My fish is boated, i think

Question
Howdy, my beta fish has gotten REALLY fat over a period of time. But the weird thing is that his fat area looks clearish or like it is filled with water or something. I think he is dieing because he is laying on his ide right now. He lives in a small container, maybe 11in tall, ans 3 inches thick, no filter system, his tank has been set up ever since we got him which is probably about 9 months and he is one of the two we have. He is a male beta fish. Please help!

Answer
Hi Vickie;

To help the fluid drain from his body and hopefully give him some relief for now, add a pinch of epsom salts to his water. Not regular salt, it is different. Just the epsom salts that you buy at the drug store. Also lower the water level so he doesn't have to struggle to get to the top for air. It will conserve his energy for healing. He's a pretty sick little guy, so I don't know if any of my suggestions will help but hopefully he will feel better.

He may have an abcess. This means some kind of infection so he needs antibiotics if he has a chance to recover. Get either "Kanacyn" by Aquatronics or "Maracyn 2" by Mardel. Most fish stores carry them. They are the only ones that get inside the fish. Also raise the temperature of his tank to 80 or 82 degrees. Maybe a light next to it or a heating pad. Monitor it very carefully to be sure it stays safe. Water and electricity don't mix! Watch the temp too.

Followups welcome

At Your Service;
Chris Robbins

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