too and throwing it at my ramhorn snail :grin2:

Ill start soaking the pellets and separate it between morning and night. 

I dont think i can get frozen Daphnia here in Australia. At least I havent seen it at all. Do you have any other suggestions about non-dry food? I was thinking about getting her some bloodworms.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

I lost a fish this weekend to dropsy-only had her for 8 days (another at the store had dropsy so I think employees contaminated others when doing feed/water change). She only accepted food once in 8 days but always looked like she had eaten, then finally pine coned (scales pushed out from body) confirming dropsy so I euthanized her.


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