Sick Swollen betta, Please Help!

Question
QUESTION: Hello Ron,

While i am saying this, i am about to cry, The betta i have(Blooms) is a very cute and he has been with me for about 6 Months. My mom was feeding him evry day two times and 4-5 pellets every day and today i have noticed a slight swelling into his neck area. I started to cry because i love him so much. He is a pale colored and he very active. I don't know what's the case so we cleaned the tank right after we knew something is wrong. So tell me if you need more onfo, we clean his tank 100% every month and sometime sooner. i am really scared. HELP ME NOW!

ANSWER: Hi Sarvani,
 Bettas can naturally be a little swollen in the neck as they mature so there isn't necessarily anything wrong with him.  

 That said, you need to clean his tank much more often.  Far better than cleaning 100% once a month would be to clean 50% twice a month. Even better (and what I recommend) is to change 25% of his water once a week, every week.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>


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

QUESTION: Really? Are you sure?it doesn't look that, he looks perfectly fine but i am a little afraid, i was just wondering if it was dropsy or something,please tell me more, but thanks for making me feel better.

Answer
Hi Sarvani,
  Dropsy isn't a disease, it is a symptom.  There are lots of reasons that a fish might look a little larger one day from the next.  If the scales are standing up, that is something else, and a sure sign of disease.  

  Water changes are the key to fishkeeping so be diligent.

  I can't say for sure that nothing is wrong with him (remember I can't see him) but all I can say is that there isn't necessarily anything wrong with him.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>