Something's off with my female betta. I've been doing weekly water changes, and I even stopped feeding the tank for a bit, despite having other bettas in there, but she's still all bloated. She seems to be swimming around okay, though.
I just pulled her out and put her in a small bowl to keep a closer eye on her - it's half tank water and half new water with some Prime in it. I'm stumped, so any help would be great.
is my female betta healthy?
Re: is my female betta healthy?
How long has your female betta been bloated - did it happen suddenly or over time? If it was overnight, I'm afraid she might have an internal bacterial infection, which usually doesn't have a cure.
If it's been a gradual thing, over a month or more, it could be an internal tumour or cyst - again, not much you can do about that.
Is she still eating normally? Fish with bacterial infections usually lose their appetite. If it's a tumour or cyst, they tend to keep eating until near the end.
By the way, you mentioned she's swimming fine - are her fins and tail clamped, and are the other bettas in the tank showing similar symptoms?
If it's been a gradual thing, over a month or more, it could be an internal tumour or cyst - again, not much you can do about that.
Is she still eating normally? Fish with bacterial infections usually lose their appetite. If it's a tumour or cyst, they tend to keep eating until near the end.
By the way, you mentioned she's swimming fine - are her fins and tail clamped, and are the other bettas in the tank showing similar symptoms?
Re: is my female betta healthy?
She's been like this for about a week now. The other bettas seem fine, no bloating or anything. I don't think they have clamped fins, but I'll double-check. They're all swimming around normally, except for her. I just tried feeding her again, but she's not interested.coltin wrote: ↑Fri Mar 14, 2025 2:53 am How long has your female betta been bloated - did it happen suddenly or over time? If it was overnight, I'm afraid she might have an internal bacterial infection, which usually doesn't have a cure.
If it's been a gradual thing, over a month or more, it could be an internal tumour or cyst - again, not much you can do about that.
Is she still eating normally? Fish with bacterial infections usually lose their appetite. If it's a tumour or cyst, they tend to keep eating until near the end.
By the way, you mentioned she's swimming fine - are her fins and tail clamped, and are the other bettas in the tank showing similar symptoms?
I'm wondering if this could be related to my algae issue on the glass. I've been cleaning it off constantly, and I've reduced the lighting. It used to be on for 4 hours, from 4-8 pm, but now I've cut it back to 5:30-8 pm.
Re: is my female betta healthy?
I really don't think the light has anything to do with this. If you're dealing with an algae issue, you can try reducing the lighting times or adding some live plants. Water Sprite is a great option - it's a floating plant that helps keep algae under control and provides plenty of hiding spots for your betta.
If your betta has ballooned up recently and stopped eating, I'd say she's probably on her way out. Honestly, I'd consider euthanizing her.
When I talk about clamped fins, I'm referring to fins that don't sit open and look full. They tend to squish up and sometimes lay flat against the body. A healthy tail should be open and look normal. In your sick fish's case, her tail isn't fully open and her dorsal fin looks narrow and pointy - it should be more open than that.
If your betta has ballooned up recently and stopped eating, I'd say she's probably on her way out. Honestly, I'd consider euthanizing her.
When I talk about clamped fins, I'm referring to fins that don't sit open and look full. They tend to squish up and sometimes lay flat against the body. A healthy tail should be open and look normal. In your sick fish's case, her tail isn't fully open and her dorsal fin looks narrow and pointy - it should be more open than that.
Re: is my female betta healthy?
She's actually eating now. I put some pellets in at first and she wasn't interested, but I added a bit of brine shrimp and she came up straight away and had some. Then she even had a bit more.
Re: is my female betta healthy?
I think she might be carrying unfertilized eggs, and if that's the case, her body might just absorb them. If not, I'm inclined to agree with coltin's theory on this one.
Re: is my female betta healthy?
If it's eggs, is there a way to help her with that?coltin wrote: ↑Fri Mar 14, 2025 2:53 am How long has your female betta been bloated - did it happen suddenly or over time? If it was overnight, I'm afraid she might have an internal bacterial infection, which usually doesn't have a cure.
If it's been a gradual thing, over a month or more, it could be an internal tumour or cyst - again, not much you can do about that.
Is she still eating normally? Fish with bacterial infections usually lose their appetite. If it's a tumour or cyst, they tend to keep eating until near the end.
By the way, you mentioned she's swimming fine - are her fins and tail clamped, and are the other bettas in the tank showing similar symptoms?
Re: is my female betta healthy?
If she's indeed full of unfertilized eggs, I'd advise against trying to express them manually - that's a job for experienced breeders. It's best to let nature take its course and allow her body to reabsorb them. I've got a female goldfish in a similar situation right now, and I'm just keeping a close eye on her. As long as she's eating and acting normally, I won't intervene.
Fasting might not work, and if it doesn't, you could try a medication for bacterial issues, but there's no guarantee of success. Epsom salt baths can also help reduce swelling. It's tough when they get like this, and the swelling can be painful for them as it puts pressure on their organs. Sometimes, the most humane option is euthanasia - if that's the case, I'd recommend using Clove oil, not hitting or freezing them.
Fasting might not work, and if it doesn't, you could try a medication for bacterial issues, but there's no guarantee of success. Epsom salt baths can also help reduce swelling. It's tough when they get like this, and the swelling can be painful for them as it puts pressure on their organs. Sometimes, the most humane option is euthanasia - if that's the case, I'd recommend using Clove oil, not hitting or freezing them.