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Hi,

I've had my betta fish for about 6 months, it was about 1/3 of its current size when I got it, now it's full grown. I used to drop it's food pellets in one at a time, 8, twice a day and it would anxiously eat each one immediately. Over the past few months, it's been eating less and less. It sometimes will swim after food and then stop, or miss the food or spit it back out. Now It seems like it only eats like 3-4 pellets a day at the most. It also stays staitionary a lot but seems to always move around from time to time. I noticed a couple of months ago that one eye was more swollen than the other. The picture should show that pretty well. Do you think it is sick? I saw stuff on the web about popeye and another eye disease, does he have this?

Here's the link.

http://www.geocities.com/vintage1515/Pellet.jpg

Thank you very much!

it could be popeye

You will have to treat the fish with an anti internal bacteria medicine, also what are your test results in ammonia,nitrite,nitrate, and ph.

So do you think it is pop eye, judging by the pic and description? I don't have a way to test the water right now but I can get that if neccessary. It's my only fish and I had it in a 1 gallon bowl, now it's in a 2 gallon tank. No filter, just water treatment for bettas, change water every 2 weeks.
Thanks!

Not popeye, a disease that balloons the eye out from the head of the fish...

The eye looks sunken in, perhaps from damage??

A weekly water change of the same temp and pH and a little "Bettafix" may be beneficial.

Offer the Betta some frozen bloodworms or shrimp to add a little variety to its diet, an important factor to keep Bettas healthy.

--garyroland.

a one gallon betta bowl needs a 100% water change every 5 days. One gallon is not a lot of water and with you feeding so much food there was a lot of fecal waste.

This betta looks very fat to me. I would do the 5 day water changes, feed less, try 3 pellets twice a day. His pectoral fin looks like it has a finrot from that picture...if it isn't whole (ragged) I would treat with Jungles Fungal Eliminator (you can get it at Walmart). The most important thing is clean water. Once he is treated and starting to move around then I would feed the bloodworms and then just one or two as a treat per week...if he isn't moving around a lot I wouldn't feed them, they have a tendency to constipate an active betta if fed too often.

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If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

Thanks Light Bright. I have also noticed the one pectoral fin being "clear" and the other one is purple. The clear fin is also on the same side as its swolen eye. On closer inspection of the fish i also notice that it is white under it's face and front fins, I don't know if that is normal coloration or something else. I'll look into the Jungles Fungal Cream and start changing the water every 5 days. What's the best way to change it? Catch the fish with a net and put in a temporary container, change the water and replace the fish or to syphon the water with the fish in it? Sorry for so many questions. Anyway, thanks for everyone's help so far.

"now it's in a 2 gallon tank"...

--garyroland.

How is you betta doing? i'm having the same problem maybe you could give me some pointers?