Swim Bladder Disorder Question Followup

Question
QUESTION: Hi, Karen -
I have an approximately three-year old betta who appears to have a swim
bladder disorder.  Following some of your previous advice that you had
posted I had my fish fast for 48 hours and lowered the water level in his
bowl. After I did that, for the past two weeks I have been feeding him one
hulled, mashed pea two times a day.  He will eat varying amounts when I feed
him.  During this time he has become less lethargic and is able to swim to the
top of the bowl.  However, though not as severe, he still has issues
maintaining his equilibrium while swimming and still appears to be
constipated.  Also, before we started treating him we had noticed his odd
swimming behavior for a couple of weeks but didn't realize that there was a
problem, so we didn't start treating him as soon as we should have.  Is there
anything else I should be doing (or not doing) or should I simply continue
with how I'm treating him?  Also, is it unusual for the treatment to take this
long in order for him to recover?  Thanks very much for your help.


ANSWER: Hi Carol,
Since your betta is quite old, he will have a harder time recovering from illnesses and disorders. He may have a deformed swim bladder, or it may just not functioning as use to when he was younger. Some bettas are prone to just have re-occurring swim bladder issues but I think you are doing a good job already. You say he still seems to be constipated? Some bettas take a long time to get back to normal again. I hear Daphnia (a frozen food) can help constipation as well. Brine shrimp should also too. You could also try some epsom salt in his water. About 1/8 teaspoon divided in 5 equal parts and one part per gallon is the dosage.

Best of luck and here's an article on swim bladder that may help you out further-
http://flippersandfins.net/SwimbladderDisease.htm

Best of luck!
Karen`


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

QUESTION: Hi, Karen -
Thanks again for your quick and very helpful response to my question.  
Before my husband and I had a chance to implement any of your advice,
however, we witnessed our fish having a bowel movement - yay!!   That said,
this was a few days ago (around November 2) but when we changed his water
a couple of days later we didn't notice any more droppings.   Is it normal for a
betta to go for days without a bowel movement or is it possible he's still
constipated?  Also, in the event we do need to use the epsom salt solution as
you recommended, how long should we wait to change his water after we've
added the salt?

With regard to his diet, I would like to try as you recommended and start
feeding him daphnia and/or brine shrimp - is it just more convenient to use
frozen daphnia or brine shrimp or is it better to get them live?  Also, do you
have a brand or source that you would recommend?  In the meantime, I'm
still feeding him the mashed pea twice a day and  assume I should continue
this type of diet until we are sure he is no longer constipated.  However, after
reading through the article you sent I'm now concerned that I may be giving
him too much food at once. I am now feeding him about 1/2 pea twice a day
(he was eating up to a full pea) and I am giving him much smaller bites at a
time instead of letting him eat larger bites.  Would you agree with how I'm
doing this?   I am concerned that it may be putting pressure on his swim
bladder, which he is still struggling with.  

To update you on his swim bladder some days are better than others, but he
really fights to control himself when his swimming goes awry.  He does seem
to be swimming around a bit more around the bowl and seems to take some
interest in his surroundings.  I also noticed today it looks like he's blown a
few bubbles, which he hasn't done in a long time.  

Thanks so much for your patience with all my questions, and thanks again for
your help.

Answer
Hi!
Usually epsom salt is effective after a couple of days treatment. Unless your fish shows signs of stress, it probably wouldn't hurt to do a close to 100% water change and redose the epsom salt.

It's very possible he might still be constipated. I think you have a good thought there with being concerned about feeding too much pea and you are doing a good job already.

Frozen food is the easiest to obtain with the daphnia or brine shrimp. Most brands are good. Some brands package the shrimp fancier than others. And some are cleaner than others. But most brands today are very good.

The poor little fishy is past his prime with his age but I sure hope he does recover fully.

Best of luck and have a good weekend!
Karen~