Bloated?

[flyingxchanges]

So Norton is looking a little "bloated". I don't know what it's from and I was wondering if anyone has any ideas. He has been hanging around the bottom of his tank more often. He hasn't had any issues swimming, and he still eats his food. I did reduce his food since I noticed his 'bloating', thinking that bloat really might be the issues. I've attached pictures and filled out the "sick betta form" lol Sorry the pictures aren't too good, I was just trying to give everyone an idea of the affected area and what it looks like.

Housing
What size is your tank? 3.3 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 78-80 F
Does your tank have a filter? No
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? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon betta pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 times a day (3-4 pieces a feeding, though I have reduced him since I noticed his "bloating")

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? 2 times a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 1 50% and 1 100%
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:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:
Hardness:
Alkalinity:

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He is 'bloated'
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? Hanging around the bottom of the tank more
When did you start noticing the symptoms? A week or two
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? No
Does your fish have any history of being ill? No
How old is your fish (approximately)? 6 months

[Purple]

Offer him a more diverse diet. My fish Sally had VERY bad bloat before I started mixing frozen brine shrimp into her diet instead of 100% pellets. Pellets are good and bettas need them, but they need varied diets just like people. A diet that only consists of pellets is like a human that only eats bananas. They're good for them, but they also need other nutrients.

I use Hikari's frozen brine shrimp cubes. Other people use bloodworms (they're more like a treat and shouldn't be the main part of their diet). Before you buy, read the label. If it doesn't mention being sterile or anything like that, DON'T buy them. Here is a great guide to betta food.

[Canuck Fins]

It sounds like you are doing the right things with your fish -- good cleaning schedule and temp and space. You may want to reduce his pellets to 2-3 per feeding and try fasting him one day per week once you get this current bout of bloating figured out. I would try fasting him now though and see if that makes a difference.

ETA: I sub blood worms for one feeding per week.

[lvandert]

it might be internal parasites although I can't see why he'd get them. I would start 1tsp epsom salt treatments. If it's bloat it'll help him poop, if its internal parasites it'll help those too

[flyingxchanges]

Thanks for all the advice! Is there a teaspoon/gallon ratio for the epsom salt? I just mix it right in the water, right?

[lvandert]

oh yeah 1 tsp per gallon. I guess I forgot the per gallon part lol. If it gets worse you can up it to 2 tsp per gallon. And I would mix it into a gallon and change out 25% of the water every half hour, so you don't shock the poor guy. If he's just constipated you could see poops as early as 2 hours after introducing the salt.

[Purple]

You could take out anything on the bottom of your tank to watch and make sure he poops.