A baby betta has a swollen belly!

[bethyMT]

My baby bettas came yesterday, all in good health. They were acclimated slowly and put in their tank at that time. Some ate yesterday, all of them ate breakfast and dinner today. I am feeding a small bit of pellets and flakes (alternating) that the breeder gave me.

PROBLEM: The boy I'm keeping, Mr. Sassypants (he's already a terror), now has a bloated belly! It is definitely his lower abdominal region, not a full-on bloat...I suspect constipation because he's a pig with the food, already. How do I treat a little baby (10 weeks old) for this? I know how to treat an adult betta, but not a baby, and I'd hate to lose Sassy because he can't poop.

TIA. I feel like a new mom again...not exactly comfortable and confident!

Housing
What size is your tank?20g
What temperature is your tank?81F
Does your tank have a filter?Yes
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration?No
Is your tank heated?Yes
What tank mates does your betta fish live with?His baby brothers and sisters

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish?Pellets and flakes given to me by the breeder
How often do you feed your betta fish?2x/day today, should be 3x/day

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change?50% every other day
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?Prime

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

Ammonia:0
Nitrite:0
Nitrate:5
pH:8
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed?Yes
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Not really
When did you start noticing the symptoms?This morning
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how?Nothing yet
Does your fish have any history of being ill?no
How old is your fish (approximately)?10 weeks

[sandybottom]

don't feed for a day. try daphnia or baby brine shrimp. they have a natural laxative. or try finely chopped peas, these will clear air out of system. cook, peal and chop or mash them up. bite sized pieces. these fish can be pigs. mine keeps stealing my snails algae wafers. and i thought they were full on carnivores. sometimes they just need a day off to cleanse their system.good luck.

[bethyMT]

Thank you for your advice. I also contacted the breeder, and he gave me similar advice. Will keep it in mind in case it happens again.

He looks much better this morning, and pooped while I was acclimating him to his permanent tank. A really big one (sorry if that's TMI). He is a piglet....he will be in the 10g by himself, so I can carefully monitor what he eats.

This boy, such a handful. I just love him.

[babystarz]

I agree with sandybottom on all counts but the pea; I'd be worried about that passing though a baby's digestive system.

Edit: Yay, glad to hear he bounced back :)

[sandybottom]

i only give them peas as a last ditch effort when they are extremely bloated as it forces the air from their systems otherwise they do have a bit of trouble digesting them regularly. great preventative medicine against bloat in many omniverous and herbiverous fish. mine don't get fed on sundays.i want to give their digestive system a rest.mine will try to eat everything. i have a snail to whom i try to feed algae tabs but my betta steals them and tries to gorge himself. this is after he has already been fed. greedy lil' water pig.