re betta

Question
I recently explained that my betta fish was bloating.  You suggested keeping him warm and using maracyn 2.  I keep a light by his water to keep his water warm and have been using the maracyn 3 for at least 5 days now and see no difference in him as yet.   would there be anything else i can do, or is it to late.  he is in a small tank, you know just a small betta tank.  this does not require testing ph, ammonia, etc.  i do use a water conditioner, but i stopped that while using the maracyn 2.  please help.  thanks  

Answer
Hi Randi;

Without seeng our original correspondence I don't know what I aready told you so I will give you everything I can remember about bloating and swelling in bettas;

Bloating can be from constipation, infection, organ failure, cancer, injury causing internal bleeding, etc. The Maracyn 2 can only work if the bloating is caused by a bacterial infection. If it is from organ failure or cancer, there isn't anything you can do for him I'm afraid. Often with organ failure, the fish will have a pinecone look because the scales are sticking out from fluid buildup. The most common cause of bloating is constipation. It can easily be fatal in fish but is the easiest cause to treat.

To treat constipation, the first thing to try is fasting. Don't feed him at all for 3 days. Hopefully he will feel better when he has a bowel movement or two. After a 3 day fast, a change of diet is in order. Feed him peeled green peas and no other foods for the next 3 days. Once he is having normal bowel movements you can start giving him tiny bits of regular food again. Bettas only need 3 or 4 pellets a day anyway, so feed one or two a day and keep up with the tiny chunks of peas too. Epsom salt baths are another option. I will include links to that info at the end of this letter.

His tank is very small so he needs a 100% water change at least twice a week. Infrequent water changes will cause weakness and illness. ALWAYS use a water conditioner when making water changes. It does not interfere with medications. If your tap water has chlorine or other toxic chemicals, not using a water conditioner can kill your fish quicker than the disease you are treating.

Here is more info on bloating, dropsy and constipation;

http://tinyurl.com/9ah5d
http://tinyurl.com/badoj
http://groups.msn.com/TheBettaObsession/epsomsaltbath.msnw
http://www.healthybetta.com/easymeds.html
http://www.bettatalk.com/betta_diseases.htm
http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article24.html

I hope he gets better soon......

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins