beta fish inactive

Question
Just about a week or so ago I noticed one of my betas began to get a bubble like swelling behind his gills. I am not sure what to do. He won't really eat anymore. I have two betas in the same tank separated by a divider and the other one seems to be fine. The main heat for the tank is from the lamp and the tank is also filtered.

Answer
Hello Kelly-

Bloated bellies are caused by overfeeding or by a condition called dropsy. Since your fish has stopped eating, I suspect dropsy, which is unfortunately fatal in fish once it has developed. :(  Are the scales raised up slightly, like a pinecone? If so, your little one has advanced dropsy.

Most affected fish can live very long and seem perfectly normal up until the day they pass on. I had a female betta who lived months with dropsy and seemed normal right until she died.

There's really only one treatment for dropsy: Epsom salt. Add some to the water, and hopefully it will reduce the swelling caused by retention of fluids. A diet of peas may also help reduce the swelling. There really isn't a cure, I'm afraid, but you can try treating the symptoms.

Hope this is useful,
Amber Worman