Constipation/bloated?

[Winterlily]

One of my bettas was acting a bit off yesterday (Monday) - too much resting, basically. Since he's been in the 5 gallon, he's been pretty active, so it was unusual to see him just lying around so much. On Sunday I fasted all of them, and Monday morning they got bloodworms. (just about 3 per betta). As I said, Monday day, he was acting off. Monday night, I took a good close look at him and his belly seemed too big to me. I gave him a pea - well, a part of one anyhow - the whole thing seems WAY too much to feed, yes? Worried about him all night, but hoped he'd be back to his svelte self this morning.

Nope. Still bloated looking. Gave another pea (about 1/2 this time, in bite-size bits). He ate it (thankfully still eating), but is lying around too much again, and is doing the thing of lying down somewhere, all fins stop - all of them - then slowly going over almost on to his side. Not quite all the way thankfully, but sort of half on his belly, half on his side. Then he gets up and starts swimming again.

I watched for a long time and didn't see him poop. (Though in fairness, I have not EVER seen him poop.) I read on here that sometimes flaring will make them poop, so I put the mirror in, and he's TOTALLY disinterested. Saw the reflection etc but just swam past it. Totally ignored it. !!!!

He's not pineconed when I look from the top. When I look from the top, though, he's sort of hourglass shaped, unlike my other one. You know, there's his head, then he goes in at the "waist", then back out where all the muscles start. My other one is sort of more an elongated teardrop shape. Almost makes me think he's too thin. But that's another issue I think?

Anyhow. What do I do here? How long between pea-eating and poop is there? Should I have expected it right away if it was going to happen?

I'm going to get him some daphnia today since he is, currently, still eating.

Other than that, I understand you can use epsom salt baths. That should be done somewhere other than his tank, right, since he's not to be left in the salts - is that right? If so, what's the best way to do that? He'd have to be acclimatized (like the way we float the bags of new fish) to the other water right? Then acclimatized back to his tank water?? Or, just put it in his tank and then do a 50% water change or something after 30 minutes? (is it okay for plants, btw?)

(ETA that mid afternoon I gave him some daphnia - hoping that works. So far nothing.)

Here's 3 pics of him taken very soon after the eating of the 1/2 pea this morning... (since he does sort of look a bit pineconed here on the big part of his belly, I just just checked again from above and I don't think I see it in real life)

 

[lilacamy931]

I would keep trying the peas for the moment and not give any other food otherwise it is going to keep backing up. Im not any where near good enough to give any other advice though, so hope someone comes along to see if the epsom helps. Hang in there and keep vigilant eye on him. Might be worth posting in emergency/sick forum to ask on help for epsom salt.

p.s here are some google results havent read through them all yet tho:
http/answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...15110111AATLQDM

http/www.petfish.net/kb/entry/332/

http/en.allexperts.com/q/Freshwater-Aqua...etta-Fish-1.htm

copied from one link:
Setting up an Epsom Salt bath:

Add 1 Tbsp per gallon of Epsom Salt to some aged, temperature-adjusted (same temperature as the water the betta is already in) water.

Pour Epsom Salt solution into a containter.

Place the Betta in the Epsom Salt bath for 15-20 minutes. While the Betta is having a bath, change the water in his tank so that he has nice, clean water to go back to afterwards. Make SURE that the water in all of these containers is the same temperature, we don't need the Betta getting another disease right now.

Hopefully the Epsom Salt bath will help to loosen the blockage, just sit back and watch. The Epsom Salt bath can be repeated up to two times a day - just be aware that it is stressful to the fish, so if you can get him to eat the pea, give the pea a shot first.

 

[Winterlily]

Thanks so much lilacamy! He seems a little bit better tonight activity-wise. The "swollen" area is still there, though.

How on earth do you know the difference between fat and bloat or constipation? I do NOT overfeed him in any way, but, 2 weeks ago I put live plants in there and they came with not only a couple snails, but these teeeeeny freshwater shrimp type things. He ALWAYS seems to be hunting, so I imagine he's eating them, too.

 

[Galanta]

Well, I'm no grsnd expert either. But I am currently feeding two different betta. One which NEVER gets constipated and one which gets constipated all the time. I personally always check out their stomach b4 I out in any food. If they look very rounded, I just skip that day. By the next day they'll look slimmer. If not, I might wait one more day, but if by the second they they still look bloated the u definitely have constipation and it's pea time. I will feed pea once and then check 24 hours later. If no reduction in stomach or only very little, I feed pea again. (If they are generally acting normal, you could even give it another day break between the two feedings)m just so you know, bettas can go for at least 10 days w/o food. So if in doubt just wait a little extra b4 feeding again. There is no way u r going to starve your fish to death. If your fish is very prone to constipation, I would suggest soaking the pellets and (if posssible) splitting the ration and feeding twice a day instead of all on one go. I have found this to handle most of the constipation problem

 

[loraxchick]

now that youve given peas, give him a starve day or two (hell be fine without food for this period) and see if that helps. it probably will.
there is no set "pooing schedule" for after you feed peas...just gotta wait and see.
as for his bloatedness- tbh, he doesnt look all THAT fat...ive seen very much more bloatedness before.
good luck!

 

[Forestpisces]

I agree with what's been said, just give him the pea then starve as Galanta said, i use this method when Radish pigs himself out on the kuhli's algae wafer

Works a treat

 

[Winterlily]

Thanks so much guys! Yeah, a friend of mine just showed me a photo of a really, really bloated betta (looked like he swallowed a marble!). Boy! Okay - one more pea for him this morning, then no food. Best I can anyhow - that's the other problem. As mentioned, I've recently changed his tank from silk plants (which were tearing up his fins, if you remember), to live plants. On the live plants came some things I didn't choose. Snails (which I understand are a good thing, actually, and he doesn't bother), and those teeeeeensy (like maybe 1/16 an inch, or like 2 cm) freshwater shrimp type things that swim really fast. He's having a ball hunting. I'll often see him watching something intently, completely still, then super fast he's got it. So I can't starve him unless I take him out of the tank and put him elsewhere, because he seems to have his own supply of live food.

That's one of the reasons I wanted to be able to see him poop (never thought that was a sentence I'd have any reason to say....). That would at least tell me if was NOT constipation and he's just getting fat on live shrimp. What do you all think about putting him in the breeder box for a couple hours to see if there's poop on the bottom? Or is that just way stressful for no real gain?

 

[Forestpisces]

If he's eating the shrimp then i just wouldnt feed him for a while, and i wouldn't bother with a breeder box.

He'll be fine in a few days

 

[Winterlily]

Thanks so much. I really appreciate it!