betta fish bladder disorder???

Question

my fish is swimming sideways. then if he stops he goes to the top and l not move his fins at all...like hes dead...but when i tap on the glass he'll swim around for a little bit then continue to do it again. i have looked up stuff on google. and it says he has a swimming bladder disorder. has anyone else had this problem??? and if so what are certain things that really need to be done??? i read about feeding him a pea after a certain time??? is that really that important??

Answer 1

That definately sounds like a Swimbladder disorder, here is what you can and should do

CAUSES:

Swim Bladder Disorder is often caused by overfeeding or lack of variety in the diet. SBD is not contagious and there is no need to destroy a fish with this condition as he/she is not suffering. SBD may be a side effect of a constipated betta.

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 Swim Bladder Disorder and/or Constipation, especially if live or frozen foods are fed on a regular basis. Another feeding option thought to prevent SBD 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 illness, and insure they are receiving the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

DIAGNOSIS:

One day your betta is fine - swimming around happily and blowing his bubbles. The next day, he is swimming lopsided, not as active and maybe a tad bit dull in color or bloated. The "swim bladder" is located on the spine of the fish between his belly and tail. If the bladder becomes enlarged/swollen or tight, it can cause your fish to have difficulty swimming. Usually with swim bladder the fish will either float on one side or lay at the bottom because he has difficulty getting to the top. It may appear as though the betta has lost their buoyancy.

TREATMENT:

Try to keep your betta's diet balanced and not to overfilling. The swim bladder will soon correct itself and your betta will begin to swim normal again.

Similar to constipation, you can also try to 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. Watch to make sure your betta is going to the bathroom, as this will mean the SBD and/or constipation is subsiding.

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 2

I would do a 50% water change just to make sure that it is not a water condition problem and if the behavior is still present it is probably a swim bladder issue as you thought. Unfortunately swim bladder problems are rarely curable, it is something your fish has had for a long time. As for peas, my bettas love them, although I have never heard of them for swim blader disorder. I feed them some of the inside of a frozen pea once or twice a week just to vary their diet as most of their other food is high protein/high fat foods. Good luck with your betta, and don't be afraid to ask someone at your local fish store, they may be able to help you too.

Answer 3

Depends on how you feed the pea. but I doubt that would be the issue anyhow. I have never seen anything like it but the puffed pinecone shape of her scales make me wonder if it is something else. What size tank is she in? Filteration? Keeping up on water changes and cleaning? found this online about bettas... Dropsy - This is one of the most fatal diseases to attack bettas; unfortunately, its also one of the most common. The jury is still out on exactly what causes it, and therefore what cures it. There is a belief that it may be a bacterial infection of the kidneys, but nobody really knows for sure. The usual recommended treatment is Tetracycline, but this is so seldom completely effective as to be inconclusive. To further complicate matters, there seems to be several variances of dropsy. The most well-known (and the most horrifying, IMO) is when the abdomen of the fish swells up grotesquely, the scales protrude like a pinecone, and the fish can't seem to get out of the 'belly down' position, with his hind-end raised. The bloating is caused by excess fluid in the body tissues, and is usually evident in all dropsy cases. Sometimes the fish will get only mildly pineconed, and still die of dropsy. I had a female act lethargic, go off her feed, and she wasn't improving...I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Then I noticed the belly area was looking slightly swollen and very pale, so I looked at her from above - voila. There was the pineconing. Incidentally, this female died 2 days into treatment, and I didn't even know she was dead until a day or so after that. The fluid caused her to stay in an upright position with her nose to the surface, and if it wasn't for the fact her eyes glazed over she looked for all the world exactly as she had when she first got sick. Another interesting version of dropsy is when the fish looks normal (or may be slightly pale), but is off its feed and not acting 'right'. These will sometimes do the belly-down-tail-up behavior, but will not be swollen, and will not be pineconed. This form of dropsy is the MOST deadly! Within 24 hours the fish is dead, and you don't even get a chance to try to cure it.

Answer 4

Evelyn is correct. I have had a Male Betta with a swim bladder problem. Swimming on his side struggling. If you have him in a small tank or bowl try to lower the water level to make it easier for him to get to the surface to breathe.
I fed my Betta a cooked shelled pea cut into quarters. Then I didn't feed him for a couple of days. It cleared up within a few days. Make sure you don't overfeed him this is one major cause of swim bladder disease.
Good Luck!

Answer 5

Swim bladder disorders can be caused by a lot of things and are rarely curable, but one of the common causes is constipation. This causes pressure on the swim bladder and feeding the inside of steamed or frozen pea will help the fish pass its waste and relieve the pressure. You can also give the fish an epsom salt bath (not aquarium salt) to help relieve the pressure, but that's about all you can do for swim bladder disorders. Good luck. I hope your betta pulls through!

Answer 6

A betta is a carnivorous fish. I doubt he would eat a pea, however, he may eat dried krill which may have enough fibre to move the air out of his system. the only concern with the krill is that they are kind of airy when they are dried, so soak them first for a minute or two and then pnich/ crush them to press the air out and make it bite size for him. Good luck!