My son's betta is trying to go belly up. What could cause this?

Question

We've changed the water often (1-2 weeks) and only feed him a pinch or two a day of flake food (he wouldn't eat the pellets). Can anyone give any tips on how to save him or what we might try? Any help is appreciated.

Answer 1

Its sounds like it could be a swim bladder disorder since he's been having trouble swimming, but normally a betta with that problem ends up laying on the bottom of the tank, sort of sliding around on his bellly, not floating upside down on the top of the water.
For swim bladder problem, feed him a lot less and do not give him any brine shrimp.

If his scales are raised like a pine cone and he has a bloated belly, he might have Dropsy. I do not think there is anything that can cure Dropsy and it is a lot of times fatal. If you suspect Dropsy, get all the other fish away from him because he could infect others.

With feeding him too, you only need to give him a very small pinch of food, like every other day. Fish are wierd and don't need much food. Watch your son because he might be sneaking him snacks when you aren't watching? :)

Answer 2

That first answer was a lousy one. It's hard to say exactly what to do to help a sick fish without seeing it. Some things that could cause this are low temperatures,uneaten food accumulating in the tank,and if there is no filter on the tank the water should be changed more frequently. You don't need to change all the water at one time,this can cause the fish shock and distress if the temperature is not the same between the old water and the fresh. When changing the water get a little hose and siphon out the stuff on the bottom,and then replace the old with pretreated(dechlorinated) water. To try to help this fish start doing small water changes daily,be careful about matching the temperatures. I hope this helps.----PeeTee

Answer 3

I have been told that betta's only live 2-6 months but we have one in our office that has been alive almost three years. We have always feed him the pellet food but he is picky and will only eat when he wants to. I just put one pellet in at a time, and if he eats the first one than I keep putting them in one at a time until he wont eat anymore. We keep him in a glass bowl that probably holds about 3 cups of water, with no filter, no nothing, except him, some marbles and the water. The only thing we do special is to let the water for changing sit for about a week before we change him. But we have thought many times that he was about to go belly up. We change the water and he's fine after that.

Answer 4

if he is really belly up it might be swim bladder. you need to try feeding him chooped up green peas or frozen daphnea. try frozen bloodworms or daphnea for feeding to get his health back. feeding flakes is hard because you can't measure them well. try hikari pellets. 6 a day in 2 or 3 meals is optimum. depending on how big his bowl is you should probably change the water more often. stagnant water goes bad fast. you can get a turkey baster to get poop and uneaten food out of the bottom to keep it clean a little longer. a small bowl is best every couple of days. when the water smells you need to change it. i keep mine in 2 1/2 gallons and still have to change more often than weekly. is he warm? bettas like temperatures in the upper 70s. if your house is cool you can put his bowl under a lamp to warm him. the bigger the bowl the longer the water will stay warm. i usually use melefix in my water with every change -- its like an antibacterial wash for fish. i have a melano (a black betta) and a black moor that you can see the difference melefix does - -they can get kind of cloudy looking and melefix cleans them up. it also usually makes them perkier. you should find a good sight with pictures of common fish diseases so you know what to look for if he is sick. i don't agree with a lot of the information but nippyfish.net has very good pictures. there are less than 10 -- its not rocket science or anything.

Answer 5

Ok 1 pinch a day is more than enough, and I have no idea how large or a bowl or tank your betta is in - or how old the fish is. If he is trying to die without symptoms it may be time.

However, if he is in his side and appears to be having balance problems, this sound like swim bladder disease.

And for future reference, Betta's will eat blood worms also. Just 1 or 2 a day is great.

Answer 6

It's really hard to say. My fish did that for quite a while. I'd try maybe changing the water a little more often and buying a water enriching liquid that neutralizes the pH. Just go to a local pet store or even your local Walmart to the fish section and take a look at the products they sell for purifying water. Hope that helps a little.

Answer 7

Does the betta have any discoloration? If so, this usually indicates an illness of some sort. Try using a liquid called "ick", it is at most pet stores, and has saved many of my own fish, including 4 betta. Good luck

Answer 8

Betta's are strange creatures, I don't even think scientests completely understanf them. I think if the Betta is still alive while bellying up then he is just playing around.
I have had several Betta's over the years, and mine was always lying on the plant I had in his tank, and stuff. And Betta's are known to lay on the bottom of the tank, so who knows what other strange things these fish do?
But beware my Betta died when he went belly up, yours may just be fooling, but I would keep a close eye on him.

Answer 9

How old is the fish. Bettas only live for 1-2 years average.

Answer 10

Many fish are known to bounce. you merely could desire to save the tank coated. make helpful the water situations are ok however. There could desire to be no ammonia or nitrite, and below 40 ppm for nitrate. The water must additionally stay seventy 8-80F. If all it extremely is okay, and he has plant life and decorations and with a bit of luck a minimum of five gallons..i'm helpful he's no longer depressed and merely likes to bounce.