Betta fish and fresh water tank mates

[divinebeast]

recently i had put my male betta in with 2 danio's and 2 cory cats. everything was fine they got along really well. the next day however my betta had a very swollen abdomen. all i could figure was that he was eating too much of their flakes so i put him back into his solitairy tank. this concerns me considering i was planning on getting some betta felmaes for the bigger tank and am afraid they will experience the same thing as my male. the only difference between the tanks was that the bigger tank has a filter. any suggestions would be great.

[Lupin]

Your betta's abdomen may be full of air as it was fed with flakes that often float. Try to get a pinch of flakes and release them underwater rather than drop them which will eventually float.

[divinebeast]

:D that sounds good to me because i really want him in the tank with the other fish. I don't care what ppl say to me bettas need room to swim.
I also had another question. I use stuff for bettas to treat the water. can i also use the water conditioners for my other fish in the same tank?

[Stacey]

Yes, you can use the same water conditioner for bettas as you do for any other fish. If you're talking about another additive, (like black water extract) then yes, that is also fine for other fish.

[MattD]

My Betta's abdomen is also large. I don't think this is too bad for them, mine is still very active and has a big appetite. I feed him freeze-dried bloodworms, he won't eat the flakes. He also has a chubby belly but that's good I guess.

[divinebeast]

:( so i put my betta back into the tank with the danios and cories but ended up taking him out again for the same swollen abdomen problem. when he is in his own tank his belly goes back to normal. i guess he is destine to live a solitary exsistance poor fellow. he seems so happy in the bigger tank.
also i asked about the water conditioner because i have already treated the bigger tank with the betta stuff i was worried if i put in the other conditioner it might harm my fish.

[MattD]

You're overreacting I think. His abdomen is fine.

And try to remember, a betta isn't any different than any other fish. The same products can be used on him the same way they are the others. If something is marked 'Betta water conditioner', it's just being marketed to the people who own Bettas in their little betta bowls etc.. These chemicals are essentially the exact same as the other conditioners. Same goes with 'Betta food', they're just either bloodworms or crumbles.

[nvmyluv420]

are you sure that your betta isnt puffing him self up and your just thinking that his belly is swollen. i have a rather large betta and when i introduced fish to him he had what seems like the same problem. your actually causeing more stress on him by moving him back and forth between the tanks. as far as air goes bettas have to surface for air and its not going to get stuck anywere exapecially the belly. its seems to me that he is either constipated or hes trying to make him self look bigger so the other fish leave him alone. im pretty sure youve seen this befor there fins flare out and there gills flop foword, while this is happening they use air to puff there bodies up a bit. how long have you had him in weith other fish? it took almost a month for my guy to fully adjust to his new friends. if you rule this out try giving him so peas for constipation.

[MattD]

It's true that you're probably causing your Betta stress by constantly relocating him. Think about it for a second. Your tank is more than enough space, the parameters check out, he's getting fed well, and he's not being stressed out by other aggressive fish. He can't help but be healthy at this point (provided he doesn't have a disease, but by now you'd know). I'd say the worst thing that could be happening to him is constipation. Feed him something high in fiber and he'll crap out a storm for ya. :D :D

[Falina]

Originally Posted by MattD

You're overreacting I think. His abdomen is fine.

And try to remember, a betta isn't any different than any other fish. The same products can be used on him the same way they are the others. If something is marked 'Betta water conditioner', it's just being marketed to the people who own Bettas in their little betta bowls etc.. These chemicals are essentially the exact same as the other conditioners. Same goes with 'Betta food', they're just either bloodworms or crumbles.

The only exception here is that bettas are sensitive to melafix. A product exists called bettafix but this is just melafix watered down. Use melafix at 1/5 the usual dose and you'll be fine if ever you need to use it.