# Problem with betta



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

Hello.i have a problem.My male betta(veil tail) had tail rot.i was giving him mellafix for a week.i stoped before 2 days cause his tail now is much better.He is in a 2 gallon tank(10 litre) with thermostat.all tis days i didi not gave him a lot of food... only a bit once a day.
yesterday after finished with mellafix i show that his stomach is white and too BIG (i do not know if all betta have this colore there!)
WHY IS TOO BIG? it wasn't too big before.is this a problem ?please help.
no2=0
ph=7.5

nh4=0.5mg/l


----------



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

I find that fin-rot is best cured by water changes! Lots of water changes.

Are his scales poking out?


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

you mean his gills?
not very much ...
but he did not eat a lot and now he is with very big stomach..it is a kind of bacterial?do not know!!
any answeres?????????????????????????


----------



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

No. Are his scales poking out was the question. Scales sticking out, or "pineconing" is a symptom of dropsy, an infection.


----------



## WildForFish (Aug 5, 2008)

Hello lospci,

Is it possible for you to get a picture of the betta?

WFF


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

wildforfish i will upload a foto...

julie ty for the answere..
i do not know where the scale is at his body to see if there is an infection..


----------



## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

It might be overfeeding that's causing his stomach to swell...or gas...or dropsy...


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

is it dropsy????what should i do?
i reapet that he is in a tank 10 litre=1.5-2 gallon
without a filter but with thermostat


----------



## micstarz (Oct 22, 2005)

Search for "bloated betta" and "dropsy betta" in google pictures...I think the difference is the swelling...in a bloated betta it's more of a tummy bulging downwards where in dropsy it also bulges out at the sides...as well as the pinecone effect.


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

ok thanks.
what should i do now??


----------



## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

Dropsy basically means organ failure, and can occur from any form of feeding. It's *very* common in Betta's, who have been bread for coloration, and not for biological superiority. It is believed to be from parasites or bacteria, which is why live foods are generally to blame, but it has been reported with flake as well, so we aren't really sure where it comes from. If this is dropsy, the fish will die in 10/20 days. There is nothing you can really do about it. Because of the outcome of the disease, it's pretty easy to tell whether the fish actually has dropsy or not. 

Reduce the feeding by 1/3 to 1/2. A rule is that you only feed them what they can eat in 2 minutes (if they are healthy). In your case, I would cut that by 1/2, so 1 minute. If the swelling goes down, congrats, you have a healthy fish again. Slowly bring his feeding back up to a normal level, because an overfeeding right after the fish gets back to normal will cause the bloat to relapse, and probably worse than before. This is not the worst bloat I have seen. Google "bloated betta", and you get some pretty nasty pictures of what looks like a fish who swallowed a balloon.

If it turns out to be dropsy, I'm sorry for your loss.


Link for a decent page on Dropsy.


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

Sea-Agg2009 said:


> Dropsy basically means organ failure, and can occur from any form of feeding. It's *very* common in Betta's, who have been bread for coloration, and not for biological superiority. It is believed to be from parasites or bacteria, which is why live foods are generally to blame, but it has been reported with flake as well, so we aren't really sure where it comes from. If this is dropsy, the fish will die in 10/20 days. There is nothing you can really do about it. Because of the outcome of the disease, it's pretty easy to tell whether the fish actually has dropsy or not.
> 
> Reduce the feeding by 1/3 to 1/2. A rule is that you only feed them what they can eat in 2 minutes (if they are healthy). In your case, I would cut that by 1/2, so 1 minute. If the swelling goes down, congrats, you have a healthy fish again. Slowly bring his feeding back up to a normal level, because an overfeeding right after the fish gets back to normal will cause the bloat to relapse, and probably worse than before. This is not the worst bloat I have seen. Google "bloated betta", and you get some pretty nasty pictures of what looks like a fish who swallowed a balloon.
> 
> ...




thank you very much!what should i give him for food?i have bloodworms..is that ok?

should i buy a filter?


----------



## Sea-Agg2009 (Aug 2, 2008)

In a tank that small, you can do a small air-pump filter that goes in the tank. Any of these will work. Blood worms are one of the major culprits when looking for causes of dropsy. I would mix in some betta pellets. Maybe swap between these two.


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

perhaps the fish needs to poop?
give him a microwaved pea without the skin if he has not gone to bathroom for a few days.


----------



## eterry (Dec 7, 2008)

Keep the tank clean. I would add a small amount of aquarium salt. You could try a vitamin like VitaChem. These things will help with bacterial and parasites. Also, if you are feeding pellets, then soak the pellet in water to make it softer before you feed. I would fast(stop feeding) the fish for a few days and be sure not to overfeed him when I started feeding again. If it is intestinal or overfeeding then that can help. If it's dropsy, then it's basically impossible to cure. It's a common cause for betta's to die and I've never found information on a cure that works. If the scales start to pinecomb alot then you will know that it's dropsy. This is a problem with bettas and not so much fish keepers.


----------



## lospci (Dec 15, 2008)

my betta is much better now after these days..
ty you al for your advises


----------



## Allie72 (Dec 22, 2008)

lospci said:


> my betta is much better now after these days..
> ty you al for your advises


Sound like he was a bit constipated.
Drospy & fin rot are is a secondary infection due to a internal infection either bacterial or parasites. Best treated with a bit a salt in the water and Maracyn Two or a product equal to it. :fun:
I find when they get to the pine coning phase of drospy it's usually fatal. :-(


----------

