constipted female betta fish

Question
QUESTION:

  I have a female betta fish in a 1 gallon fish bowl. She is showing all of the signs of being constipated. She won't eat, she can't swim correctly and she lays on the bottom of her bowl. I would like to try to bathe her on epsom salt. My question is how long do I leave her in the epsom salt water?

ANSWER: Hello,
Your betta has Swim Bladder disease.   This disease is caused by poor diet which leads to constipation, then Swim Bladder.  I have never had any good results with epsom salts, although some experts say that it does work, it has never worked for me.  I have never had good results with epsom salts.  This is my opinion.  I find that it stresses the fish, and sometimes makes her/him more sick.  The right dosage is one teaspoon to a gallon of water, and you leave her in this for 10 minutes.
If you can get her to eat a frozen cooked pea, it would be much better.  Cook a frozen pea, remove the outer layer, cut it into small pieces, and feed this to your Betta.  If she eats the pea, she should waste.  Feed her nothing else for the next two days.  If she refuses to eat the pea, and the epsom salts do not work, you will have to treat her.  "Kanamycin" is very good for Swim Bladder Disease, but it is sometimes hard to find.  If you cannot find it, buy Tetracycline, or furan2.  Never overdose.  Ask the manager of the Pet Store how much to put in your one gallon tank.  

Here is some information on Betta Fish that may interest you:


Bettas need 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.
In their habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but they have lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
They need a heated tank.  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  They are tropical fish, and are cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember  when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 (one) degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast would kill your Betta.)  The temperature should always be stable.  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.  
They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   One teaspoon to five gallons of diluted aquarium salt may be added to his water, when a Betta is well.  
Aquarium salt helps them with stress, and helps with parasites.  However if a Betta is showing signs of a swollen tummy, salt should not be used.
They need a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one well cooked frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.    
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.  A frozen cooked pea a week keeps them from getting constipated.  Always remove the outer layer of the pea, and cut it into small pieces feeding it to your betta one piece at a time.
They should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that their tummy is the size of their eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.  If you do not have a filter, change all the water in his tank weekly.
Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank, but they are also aggressive towards each other, and the tank should be at least 30 gallons with many hiding places.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die two or three years after we have bought them.)
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
If you have anymore questions, do not hesitate to write me.
Lynda

You are very welcome.  I would like to mention, that you mustn't put a male Betta in with a female Betta, they could kill each other.  You must separate them, and they mustn't see each other as this causes them stress, and stress causes sickness.  I thought you should know this.
Lynda




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

QUESTION: No, I wouldn't but my male and female betta in the same tank. I have a question about the epsom salt. Do I add the salt to the water that she is already in?? How many times can I bathe her in it? I'm having a little trouble finding any of the medicines that you suggested. There's only one pet store in my area and they have hardly any medicines for fish. I feel so bad for my fish. She's sick because of my ignorance. Is she suffering?

Answer
Hello,
I would try to feed her a cooked frozen pea.  Remember to remove the outer layer,  You may try to tease her a little with little pieces of the pea.  I know that Bettas are not easy to feed, but some do like the pea when it is cut into little pieces, and fed to them one piece at a time.  Do not feed her anything else for 2 days.
I would hate to think that that fish suffer.  That is a question I cannot answer.  I hope that they don't, but I think that sometimes they do when they are not kept in the right environment, like we would suffer if we didn't have warm clothes to wear in cold weather, or had to wear sweaters in hot weather...etc.  Fish have feelings too, and are intelligent.  Sometimes I think they have the 10 commandments in their heads.  We must do our best to keep them in an environment that resembles their habitat, and feed them what they should eat.  
For now, you can only do your best to help him.  Change all his water, and try the epsom salts twice a day...and hope he pulls through.  Ten minute baths...  I will say a little prayer for him.
Lynda