# Emergency!!! I don't know what's happening!



## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

Ok, so I just fed Claire my new betta. I fed her exactly how much I usually do, and this hasn't happened before. Her tummy got really big like a balloon, and she's floating. She tries to swim down, but she floats right back up. What's happening? Did she swallow air? What do I do? I'm so scared, please help!


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Bettas get constipated really easily. Take a frozen pea, thaw it, and remove the skin. Feed that to him, and he will be fine. Don't feed the betta for 3 days.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Also, with any scare, its a good time to do a water change.


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

What if I don't have any peas and can't get to the store anytime soon? Do they float when they are constipated?


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

I found some peas, but she's not eating the one I gave her.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

It could be a bacterial infection. I would give her an epsom salt bath which will help with constipation. You need to take the skin off the pea first and break it into little pieces. Treat her with betta revive or an antibacterial medicine. Just don't use bettafix or melafix or primafix. you may have overfed her. Don't feed her for 48 hours. Does she look extremely fat? You said in your pm that you could see eggs in her. If your talking about a fatness, that could be bloatation.


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## phlyergirl (Nov 6, 2011)

Can you get some frozen daphnia? She might be more willing to eat that. My bettas won't eat peas either. Are her scales sticking out at all?


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

if the scales are sticking out, then it could be fish tb.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Betta man said:


> if the scales are sticking out, then it could be fish tb.


No....... 
That is not Fish TB. Fish TB (Mycobacterium marinum) is a lot more rare than people give it credit for. Most of the time, people call it fish TB if they do not know what the disease is. The most obvious sign of real fish TB is a curved or crooked spine, and loss of scales. If you do have it in the tank, all of the fish are likely to get it. The only proven way to get rid of it, is to just start over. Euthanize the fish and bleach the tank. Also make sure to wear gloves when dealing with fish TB, as it is something that people can acquire. However, your fish does not have fish TB.

If the scales ARE poking out, it is more likely bloat (dropsy). Bloat is not a disease, but a symptom. The problems that cause bloat are:
-Females who can not lay their eggs
-Constipation
-Bacterial Infection
-Swim bladder infection
-Internal parasite

With that said, I stand by my diagnosis of constipation. It happens in bettas fairly commonly, and it is really easy to fix. If it wont eat the pea (smash the pea first) try feeding it some other vegetables/plants. If it still wont eat them, try daphnia, or spirinula brine shrimp. After that, dont feed him for a few days. He will get better. Some people add a bit of aquarium salt, since it is a muscle relaxant. 

Constipation is very common in bettas. I hear this exact same story all the time. Your fish will get better.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

it should get better.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

My vote also goes to gas. Don't feed anything at all for few days and it should work itself out. I say that because if it's something worse, it's probably already too late to do anything about it anyway, so you might as well hope for the best. Gas is a certainty; the question is what is causing it.


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## Guest (Jan 26, 2012)

I agree with bmlbytes. Don't feed your betta for a few days. Then feed the pea, she will be hungry by then and will eat the pea. The pea will help clean things out of the bettas system.

Don't worry, bettas are hardy fish and can withstand just about anything. Bettas can go about a week without food and be just fine. Mods: please correct me if I am wrong.


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## DeborahP (Nov 8, 2011)

Agree with bmlbytes...we lost all our fish in our tank last year due to fish TB. We bought two Glo-Fish danios from WalMart...UGH. They infected the whole tank...what a nightmare that was. They all had twisted spines and missing scales...so heartbreaking! Learned a hard lesson...don't buy from Walmart and quarantine....I almost decided to give up fishkeeping after that


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

yeah it could be gas. A pea should fix that too.


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## GloFish1999 (May 14, 2011)

She is all better! She ate the pae after about 20 minutes... She is swimming around like normal! Thanks for all the help!


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

good!!! I thought it was bloatation. Be careful not to over feed her!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Feed only small amounts at a time and a sinking pellet is better than floating. Once it happens, it seems more likely to happen again. Don't panic, fish usually pull through.


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Lol betta man, what is "bloatation"? That word made me laugh  If you say it out loud, it sounds hilarious.

Anyway glofish, I'm glad to hear your fish is better. It's a scary symptom for something so minor.


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## Betta man (Mar 25, 2011)

bloating. lol it does sound kinda funny.


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## Kimberly (Jan 22, 2012)

Yay! Glad she is better!


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## DeborahP (Nov 8, 2011)

YAY! Another great use for a bag of frozen peas besides a black eye! Love a success story!!!!:fish::fish::fish:


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

if you feed your fish a good "varied" diet you shouldn't have any problems with bloat or constipation....i always keep spirulina flake and vegetable flake in my feeding rotation...


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## Guest (Jan 28, 2012)

YAY! Glad your betta is all better. Another thing if you fast her for one day a week at least she won't get swim bladder issues. My doubletail betta had swim bladder issue before and I fed him a few peas, he recovered and hasn't developed swim bladder again. This can go for bloat, constipation, etc. I fast my bettas once a week to prevent them from having issues.

Again I am glad that your betta is all better.

DeborahP: Your betta in your avatar is very pretty!


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