What is a deshelled pea, and where can I get some?

Question

I've been reading how you need to feed your fish this if they are floating...my beta is floating in the tank but he's still moving around. He's also kind of fat...and he's only fed once or twice a day.

Answer 1

Deshelled peas are just normal, green peas. You take the pea, and take off the tiny shell it has (it is the outer green part). The best way to do this is to just boil it. Your Betta may not be sick, it may just be groggy due to low temperature (it should be around 80 degrees). Try it anyway though, it's not going to hurt it.

Nosoop4u

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Bettas are insectavores (they eat insects), but will generally eat whatever you feed them (mine eats cucumber on occasion). You shouldn't have too much trouble with deshelled peas...

Answer 2

If a fish is floating but appears otherwise healthy, you can try giving him some roughage (the pea), but most of the time in bettas this is not caused by the swallowing of air, as is common in goldfish, which do not really swell like you're describing. Every case I have ever seen of a betta behaving this way has ended badly. It seems to be a case of a bacterial infection that causes organs or something inside the fish to swell or bloat. The swim bladder is obviously being affected, if he's floating, but is not likely due to swallowed air. Anyway, what they mean by a deshelled pea is for you to crush a pea so the fish can eat the softer inside part. Your betta, being a carnivore, probably will not be interested, even if he still has an appetite. My advice is as follows:

1.) Change 75% of the water in the tank. Treat the new water with a dechlorinator and about a teaspoon of AQUARIUM salt per gallon BEFORE returning it to the tank. Also, a little Melafix never hurt anybody. You can get it almost anywhere that sells fish supplies.

2.) Increase the temperature of the water. I don't know how big of a tank you have or whether you have a heater, but if you can make it warmer, you will speed up your betta's metabolism and that will make his body better able to fight off illness. You could take him outside for a while if it is hot where you live. Just don't leave him in the sun or let any cats get him. 82 degrees is probably as warm as he will want to be.

3.) Give him some frozen brine shrimp. This will give him roughage, like the pea, and if he is not that hungry for his regular food, brine shrimp are extra tasty to entice him. Just be sure to melt it in a cup of tank water first. Your fish is cold blooded, and icy food will really not make him feel better! You can get frozen brine shrimp from the freezer at your local Petsmart, or, (cringes) Petco.

4.) Tell yourself that you've done all you can, and resolve not to be too sad if it doesn't help.

Good luck to you.

Answer 3

Shelled Pea

Answer 4

Bettas are carnivores. Good luck getting him to eat veggies.

Deshelled peas are just that--peas without a shell. If you boil peas long enough, the shell will crack open. Voila! Deshelled peas (or split peas).

Answer 5

The easiest way I've found is to take a frozen pea and run it under warm water for a couple of seconds. It will split and you can peal the shell right off of it in one piece.

Answer 6

Deshelled just beans it is out of the casing. The little round peas are already deshelled. Canned peas work well for feeding your beta as well as any other green veggie, not just peas. Beans, cukes, lettuce spinach etc are also great forms of releif for your fish's bloat. If your betta is small just cut the pea in to four sections and give it to them. It doesn't have to be cooked it can be raw, which is actually better for your fish.

Answer 7

A deshelled pea is a fresh cooked or thawed frozen pea which you, yourself, have sat down and, one by one, removed, by hand the skin off the pea. And while this is a suggested remedy for bloat or other internal disorder with omnivore fish, which most other fish are, bettas are carnivores and I doubt you'll have much luck getting your betta to eat the peas.