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After battling (and pulling through ) ich a few weeks ago, one of my bettas is sick again *sigh* He has a loss of equilibrium and can't do anything but float at the surface. He can force himself down, but he goes right back up The perams are ok, as I keep up on my maintenace...

The obvious thing seems to be that either he swallowed air or he has swim bladder disease. According to racso, loss of equilibrium caused by SBD can occasionally make a fish float rather than sink How can I tell which one it is? What should I do for him? Thanks in advance

><>Dani<><

[hr width='40%']I don't want another pretty face
I don't want just anyone to hold
I don't want my love to go to waste
I want you and your beautiful soul

Last edited by gartenzwerfe at 05-Mar-2005 10:51

he may be constipated?

i would try feeding him peas before adding any meds? have you seen him poop?

make sure you shell them first.

when I had a Betta he didn't eat much food unless I moved(so it looked alive!)so if he isn't interested try waving it around infront of him with tweezers??

the things we do for this fish!

if that doens't work and you get no more answers here try the advanced betta forum they might have a clue

good luck
GFG

_______________________________________
Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one's definition of your life; define yourself.
Harvey S. Firestone

I am afraid I am going to have to go with swim bladder with Racso on this one! Is he having trouble staying upright as well? Or is he just bouyant?

After talking to you in chat and further consideration, I would say use the pea method, and perhaps even dose with a TINY bit of salt. Good luck with him! I am sure he will pull through just fine!

Last edited by Stormy5 at 05-Mar-2005 12:32

Our betta gets this problem from time to time. I agree with the constipation diagnosis. Our betta won't eat peas, and what I've found clears it up is for the betta to fast for a few days. I think I was overfeeding; I've cut back on the amount of food he gets and he rarely has this problem any more.

Before I even had a chance to feed him peas, he got better. He's swimming just fine now!

Thanks everyone.

><>Dani<><

[hr width='40%']I don't want another pretty face
I don't want just anyone to hold
I don't want my love to go to waste
I want you and your beautiful soul

He probably pooped

In some fish, a full digestive tract may push into the swim bladder. When they go, it is relieved. I have this problem severely with one of my goldfish. I've rememdied it by including a small amount of algae sheet with his diet. It soaks up lots of water and turns gel-like. This water in the gut aids digestion. Goldfish like algae and the betta is not likely to pick at it.

Now, that brings us to diet. What do you feed him and how often (include brands). Some things are more likely to bring it on than others.

Many bettas will eat peas, but some are definitely finicky. I used deshelled, frozen pea that was thawed and cut into pieces the size of his regular food. I just set it on the counter and let it thaw. Then I pop the round shell off and cut it up. I only feed about 3 small pieces, then I feed more later. I get his attention with it so that he can't miss it. I have not had to do this with my current bettas, but an older one required it. They slow down .

If it's any comfort, my sisters betta lived for 3 years with SBD.

Last edited by Cory_Di at 07-Mar-2005 08:32

Glad to hear your betta is feeling better dani! I know how worried you were about him.

Thanks Diane and stormy

Diane- I feed him, as well as my 4 other bettas, Tetra BettaMin flakes every other day and an occasional treat of a couple bloodworms or brine shrimp (both frozen). I also have a supply of peas in the freezer that I'll sometimes give as a treat. To thaw them I put them in a cup of warm water for a couple minutes, shell them, mash them between my fingers and put my fingers in the tank. One of the boys will eat it right off my finger

><>Dani<><

[hr width='40%']I don't want another pretty face
I don't want just anyone to hold
I don't want my love to go to waste
I want you and your beautiful soul

I had one like that .

You may want to try a switch for the one with SBD - Hikari Betta BioGold. The reason I suggest this is that one of the ingredients is Magnesium Sulfate - a stool softener.

I feed my boys 3 pellets in the AM and 3 in the PM, and periodically provide a frozen snack of bloodworm or brine shrimp.

Next time the boy floats, place a mirror in front of him and see if the exertion of flaring makes him poop. It does one of mine. In fact, he needs a mirror 2-3 times weekly to go. I see him get bloated and I know it is mirror time