is both my bettas going to die?

Question

Hi, i have a female betta and male. and i want to know my question. u see my male betta stays near the top constantly and i feed him more than enough and still he's there. i think i'm over feeding him and i dont know what to do, cut back down on his food or what? He seems like he's getting bigger though around the middle.

With the female, i bought her Aug 22, for the male betta. but the next couple of days, of course the male betta went after her but she rejected. now she stays in the cave all the time and i dont see her eat anything, the male betta eats it up. and she lays down on the rocked floor doing nothing but hiding. and laying around. is she going to die? or just something else? should i put her in a small fish bowel for a while? i just dont know. help please.

Answer 1

Hi there, first of all, you need to seperate the two bettas into seperate tanks and move them away from each other. or place a paper or something in between to give them some isolation. stop feeding the male so much. Start feeding the female a little bit at a time. Small bit twice a day to coax her into eating. When she starts to gobble it up, feed one time a day. With the male, if he is getting round aroun the middle, like he ate a small marble, Feed him a frozen or canned pea. make sure a small cut is made in it so he can eat the soft inside. a dried pea won't work. The male is very aggressive and can kill the female if she comes out of the cave. this is why she won't come out. The male is at the top so he should be easier to relocate. She is very lucky to have a cave in the tank or she would've been killed by the male quickly.

Answer 2

Are you trying to breed them? My suggestion is that first of all take the female out for a while-or even-depending on the size of your tank-you could just put a divider in there to separate them. That way the male could still see the female. Betta (males) are bubble nest breeds and it is the male that builds the nest and takes care of the eggs. My suggestion about the feedings is that you feed them only once to twice a day-that is it. Betta's don't require large amounts of food. Also try feeding with some blood worms once a week. This will add other nutrients that is beneficial to their health.

Answer 3

Okay, here's what you need to do.

1. Remove your female betta. Put her in a separate container of at least one gallon. This will be her temporary home before you go and get her a proper 2.5 gallon tank with a heater. Males and females should not be put together in the same tank. They are both aggressive. If you want to breed them, you will need to condition them for at least two weeks before placing them together, or they will fight. Furthermore, even after being conditioned, they are only placed together for a very short period of time for the spawn to take place; then they are separated again.

The reason for your female betta's behaviour is that she is being terrorised by the male. I'm surprised one of them has not been killed yet. She is very, very stressed out, and needs to be away from the male as soon as possible. Get her a proper home with clean water and a heater, and leave her in a low-traffic area of your home so she can rest and recuperate.

2. For your male betta: Take a frozen pea and put it in a small dish containing some of your betta's tank water/dechlorinated water. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Peel the pea, mash it up and feed your male betta about a quarter of it. After this, fast him until his stomach goes back to a normal size. You have overfed him and he is having digestive problems from constipation. From now on, feed only what your betta can eat in a minute.

Also, hanging out at the surface does not mean your fish wants food. Being labyrinth fish, bettas naturally dwell near the top of the water. He is not there because he is hungry.

Answer 4

First of all separate them right away and read up on how to breed bettas the proper and right way
http://fishlesscycling.com/articles/breeding_bettas.html

You're just lucky that he hasn't killed her yet, since you're obiviously overfeeding him and he has constipation

Constipation can strike your betta just like it can you. It is unpleasant but can eventually kill your betta if not treated.

CAUSES:

One of the main reasons a betta becomes constipated is because their main diet is too rich. If you are feeding blood worms or brine shrimp on a daily basis, you can give your betta constipation. Another common cause of constipation is lack of variety in a betta's diet. An easy solution for this is alternating between food types for meals, such as a few pellets in the morning and flakes at night, brine shrimp the next day, etc. A third cause of constipation may be overfeeding at meal times.

PREVENTION:

Some betta owners fast (do not feed) their betta for one day per week to cleanse the betta's system. This is a useful method to prevent constipation, especially if live or frozen foods are fed on a regular basis. Another feeding option thought to prevent constipation is splitting a betta's feeding up into two small meals per day, rather than one larger meal. This reduces the amount of food intake at one time and allows the betta's system to process it easier. Always remember a betta's stomach is about the size of his eyeball, so a little food goes a long way. Variety in a betta's diet is important both to prevent constipation, and insure they are receiving the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

DIAGNOSIS:

A constipated betta will have an unusually swollen abdomen but in all other rights appear and act normally.

TREATMENT:

Treatment for constipation is rather simple and can be cured very quickly. As mentioned above try to feed your betta a more varied diet and possibly smaller portion sizes.

To rid yourself of the constipation problem, fast your betta for 24-48 hours. Next, take a cooked pea and peel it. Feed a small portion of it to your betta on the end of a flat toothpick. Within the next day or so you should see the swelling go down and a few little deposits at the bottom of the tank. Watch to make sure your betta is going to the bathroom, as this will mean the constipation is subsiding.

NOTE: if your betta continues to swell after treatment of constipation and you are noticing that he is having bowel movements, something else could be the problem like Dropsy, Bloat, Swim Bladder Disorder, or a tumor.

Additional procedures:

Clean water is always important for a betta, but is especially beneficial for any betta facing an illness.

Always keeping your betta warm, between 76-82 degrees, will also help them to feel more comfortable and raise their immune system.



Hope that helps
good luck


EB

Answer 5

hmmm... try separating the two fishes. We used to have a gold fish and even though it doesn't eat, It's stomach keeps growing. We decided to isolate it and a few weeks later the stomach just "blew up". My dad said it must have been a disease. We weren't really sure. Separate them for a while ok? to allow the female to eat and to be able to observe the male.

Answer 6

It sounds like you are feeding him to much, he will be getting used to staying where the food comes to him without having to work for it. Try either going a whole day without food, or getting some food for him that sinks to the bottom of the tank. This will make him more active as he will start hunting for his food

Answer 7

A bloated stomach possibly could be dropsy, check also if the scales are protruding. Not really much you can do with dropsy I'm afraid its generally caused by poor water conditions and is untreatable.