Female betta is HUGE! She also has cataracts??

Question

I got her about 6 months ago at walmart (which I know says NOTHING about her age) and put her in a 5 gallon tank with 5 other small fish. She was about 1.5" long at the time I bought her.

I had a male betta in the tank but he died, and all except for one of the other fish died also. I currently have this female betta with a barb (not sure what it is). The female has grown to approx. 3.5" and has really elongated her fins, almost as flowy as a male betta. She is really fat and eats like crazy. She has a small (1/16") white thing that constantly hangs out of her anus(not sure about this location either). She looks bloated but she's not, there are no diseases in the tank because it's been treated for a long time.

She has cataracts... I think. Her eyes are covered with a cataract-like film that keeps intensifying. It seems as though she can still see fairly well.

What the heck is wrong with her? Is she just old, or is she fat and lazy with diseases?

Answer 1

Your betta could be fat from eating a lot. However what you have described as cataracts sounds to me like something called "eye cloud". It is a bacterial infection and can be treated. I suggest you pick up E.M. Erythromycin by API. My rainbow shark developed a film like substance on one of his eyes and I successfully cured it using E.M. Both a swollen body and cloudy eyes are a sign of a bacterial infection. Use E.M. to cure your betta.

Answer 2

The eye thing sounds like cloudy eye. It's a bacterial infection, usually brought on by poor water quality. Try doing some frequent water changes for the next few days and see if that helps. If not, you'll probably need to use an antibiotic like Maracyn Two or Maracyn Plus. A lot of times just changing the water quality will help the fish to heal itself.

For the swelling, it could be she's egg bound-especially if she was in the tank with the male betta. You can try to get her to release the eggs. Use a washcloth dampened with some tank water, hold her gently in that, and use a dampened Q Tip and very gently rub the area just above where the egg tube(white thing) is sticking out. Sometimes that will stimulate the eggs to come out.
The swelling could also be dropsy/bloat. This can have various causes from poor water quality, internal parasites, internal bacterial infection. You could try an epsom salt bath, 1 teaspoon of epsom salt in a gallon of water, let her swim in that for a few minutes or if she rolls over on her side remove her and put her back in the tank. This will also help if it's a constipation issue.

Answer 3

That's quite large for a female betta, but I have seen them this large before. What's unusual is the length of the fins. The white thing sounds like an ovipositor.

I'm not really sure if the fish you have is a male or female - sometimes even breeders have trouble telling some of them apart. I once got a "female" that turned out to be a short-finned male. It doesn't help that some males also develop ovipositors. Take a look at this link, which may help with the gender characteristics of bettas: http://www.flippersandfins.net/faq.htm#malefemale

What you're seeing as cataracts could be a bacterial or fungal infection, or it could be eye flukes: http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/eyes.html

Answer 4

She sounds like she may be egg laden, you may want to remove her from the tank and calm her (maybe she is stressed around the barb?) so that she can lay her eggs - they won't hatch so don't worry, but she may eat them. It can be risky ignoring an eggy female.

And the cataract-thing you are talking about sounds like a bacterial infection. I would raise her tank temperature a couple degrees and treat her with antibacterial antibiotics - the Jungle line is great.

Answer 5

lol i does not bypass to a series keep, they are going to probably try promotion you some drugs by way of fact "she'll unwell". feels like a beast of an fish. 5 inch guppy i presumed my guppy have been extensive 3 inch.

Answer 6

Fish don't get cataracts, that sounds like fungus or popeye, and it needs treated.