Is it bloat?

[MorganC2010]

Hello, this is my first post to the forum and I hope to get some help with my betta Tiberius. here is the info:

Housing
What size is your tank? A little more than 2 gallons
What temperature is your tank? 80F
Does your tank have a filter? No
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? No
Is your tank heated? No
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? None

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? I rotate Freeze dried Blood worms and TetraBetta Floating Mini Pellets
How often do you feed your betta fish? 2 bloodworms in the morning and 2-3 pellets at night

Maintenance
How often do you perform a water change? Once a week
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 100%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change? Start Right Complete Water Conditioner

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? No.

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? He seams to be a little bloated above his pelvic fins. I just noticed this yesterday morning.
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? It hasn’t changed at all.
When did you start noticing the symptoms? Yesterday morning, so July 6th.
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)? I have had him for aprox. 2 ½ weeks.



I am not sure if it is bloat because he seems just as active and happy as normal. I have noticed a new bulge where his pelvic fins attach to his body, it also has a very slight brown color to that area. I saw poop in his bowl yesterday but I have not seen any yet today. I did change 100% of his tank water today, thursdays are the day I have been changing it.

Here is a picture of the area I think is a problem with an arrow pointing to it,
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14...gurl/bloat.jpg

Please let me know what you guys think.

[newbie32]

Hmmm...if it is bloat, you could try fasting your fish for a day or so. It doesn't sound like constipation. I can't really explain the brown patch though.

I think you need to have an additional water change one more time per week considering the size of your tank and the fact that there is no filter. Water quality leads to a lot of fish problems. Perhaps a 50% change. Do you have gravel in your tank? If so, you should vaccuum out some of the debris with one of your water changes. For example, I have a 10 gal and I do a 50-60% change once a week and vaccuum my gravel. I also check the ammonia fairly regularly to make sure there isn't an ammonia build up for some reason.

It says you have no heater, investing in a heater for small tanks is a very good idea. Bettas need a consistent water temperature to really thrive. There are some really good mini heaters for small tanks. I have read that people really recommend the hagen mini-elite. Someone out there, please correct me if I'm wrong about the name.


Also, welcome to the forum!!!

[MorganC2010]

Ok thanks for the info. I just have a few questions, when I change the water I change 100% and thoroughly rinse the gravel, should I still get a gravel vacuum? Also would changing the water twice a week be too stressful for him if I am changing that much water?

[newbie32]

With a tank so small, it is pretty necessary to make sure that ammonia and nitrites don't build up. Smaller tank, quicker it builds up. You can siphon out the water and that causes less stress. I take my betta out. At first he was stressed, but I think he's just used to it now. Doesn't seem to bother him too much.

I suppose if you really clean the gravel, the vaccuum isn't necessary. You vaccuum just to get out the waste and debris left by the fish and such. I think that's fine, but someone with more knowledge should chime in if I'm wrong.

[MorganC2010]

Thanks for your help! I just want to get a few more opinions, I want to make sure it isn't bloat.

[Kestral]

It looks like a bloat... I'm no expert, though.
If it is a bloat, I suggest putting one tsp of epsom salt per gallon. That's what I've collected from around the forum. :D
I'm new to this, so someone please correct me if I am wrong.

[fightergirl2710]

Yes, it looks like he ate like a piggy alright! Lol..
Before you try the epsom salt method that Kestral said, I suggest just fasting him for a day to see if the bloating reduces. You can put him in a bare bottom tank to make sure he has passed waste. If it doesn't go down, try the epsom salt. You will have to do water changes everyday till the bloat reduces and the treatment can be stopped. Make sure that you feed him very little during this time. :) I think a day of fasting should work, it doesn't look serious...

[MorganC2010]

Thank you guys so much! I was gone for a while today and when I got home and checked on him the bulge already seems to be going down, I plan to fast him tonight into tomorrow. I will also try the epsom salts. Thanks again :)

[fightergirl2710]

You're welcome :) let us know if he's better tomorrow!

[roadrunner]

I think the freeze dried blood worms are the problem. They cause constipation and bloating. I had that problem before too. Freeze dried blood worms should be fed only as a treat, once every few days and not too many. You can get frozen and they can be fed more often. Try to fast your fish for few days (no food at all) and see if it helps. Also get some daphnia, it works like a natural laxative and will help with digesting. Please keep in mind that your betta stomach is only as big as its eye and fish can eat until they pop (literally)!
I feed my bettas 2-3 hikari microwaffers once or twice a day, one day a week no food and I alternate blood worms and daphnia every 4-5 days or so and I haven't had bloating problems in a very long time.
Also keeping water clean is important. In smaller container you should change 100% water and rinse everything. I used to fish out my bettas with the cup instead of net. It's not so stressful for them. Couple of them swam in the cup by themselves, because they knew, they are getting clean home.
I hope that helps