Swim Bladder

Question
I think my betta fish has a swim bladder disease? I was reading some of the other questions on your site and I'm pretty sure that's what's wrong with him. Now I'm wondering, what can I do to make it better? From what I've read it doesn't seem to be fatal but is he going to be floating around like this for the rest of his life? I just didn't know if there was anything I could do to help my fish! Thanks!

Answer
Hi Mary,
Swim bladder disease/disorder is common with bettas. And it is usually due to diet problems. Such as too much food at each feeding, constipation, not enough variety, ect... Most cases involve a blockage that puts pressure on the swim bladder.

Have you noticed if he looks a little bloated than usual, or has trouble passing waste?

Even if you don't it doesn't hurt to treat first as a diet-triggered swim bladder issue since this is most common and the treatment is harmless and good as a precaution.

The first step is to fast the fish for a day and then offer a bit of a green pea that's been thawed and mashed. Feeding that on the end of a blunt tooth pick works well.

Some bettas won't accept it well at first but many do in fact. Keep trying if yours is the picky type.

If he seems bloated or has trouble passing waste then you could also try treating him with the epsom salt treatment. Usually dosage goes for about 1/8 teaspoon divided into 5 equal parts and roughly one part per gallon. It seems to doesn't hurt to continue treating with epsom salt for as long as the fish shows symptoms.

There are lots of other things that can cause swim bladder disorder like internal disorders, tumors, cysts, bruising of the swim bladder and other injuries. It don't feel comfortable advising about those other conditions yet because we aren't sure what it is caused by.

You can look here for more info on swim bladder, the many causes, and the treatments.

http://flippersandfins.net/SwimbladderDisease.htm


Hopefully you can get your little betta recovered fully and all that is needed is a diet change. Pellets are often to blame, they are just too dry and often don't go well with the fishes digestive system. Flakes tend to be trouble free in most cases. Also supplementing with frozen foods like bloodworms, brine shrimp and other small frozen foods is ideal.


Best of luck!
Karen~