Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hi everyone,
I stumbled upon this thread while searching about betta belly issues.
I know it's an old thread, but I'm hoping someone might have some new info to share.
My betta has a huge belly, it's like a balloon, but no scales issues.
I'm worried he'll exlodge, and it's not just constipation - he's got a poop tail every day.
I'm thinking it might be dropsy, but is there a treatment or am I just waiting for the worst?
Is there a reliable medicine for this, or should I try salt baths - will they just stress him out more?

Hey, can you post a pic of your betta?

How often are you feeding him, and what's his diet like?

Have you considered fasting him for a bit to see if that helps with the belly issue?

Hi Nick, sorry I'm late responding - my post was originally in another thread and it got split into a new one by the admin team, so I didn't get a notification.

I'm uploading a few pics, it's always better to see the problem. I'm feeding my betta Sera Granulate Menu, see attached pics. He gets 3-4 pieces per day.

I did try fasting him for 1 day a week, but stopped as I didn't see how that would help - the fish is pooping normally, see the 1st photo.

Those granules seem a bit large, don't you think? I'm getting a dropsy vibe from the pics, but I'm not exactly working with the best computer right now, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

Honestly, I've never seen a betta that swollen before.

Haven't seen a fish that swollen myself, never dealt with a case like that.

I'm in uncharted territory with this one too. Fasting for multiple days might be worth a shot, and I'd also suggest trying to feed your betta with peas to see if that helps alleviate some of the bloating.

Adding a salt bath with epsom salt could also provide some relief. As for medication, it's tough to recommend a specific treatment without knowing the underlying cause, but if I had to take a guess, I'd say it could be bacterial or - and I don't say this lightly - possibly even a tumor.

If the fasting, peas, and epsom salt don't help reduce the swelling, it's possible that euthanasia might be the most humane option. If you decide to try a different treatment for bacteria, I'd recommend using a full-spectrum antibacterial that targets both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. This will likely kill off your beneficial bacterial filtration, so be prepared for more frequent water changes - try to do these during the epsom salt baths to minimize stress on your betta.

I think it's dropsy, but the unusual appearance is down to the fish's anatomy.

Hi guys, thanks for the replies. I really appreciate your input. I'm considering the salt baths, but I'm not sure about the dosage. If I'm using 5 liters of water, how much salt should I add? And how long should I keep my Betta in the bath? I know his belly is huge and it's been like this for over a month now. I've read that dropsy usually takes a few days to kill the fish, but in this case, it's just dragging on. The weird thing is, his behavior is completely normal. He seems happy, active, and always excited to see me enter the room - he moves his fins a lot and eats avidly. He's also pooping every day, so I'm not sure if the peas would make a difference since constipation isn't an issue.

I'm pretty sure this is a bacterial infection that's causing the issue. Adding salt to the water is a way to kill off the bacteria, but be careful not to overdo it - it can harm the fish too. And please, avoid using table salt, it's got additives like iodine that your fish doesn't need.

The general rule of thumb is one teaspoon of salt per gallon of water for fish with scales. For scale-less fish, it's different, but that's not the case here. When you top off the tank, you don't need to add more salt since it doesn't evaporate. However, when you do a water change, add the salt to the new water before putting it in the tank. For example, if you're changing out a gallon, create a gallon of clean water and add the salt to that. This way, you can control the amount of salt in the tank. Unless you have a refractometer, it's hard to know the exact levels, so it's best to be cautious.