Swim Bladder Disorder???

Question

Jack   QUESTION: My betta fish is bloated. I went online and found out it could be constipation. He is right now floating in the water, on his side, at the very top. He tries to swim down but winds up floating back up.

His home holds like 7 or 8 cups of water. Could be more. I know, I know, it's small and not such a good living area. But, I cannot afford a tank, or a filter. I change his water every three days, conditioner and all. I read I should fast him for three days and see if there is improvement. Then, feed him a pea.

What else could I do to treat him? If I were to use salt, how much for like 6 cups of water? I feed him 2-3 pellets of food a day. Is this too much or too little? How much should I feed him? I will have more variety in his diet after all of this is over. I'm thinking flakes? How do bloodworms work? I really don't want to go through the whole touching live worms thing. Where could I find them and how do they come?

Are there any other tips you can give me? Anything I should know?

Ps: I really agree with you. Bettas are really good companions. I swear he knows when I am walking towards him, to feed him or something. With him, I used to have two. But the other died. I was misinformed on how to take care of them. And when I found out the proper way, it was too late. The one I have know is red, and his name is Jack, like Jack Sparrow? I really love him and I don't want to lose him. Please help me. I felt so bad when the other one died. He was blue and his name was Adam, for Adam Lambert :). but, really, please help me.

ANSWER: Hi Bianca,
Jack has Swim Bladder Disease.  I can see this by the size of his tummy which is just under his chin.  You must treat him right away, as Swim Bladder will lead to Dropsy, and Dropsy is very hard to cure if not impossible.  Feed him a frozen cooked pea, with the outer layer removed, feed him nothing else for one day.  He must waste.  Buy "Kanamycin" or "Tetracycline" or "Furan-2."  Follow the directions on the package, and be very careful not to overdose.  Do not wait to medicate him as this disease will progress quickly.  
Bettas should have one pea a week, and on the day you feed him the pea, feed him nothing else.  On other days feed him 2-3 times a day in small amounts.  2 pellets or 2 flakes for one meal.
Their tummy is the size of their eye so we must be careful not to overfeed them.
Swim Bladder is caused by overfeeding, and poor diet.
Here is a list of food that the betta should have:
Betta Pellets
Betta Flakes
Plankton Flakes
Daphnia ( This food is very important as it helps him with his digestive system.)
Bloodworms ( Feed them to him two-three times a week as a treat.  You can find these at the pet store.  Dry or Frozen.)  You would like the dry ones, they are very small, not like earthworms. They look like small threads.
Mealworms
Glassworms
Frozen Brine Shrimp
The more you vary, the healthier he will be.  Good food, and clean water go a long way in preventing disease.
I know you cannot go out, and buy all of these foods at once, but buy the pellets, then the daphnia, and bloodworms.  Then when you can afford to buy more, buy him a different kind.  Food for bettas last a long time.  Keep his food in the fridge so that it will stay fresh.
Never add salt when a fish has Swim Bladder Disease.  Wait till he is better, then you can add 1/4 teaspoon of diluted aquarium salt.
A little more on the betta...
Whenever you have the chance, buy him a bigger tank.  Bettas should be in 5 gallon heated tanks with a silk plant to lie on, and a toy to go through.  When heating water for a betta, you must do this  very very slowly.  One degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature to quickly would be deadly.  His water should be 80-82 degrees.  If you look on the net, sometimes you can find tanks very cheap, and sometimes people give them away.  There are different sites that you can look up.  I'm from Canada, so I look up "Kjiji" put in your province, and you will see there are lots of stuff on this site that you can find for a small sum.
I hope he gets better quickly, and yes, I know just how attached we get to these little fish!!
Lynda


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

QUESTION: Thanks so much! I actually could not go to buy him the peas that night. Like half an hour later, when I went to check on him, he was already... well.. pooping. And his swelling went down almost immeadeatly. I was amazed.

Where can I find the bloodworms and daphnia? Is there any store like PetSupermarket or Petco that sells it? And what is daphnia?

Bianca

Answer
Hi Bianca,
You are very welcome..
You can find bloodworms, and daphnia at any pet store.  Most sell them dried, or frozen.  Daphnia ia a small water flea.  Continue to feed him one pea every week, so that he can clean out his system.
I'm happy that your little friend is better.
Lynda