Firetail

Question
My son got a Beta for his birthday and it has developed a buldge it is chest/stomach area. He is still eating and still playing in the bubbles (its favorite thing to do!) but he randomly will just float at the top like he has died, then just starts swimming around again. I don't have a lot of money to spend but I would hate to break my sons heart and not do anything. Do you know what may be wrong, and a non expensive way to treat the problem?

Answer
Samantha,
It sounds like swim bladder disease. This is usually brought on by over feeding.The Betta's stomach is the size of his eye and does not need more than 3 food pellets a day.  The swim bladder is what keeps the fish swimming horizontally keeping them buoyant. When they are over fed, it causes the swim bladder to stop up making it hard for the fish to swim. When this happens, the fish usually become constipated and that is why we feed the pea. It is a natural laxative for fish.  Luckily, the treatment is cheap. Fast him for 2 days. On the third day, feed him a shelled cooked pea, cut into bite size pieces. Make sure you do not feed him the shell of the pea because he cannot digest it. Once you give him the pea, fast him again for 2 days. This should fix the problem. To help prevent swim bladder disease, do not over feed, and fast your Betta once a week following with the shelled cooked pea.