Bloated Betta?

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guppy2002

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I recently purchased three female Betts for a sorority. Two were all fat and bloated looking. One of them got more normal sized since I've had her. The other one is still really fat and bloated. This is after about a month, by the way. She is healthy otherwise, all of them are. Is it possible she is just fat? She does eat a lot. I do not think it is my food, as she was even fatter than I got her.

Ps. No pics, sorry. I have unfortunately lost my camera :(
 
What food are you feeding?  Bettas can be quite gluttonous, so you want to feed them small amounts twice a day.
 
They do best on small floating pellets, as these can be more easily monitored in terms of how much they are eating.
 
I feed flakes twice a day. It is usually 3 big flakes for three girls each time to be really specific. Flakes have never been a problem for me.........
 
It would be much better for you to get some betta pellets, as flakes can cause them to become bloated.
 
Is it possible that she is full of eggs?
 
Is there any reason why you only have 3 bettas? It is better to keep them in groups of at least 5 to spread aggression out.
 
I have to agree - switch to pellets and try to reduce feeding.
 
guppy2002 said:
I feed flakes twice a day. It is usually 3 big flakes for three girls each time to be really specific. Flakes have never been a problem for me.........
 
Flakes have never been a problem because you weren't keeping bettas at that time... Each fish will have its own needs and its the job of the fishkeeper to learn what those needs are and meet them.
 
I mean a problem with flakes and BETTAS. Yes I have had several before.
 
I see.  Well, I would say that that was going against 'conventional wisdom'. 
 
It's up to you, but you did post that your betta was bloated and feeding flakes is a common cause.
 
Whether they came to you bloated looking or not, the fact that you feed each of them a big flake (not once but twice a day) is saying a lot to me about why that one is still bloated looking.  Flakes are not a good idea for single bettas and are even worse for groups of them because there is no way of monitoring which one gets how much.  In a group there is always going to be one that gets more than the others it is just how it is nothing you can really do to stop it.  Which means that you will end up with a very bloated betta after a while.  Their stomach is only around the size of their eyeball and anything over that is too much.  Flakes swell much more than most pellets which means that even though that flake may not look like it is too big, it is.  The good brands of betta pellets take all this into account and they do not swell like that once in the betta's stomach which keeps the betta from bloating.  You may not have really noticed a problem with your bettas before now which is why you continue to support using flakes instead of switching to pellets.  Your previous bettas probably were lucky enough to not get really bloated but I would guarantee they were a little "heavier" than what they should have been normally.  
WIthout pictures it is impossible to tell whether the bloating with your female is food related or something worse.  In a situation like you have them in, it is possible for it to be an early sign of internal injuries and fluid retention from fighting.
 
My suggestion for you is to fast the tank for at least 3 days to see if the one female starts to look thinner.  I also advise you to purchase some small pellets so your bettas have a better diet and to avoid this problem in the future.  I also advise you (like I did in your thread about adding platys) to get a couple more females if you want this tank to work long term.
 
ok, so im going to fast them for a couple days until i go to the petstore again. then i will get pellets and feed them that.
 
one more thing, how do i get them to not eat the other fishs' food and the other way around. since they are used to flakes wont they just eat those instead of the pellets? my rasboras are VERY greedy and i assume they will try to eat the pellets to. what should i do about that?
 

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