Little Mis
I have a male beta. I have had him for 3 years now. About a month ago, he got all fat around the middle, like crazy bloated. He seems fine otherwise. He is always at the top of his bowl. He still eats, is not titlting sideways or anything. I use filtered water (non chlorinated), always change out his water every 10 days, make sure it's room temperature before putting him in.
So honestly I keep thinking he's going to die, but each day he's not dead. I feel bad for him, he looks miserable.
It's better than the cup he came in! I tried one in a tank once and it died really quick. They always do better in bowls for me. I've had several live 3 years each in bowls.
Oh and this doesn't look like dropsy because his quills aren't sticking out.
According to Squiddo, it could be constipation. Though he is shitting, his water right now is full of shit. I need to change it.
Answer
Noseless, Katie & Book Shelf are right. Yes, the bowl is better than the cup he came in, but that's not really a true comparison as it's not meant to be his home, just for sale & transport. So tho it is def better, it's still not meeting his needs, & is kinda like saying a dog living in a crate 24/7 is ok cuz it's better than the cage he was in @ the shelter. Nothing >2.5-3 gallons (& some say nothing >5 gallons) is ok for one betta. You can cycle a larger tank (5+ gallons) which is less work, water & $ for you & less stress for your bettas over time. You can keep an uncycled tank, but it's more work. As for your other one that died quickly he was likely already ill or wasn't acclimated before he was added to the tank.
As to why he's fat, the bloating could be a # of things:
1) Constipation-His stomach is only the size of her eye, so feed 2-3 pieces/day, 6 days/wk., fast 1 day/wk. If he's getting more it's likely constipation. Fast him for a day & feed 1/4 of the insides of a de-shelled, cooked pea on the end of a toothpick-this will help clean her out, so to speak. Make sure the peas don't contain salt, since it causes water retention.
2) Food-Flakes, pellets & freeze dried food have lots of filler that bettas can't digest, can cause bloating problems in sensitive and old bettas & are the least nutritious. PetSmart/Petco sell frozen foods: brine shrimp, bloodworms, glassworms, etc. for $4-5/bubble pack of food, which are easier for them to digest, much more nutritious, more palable & don't normally present the same digestive issues unless the fish is severely overfed. If you do feed pellets, soak them for a few minutes before feeding; otherwise they'll expand in her stomach which can also cause bloating & digestion issues.
3) Swim bladder (SB) issues can also mean that the betta can't swim down w/o difficulty or gets pulled to the top when he tries. SB issues are brought on by cold or poor water quality & can normally be corrected by fixing those underlyig issues.
Despite the cause of his bloating there are a few other things that need to be altered:
1) Bettas are tropical fish & need water @ a steady 78 degrees. Cooler temps. cause color loss, clamped fins, lethargy, digestive issues, loss of appetite, stress, illness &/or death. 1-gallon (7.5 or 10 watt heater @ PetSmart and PetCo), 2.5-3 gallons: 25 watt heater (@ most pet stores), 5 gallons: 50 watt heater (@ most pet stores).
2) Water changes remove ammonia, which is toxic & forms in water from uneaten food, waste, his breathing. It's colorless & odorless so you can't tell if the water's ok by seeing if it "looks clean." For uncycled 100% water change tanks: 1 gallon: change 100% of the water (& rinse off plants, gravel, take the fish out, etc.) every other day; 2.5-3 gallons 2-3 times/week; 5 gallons 1-2 x's/week. In that size tank, w/2 fish you need to be taking them out, rinsing off the gravel, decor & plants & changing all the water every other day. Do NOT do this w/the filter tho if the tank's cycled; if it's not the filter serves no biological purpose & way as well be left out. Many people say not to change all the water but w/uncycled tanks you MUST; otherwise the ammonia levels, which are toxic, continually rise since you're leaving some in w/every water change. Because of the this, the % of ammonia in the water also rises each time. Any ammonia is enough to stress, sicken or kill fish, so none is the only ok amount. In a cycled tank, you'd change 10-25% of the water & vacuum 1/3 of the gravel 1x/wk.
3) Water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine & heavy metals needs to be added @ every water change. AquaClear (Walmart, PetSmart) or Novaquel & Prime used together (PetSmart) are both good brands.
Check Craigslist, freecycle,com, Ebay, backpage.com or online fish forums for the above items as people usually sell tanks &/or equipment cheaply or give them away.
Noseless, Katie & Book Shelf are right. Yes, the bowl is better than the cup he came in, but that's not really a true comparison as it's not meant to be his home, just for sale & transport. So tho it is def better, it's still not meeting his needs, & is kinda like saying a dog living in a crate 24/7 is ok cuz it's better than the cage he was in @ the shelter. Nothing >2.5-3 gallons (& some say nothing >5 gallons) is ok for one betta. You can cycle a larger tank (5+ gallons) which is less work, water & $ for you & less stress for your bettas over time. You can keep an uncycled tank, but it's more work. As for your other one that died quickly he was likely already ill or wasn't acclimated before he was added to the tank.
As to why he's fat, the bloating could be a # of things:
1) Constipation-His stomach is only the size of her eye, so feed 2-3 pieces/day, 6 days/wk., fast 1 day/wk. If he's getting more it's likely constipation. Fast him for a day & feed 1/4 of the insides of a de-shelled, cooked pea on the end of a toothpick-this will help clean her out, so to speak. Make sure the peas don't contain salt, since it causes water retention.
