So I posted three weeks ago because my betta was acting ill. I've since been keeping him in a hospital jar, and following the advice given to me in that thread, which was to do every-other-day 100% water changes with new epsom salts and Maracyn each time. He's eating and pooping like a champ, and is mostly energetic and engaged when I walk by (he seems to really like the string of christmas lights I have strung near where his tank is). But he's still as round as he was when he first started to get ill, and I'm not sure if there's still something wrong or if that's just how he looks at this point in his life. I tried to get a good picture, but I don't know that it comes across well in what I got.
It honestly looks like he swallowed a small ball of some sort, his belly is that spherical and stretched-looking. But it's also sort of translucent, and light definitely comes through it in a way that it DOESN'T through the rest of his body. Is this normal?
I would stop feeding him altogether. Pre mix 2 tsp of epsom salt to each gallon of his hospital jar (mix it before adding him, the crystals need to dissolve first). The epsom and fasting should alleviate the pressure, no food for at least 3 days or until swelling goes down.
The fasting and Epsom salt treatment that Laki described will hopefully take care of it.
Also, don't add the Epsom salt solution to his hospital tank all at once. Add it slowly, bit by bit, so that he can get acclimated to it.
Then, when you do a 100% water change every-other-day, you can just add the Epsom salt to the new water, at the same time that you add the water conditioner..... Make sure it's completely dissolved..... And then do the 'usual' acclimation process.
@AlphaBetta1 - He's swimming just fine, all over the place, resting at the bottom sometimes, but he's always done that.
@Laki and @LittleBlueFishlets - I've been using the epsom salts for three weeks now, and he was being fasted for a week of that time plus at least a week before that. I would think if it was going to help it would have by now. :\ But I'll go back to fasting him and see if it helps, I guess.
Sorry, I do see that you mention Epsom salt and Maracyn in your original post.
Have you been using both of these for three weeks??? My box of Maracyn says to treat once for 5 days, but if needed, just one additional treatment (of another 5 days) can be done. That would be 10 days total....
So he's eating and pooping, and his energy level are is OK. But he still has that bulge.... Sorry, I don't know....
If you don't get any more replies or advice on this thread, you could try PMing someone like Callistra, OFL, Sakura, or Shellieca.
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