How Long Do Peas Take To Work?

[ellena]

I fed rufus last night and then noticed he was looking very fat! I fed him a pea but he's still the same this morning. How long does it normally take?
Also, wed night, I noticed he had a little hole in the middle of one of the fins at the side of his head and last night this had developed into a tear
You can see the belly and the tear here

 

[loraxchick]

it takes as long as it takes...starve him for a day and see if that helps (he wont literally starve)...the tear in his fin looks like he caught it on something. it shold heal in no time with clean water. just keep your eye on it.
best of luck
he's purdy...im a softie for red ones.

 

[Syphoniera]

Hi, ellena,
while we're waiting for an expert to show up...
I was just wondering if you'd considered adding a bit of of Epsom salt to Rufus' water?
That often helps with constipation, especially in conjunction with pea-feeds.
That is one heck of a split in his fin...
He looks beautiful, but he doesn't really look happy in that shot, does he?
If his temps are set below 80, maybe touching the heater up a trifle might help speed things up, too?
Personally, speaking as a non-expert, I think I'd go with that and keep feeding just bits of pea for a few days, if it hadn't cleared, if it occurred in one of mine.
This WAS a suddenly appearing tummy bulge, rather than something more gradual?

 

[Honeythorn]

Clean water and a little Melafix ( underdose the tank ) will soon heal that fin up.

 

[ellena]

Thanks for the replies guys It was a sudden thing-I noticed thurs eve and it wasn't there wed eve. I haven't fed him since the pea thurs and it's gone down a bit now, but there's still some bulge, so I'll try him with another pea.
I am already using melafix in the tank for the little black patches on his tail, which would support the idea that he's caught it on something? Weird though as it definitely started off as a hole right in the middle of the fin, so hard to think what could pierce the fin like that. He has a coconut cave, but I sanded that to death and made sure it was smooth. There's also a tiny piece of bogwood which I also made sure was smooth. Then there are only plants (a real java fern and that 'natural fern' stuff)

 

[Honeythorn]

If the black patches are fin rot ( check for disintegration of the fins, holes and so on ) then melafix will NOT cure it. You need Waterlife Myaxzin to clear finrot ( you'd have to stop usoing the melafix whilst treating that ) and when it's gone, you then ue the myaxzin to heal the damage.

Basically melafix isn't a disease treatment, it's more of a helping hand to promote faster healing AFTER disease has been cleared.

 

[Syphoniera]

My beautiful Silk, the most hyperactive male betta I've ever heard of, especially during the first year after I acquired him, was sold as a half moon and had beautiful, flowing, perfectly symetrical finnage.
He developed a tear in his perfect (to mum, anyway) tail and ripped the whole thing off - on what?
NOTHING in his tank should have been able to do that, even with his perpetual 'betweening' and twining around objects.
Apparently the very thin, fine-membraned finnage of many long-finned bettas can develop tears simply from 'excessive' movement, especially in bettas that would like to be racing bettas, but are slowed down by heavy drapery.
And I will always believe he deliberately ripped his tail off to lower water resistance...

 

[Galanta]

On the constipation issue - watch to see if he is actually pooping. I took in a bettafish from a friend 2 weeks ago, which had a HUGE stomach and nothing was coming out of him and he was all lethargic. She was feeding him every other day, so I fasted him for 48 hours, then fed him a pea. Still nothing was coming out of him. I then fed him another pea 24 hours later and finally stuff was coming out of him. I fed him only little and let his stomach slim down before I gave him back. He has been back "at home" for a week now. He is being fed daily and his pellets are being pre-soaked before feeding and he has been fine since. If your fish is passing his food through, just give him a longer break, so he can digest everything and slim down. If he is not passing through his food, I would keep feeding only peas until the flow is going again. Presoaking the pellets will help a lot as when the little piggies swallow a bunch of the dry ones and then they expand in their stomach, they get really bloated.
I've had my own betta for 6-8 weeks. Ever since I got him, he has been fed 2 times a day (noon and midnight) with 3 soaked pellets at a time and he is pooping all the time and looks slim and trim. I know I should skip a day, but I keep forgetting. I always look at him though and if his stomach looks extended, I skip that meal at least. He is very active, making his bubblenests, etc.

 

[ellena]

Thanks for the replies everyone I don't think his has finrot now-there's been no change in his fins in the 2 weeks I've had him.
I fed him another pea last night and he seems slim today so I've fed him 2 presoaked pellets.
No idea if he poos-I've never actually seen him do it.

 

[bagu]

hehe ive had to watch my fishes poo incase ^^

 

[Anna Robinson]

Melafix is an antibacterial treatment, it is not just an aid to healing (although it does do that too).

There is no need to underdose Melafix with Bettas.