2) Food-Flakes, pellets & freeze dried food have lots of filler that bettas can't digest, can cause bloating problems in sensitive and old bettas & are the least nutritious. PetSmart/Petco sell frozen foods: brine shrimp, bloodworms, glassworms, etc. for $4-5/bubble pack of food, which are easier for them to digest, much more nutritious, more palable & don't normally present the same digestive issues unless the fish is severely overfed. If you do feed pellets, soak them for a few minutes before feeding; otherwise they'll expand in her stomach which can also cause bloating & digestion issues.
3) Swim bladder (SB) issues can also mean that the betta can't swim down w/o difficulty or gets pulled to the top when he tries. SB issues are brought on by cold or poor water quality & can normally be corrected by fixing those underlyig issues.
Despite the cause of his bloating there are a few other things that need to be altered:
1) Bettas are tropical fish & need water @ a steady 78 degrees. Cooler temps. cause color loss, clamped fins, lethargy, digestive issues, loss of appetite, stress, illness &/or death. 1-gallon (7.5 or 10 watt heater @ PetSmart and PetCo), 2.5-3 gallons: 25 watt heater (@ most pet stores), 5 gallons: 50 watt heater (@ most pet stores).
2) Water changes remove ammonia, which is toxic & forms in water from uneaten food, waste, his breathing. It's colorless & odorless so you can't tell if the water's ok by seeing if it "looks clean." For uncycled 100% water change tanks: 1 gallon: change 100% of the water (& rinse off plants, gravel, take the fish out, etc.) every other day; 2.5-3 gallons 2-3 times/week; 5 gallons 1-2 x's/week. In that size tank, w/2 fish you need to be taking them out, rinsing off the gravel, decor & plants & changing all the water every other day. Do NOT do this w/the filter tho if the tank's cycled; if it's not the filter serves no biological purpose & way as well be left out. Many people say not to change all the water but w/uncycled tanks you MUST; otherwise the ammonia levels, which are toxic, continually rise since you're leaving some in w/every water change. Because of the this, the % of ammonia in the water also rises each time. Any ammonia is enough to stress, sicken or kill fish, so none is the only ok amount. In a cycled tank, you'd change 10-25% of the water & vacuum 1/3 of the gravel 1x/wk.
3) Water conditioner that removes chlorine, chloramine & heavy metals needs to be added @ every water change. AquaClear (Walmart, PetSmart) or Novaquel & Prime used together (PetSmart) are both good brands.
Check Craigslist, freecycle,com, Ebay, backpage.com or online fish forums for the above items as people usually sell tanks &/or equipment cheaply or give them away.
Is there anything I can do about being pestered at Petsmart?
Q. Every time I have gone to Petsmart now somebody there has tried to sell me their training classes. I'm so annoyed because I'll go in looking for one thing, they ask me what I'm looking for, and then start going on and on about their training classes. This is getting irritating because I can't even ask where something is without them telling me I need to take my dog to training classes. One time I was looking for agility equipment, another time I was looking for a specific type of collar, and then another time I was looking for a specific kind of crate. I have said I'm not interested in their classes, but it's really getting annoying that I can't even ask where something is without somebody trying to put in a plug for their classes. I almost snapped on the guy tonight as he assumed by dog wasn't trained because I wanted agility equipment.
I think I will try to get in touch with the gm then and just let them know it is irritating. I'm sure I'm not the only person annoyed by it. I have never had this problem at a Petsmart before.
Glenn- Really? I didn't know they did all of that and I have never been to a mall or a department store. Yeah..obviously I'm that dense...
I think I will try to get in touch with the gm then and just let them know it is irritating. I'm sure I'm not the only person annoyed by it. I have never had this problem at a Petsmart before.
Glenn- Really? I didn't know they did all of that and I have never been to a mall or a department store. Yeah..obviously I'm that dense...
Answer
why not go and ask to speak to a manager about it.. let them know that you are annoyed that the employees are soliciting the training classes.. perhaps when you are looking for a particular item, they should try to show you products that are more related to the item you want.
I could see if they had AGILITY classes to offer when you asked for agility equipment.. but not their basic obedience classes.
ADDED
Yes, sometimes employees are told to push a particular item. I work at walmart, and when we run registers, we are suppossed to push the credit card applications. I know that people find that annoying tho, and I dont push it on every single customer.. simply because I KNOW that's annoying! I leave the information where it can easily be seen, and may suggest it if I feel a customer seems interested.
In my department, I will suggest related items if I see a customer looking at something particular. I see no reason to push the sale of an unrelated item, when they are obviously not looking for such a thing.
why not go and ask to speak to a manager about it.. let them know that you are annoyed that the employees are soliciting the training classes.. perhaps when you are looking for a particular item, they should try to show you products that are more related to the item you want.
I could see if they had AGILITY classes to offer when you asked for agility equipment.. but not their basic obedience classes.
ADDED
Yes, sometimes employees are told to push a particular item. I work at walmart, and when we run registers, we are suppossed to push the credit card applications. I know that people find that annoying tho, and I dont push it on every single customer.. simply because I KNOW that's annoying! I leave the information where it can easily be seen, and may suggest it if I feel a customer seems interested.
In my department, I will suggest related items if I see a customer looking at something particular. I see no reason to push the sale of an unrelated item, when they are obviously not looking for such a thing.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
Title Post: My beta fish is bloated looking. Advice?
Rating: 100% based on 9998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
Rating: 100% based on 9998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks For Coming To My Blog
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar