Slight bloating and paranoia

[AyalaCookiejar]

Yes, I'm probably just paranoid, but last night I noticed that my new betta, Bahari, looks like he is very slightly bloated, so I am fasting him today.

So I have a simple question. Does bloating usually get out of control quickly, or does it start off small? It's hard to compare him to my other betta because he is considerably smaller in size. I bought him on Tuesday. It sure doesn't look like he swallowed a marble, but he looks a little round in the belly. Should I be concerned?

I'll add pictures if necessary once I can get one.

[bethyMT]

Well, I can't say much about it, but if he's acting normally fasting him sounds like a good plan.

Oh, and I have the same paranoia...every time I see a fish with a biggish belly I think they're bloated and start to worry. Most often it is no big deal. I lost two female bettas, one to bloat/dropsy and one to a mystery illness; I totally understand watching your betta like a hawk and worrying about everything. Hopefully he will a. improve quickly, or b. you will find this is normal for him.

Good luck!!

[AyalaCookiejar]

Thank you! I haven't been able to watch him as much as I'd like because I worked today and i work all weekend. I have been hoping to catch a glimpse of his poo, to no avail.

I also forgot to mention the he was spending all of his time at the top of his tank!

But I just got off work an hour ago and now he seems to be going closer to the bottom of the tank. When I got here I had a mini freak out because I didn't see him! But he was just hanging out in his plant about halfway between the top and bottom of the tank.

[babystarz]

Usually bloating caused by food looks like a tiny ball right where the stomach sits, whereas general puffiness is not the same. If you ever have a betta who seems prone to intestinal bloating, feeding with frozen daphnia for a few days will aid in getting it under control. You may also consider switching to a smaller pellet size, like .5 mm New Life Spectrum instead of 1 mm. Smaller pellets are easier to digest.

If it just happens because your betta ate too much one day, fasting for a day as you're doing is a great idea. Many people also fast once or twice a week anyway, as fish in the wild do not find food every day.

The only time to be really worried is if your fish stops pooping and/or eating.

Oh also, there is a myth that it's a good idea to give frozen pea to a bloated betta. This does not help, bettas are carnivores, and they certainly don't benefit from eating peas.

Edit: just saw that you posted again. My guess is that your guy probably didn't have enough food in him at the pet store so it might take him a while to poop.

[AyalaCookiejar]

Well I was feeding him Aqueon pellets, which are MUCH smaller in size than my previous pellets. I fed him one on Tuesday and three on Wednesday and Thursday, none today. I also spread it out throughout the day, so he got one at a time.

His tank is currently not heated. My heater was supposed to arrive in the mail today, but now will not be here until Monday :( I figured that maybe it could have something to do with his room temp water. In any case, the bloating doesn't seem to have gotten better but it's not getting worse.

You also have to look very hard to see it. When the light hits him right, you can see the curvature of his round belly right where his pectoral fins are. I wasn't even sure if it was bloating, it's so hard to see! That's why I said I could just be paranoid :p