Female Betta Problems

Question

Penelope   QUESTION: Hi,

I have a female betta who I am getting really concerned about. She is in a 5 gallon tank with my male betta (they are separated by a black divider). About two months ago I noticed that she was with eggs. I decide not to breed because I did not have the proper equipment for it. I asked around and I was informed that it was okay to leave her as she was because she would either reabsorb the eggs or release them, which she did about three weeks ago. However, in the meantime she was not eating as much. I figure she was too tired and things would change after the eggs were gone, but she still didn't eat after that. My male betta was perfectly fine and ate everything I fed him. (I feed them a pinch a day except Saturdays so they could have a chance to clear their stomachs). I called my local Petco and they recommended that I change her food, so I got Freeze Dried Bloodworms and noticed that she ate that more willingly then the Betta Flakes I was originally feeding her. This made me very happy, however she is still struggling. She lost a lot of color. She is very skinny. She swims awkwardly and unbalanced. She often lays at the bottom of the tank on her side or horizontally. When I put food in she might notice and other times I have to gently tap the glass to get her moving, but she always seems to have a hard time and by the time she gets to the top she starts sinking back down. When people see her they ask me if she is dead, which is not the case and hopefully it won't be. Do you know what could be wrong with her? Is this normal for females after releasing eggs? What do you recommend I do?

Please get back to me as soon as you can.
Thank you very much,
Sasha

ANSWER: Sasha,
In the photo it looks like she is bloated. The female will either absorb or release the eggs. Sometimes they get egg bound, but I do not think that is the problem. Feeding flakes, even though they say they are for Betta's, is not good for them. Feeding only freeze dried blood worms is also not good. Get a good quality pellet food made for Betta's. This will be much better for them. Also get them frozen blood worms. Giving them a variety of food is better for them. Feed the pellet food as a staple, and add the other once a week. For the female, fast her for 2 days. On the third day, feed her a cooked shelled pea, cut into bite size pieces, and then fast for 2 days again. I think she has swim bladder disease. The swim bladder is what keeps the fish in the right position and keeps them able to swim. When they have problems with the swim bladder they will lay on their sides, swim sideways, or even upside down. Make sure they have a heater since they are tropical fish. Their water has to be at 80 degrees at all times. Let me know how she is doing once you have fed her the pea. If you have questions on pea feeding, just let me know.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi again,

I did the fast for two days that you recommended and on the third day I tried to feed her the peas; however, she did not eat it at all. This was on Sunday. She is in a state where she does not move for hours and she lies more still at the bottom of the tank than ever before. I honestly taught she was dead the other night, but when I looked closer I saw that she was breathing even though it was very slowly. The only indication of movement I know of is when I leave, come back and find her in a new place at the bottom of the tank and she is still on her side or anchored diagonally. I tried the peas again today and still no luck. What do you think I should do now?

Thanks,
Sasha

Answer
Sasha,
Do they have a heater? If they do, what is it set at? If they don't, then they need to have one. Try an Epson salt bath for the female. Dissolve 1 teaspoon Epson salt to one gallon of water. Make sure this bath is the same temperature as the tank. Let her swim in that for no longer than 10 minutes. Make sure you are with her the whole time so you can remove her right away if she starts to have problems. Do this twice a day for a few days and see if that helps her. Make fresh Epson salt water every time. DO NOT use the same water twice. Let me know about the heater.