Egg Bound Betta

Question
QUESTION: Hi. I have a female betta who I believe is Egg Bound... Would she die, if she carried them too long? She eats just fine, but I saw her swimming at a strange angle and wondered if that was just the fact she had the eggs. Please help me! I don't know what to do and do not want to loose her!
ANSWER: Hi Charlotte,
It is quite possible that she is full of eggs. I once had a betta given to me because she was so full of eggs and the owner was afraid that she was going to get sick from being so full of eggs so she thought that since I had several males that maybe I could persuade her to release her eggs and she would get better. Sometimes, some fish will absorb the eggs if they don't release them but then again sometimes they won't and they can get an internal infection. I really tried to spawn the female with one of my males. He had made a bubble nest and things appeared to be ok. Then the worst happened before I could stop him he killed her. This is always possible when you put them together.I watched very carefully but it still happened. Many people are successful spawning bettas. I just had bad luck with this particular male. Possibly I didn't give them enough time to get used to each other and this caused the problem. I don't really know if it could have been prevented. Usually the females  suffer in some way after spawning. Either by being bitten or just the stress from being chased or both. Usually after you remove them you have to put medication in the tank water to help them to heal from bites and to prevent any infections. I am going to send you a website that explains in detail the best way to spawn bettas. It sounds really detailed but it really isn't all that difficult either. Just really watch and don't let anything get out of control. There will always be some fighting type behavior when they are spawning but just observe and don't let it get too rough. Here is the website:
http://bettas.fishjunkies.com/Spawning/lesson1.php
I really hope this helps your betta and that you are able to safely spawn them. If you don't want to raise the babies you can always dispose of the eggs as soon as they are released.
Best of luck,
Karen



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

QUESTION: Okay..I understand how to spawn them, I even had them together in a spawning tank, but my male wouldn't make a nest, but that isn't the point. My female is swimming in a odd way, my boyfriend said it could likely be the eggs stopping up her swim bladder a bit, but, I do not want to take the chance of putting her with my male, and him killing her, he was a bit aggressive to start with. So...what could I do to help her if she has an internal infection?

Answer
Hi Charlotte,
Usually, bettas won't spawn if there isn't a bubblenest the male has built. Usually males will eagerly build nests as long as the water temperature is warm (80-82F) and he can see the female. Betta breeders use a glass chimmeny from oil lamps set inside the tank to hold the female while the male builds a nest, that way he can see her but can't harm her.

I'm sorry to hear your female has been swimming strangely. It could be the egg-binding causing a problem with her swim bladder. The sad thing is there is just not much you can do about any of this. If you think there might be an internal infection as just a pre-caution you can safely use Melafix and Pimafix combined together. These are all-natural and safe medications that can help treat even internal infections, and are the least invasive approach. If you'd like something stronger than Mardel's Maracyn-II treats internal infections.

Egg binding can be prevented as long as the fish gets a varied and complete diet and the water quality is always excellent. Usually egg binding is rare, either the female just re-absorbs the eggs or expells them. But then there are always problems. Some aquarists have used Epsom salt to help female bettas absorb their eggs at about 1 Tablespoon per 10Gallons. This isn't always reliable though, like with many fish illnesses, sometimes there is nothing you can do. If it's something related internally, there is very little chance of recovery for the poor thing.

Have you seen her pass droppings? If not she -could- be constipated and epsom salt and feeding a thawed and de-shelled green pea can help tremendous. Stop her current food for several days while you treat for constipation.

It's true that the swelling could be putting pressure on her swim bladder and causing her to swim that strange way. Epsom salt is highly known for relieving bloating and egg-bound fish but please know nothing is guaranteed 100%

I'm really sorry about all this, But I do hope this helps and my very best wishes to you and your female betta!
Karen~