Isolated Betta Female - Getting Better!

[Ltygress]

I think back when I joined this site a few months ago, I had one betta male and two females. I can't remember. I still have one male, but now seven females. And I'm probably about to get some Giants this week, too.

Anyway, one of my two original females (some weird brown/chocolate cellophane color combo) has been FAT since day 1. I've bred her twice. The first time she dropped eggs and then she AND the male both ate the eggs. The second time the daddy just didn't keep putting them back in the nest and the whole brood eventually perished.

But even during these times, she has remained FAT. Like she swallowed a marble. I figured she couldn't be egg bound because she was bred twice during this time! And the tank was treated for diseases recently (Paraguard) so I didn't think she had parasites either. She DOES gorge on anything and everything she can eat - including my cabombas that I ordered from Florida. I swear she AT LEAST licks everything that goes into the tank before it hits the gravel. New fish, more gravel, plants, food, the random rock - whatever. If fish had tongues, she'd get at least one taste in before it hit the bottom.

So I put her in a 1-gallon tank for just a few days to fast her and make her lose weight. She's been in there since early yesterday morning, and right now she's dropping eggs and eating them.

I'm not sure if I should be happy that the eggs might ACTUALLY have been the problem all along (maybe the daddy just wasn't wrapping her enough to get them all) or mad that even in the absence of food... she's feeding herself.

SILLY FISHY!

 

[AmtotheBurr]

Glad she's improving! She probably feels better not carrying around dozens of babies too.

 

[Wildbetta]

Well if the female had actually been "egg bound" to begin with then spawning her would not have released all the eggs no matter how well the male wrapped.  So it is not that surprising that she is still releasing eggs.  However it is great news that she is releasing them on her own now.  

 

[Ltygress]

It's been about 3 weeks since she was last with a male though. Lol!

 

[nic1]

Self feeding fish,

 

[Ltygress]

She finally trimmed down enough to go back in the sorority tank. And I immediately had to put another betta in. Her scales are all "puffed up" except one spot just behind her belly. She's not overweight, just ill. But I've got her on Paraguard, and she's still eating. Thank goodness for frozen bloodworms, because she'll eat a few of those, and then keep eating the others that land on the bottom through out the day. She slows HER eating down, but cleans them all up before the next morning. I LIKE THIS FISH! At least her eating habits!