Sick Betta Fish

[imarolltidefan]

Help! My betta fish is sick. He is very swollen and looks like his sides are magnified. From reading certain articles about betta fish, I think he has something called dropsy. Has anyone had a betta that has/had this and what did you do to help it?

 

[mommyof2bettas]

My guppy got dropsy about a week ago and died today
Tbh, when their scales pop out, it's very hard for them to make it.
Try getting some epsom salt for him.

 

[jollysue]

That is really the only treatment I know of. Also do not feed him. He is bloated and may have organ failure, but at the least he is constipated. If you do not see his poo, refrain from feeding.

 

[Maxsmom]

Are any of his scales sticking out? It's called pine-coning. If there is pine-coning and it's localized to the tummy area... that might just be bloating. If the entire body is pine-coned... then it's probably Dropsy. Some fish have come through it... but the mortality rate is high. I'm not experienced enough to give medical advice - you might want to research the treatment options. Good luck!

 

[33moths]

I bought a betta around February, but I missed that she had dropsy. She was supposed to go in a female sorority tank (I got 5 others with her) but obviously I couldn't put her in... but I didn't want to return her because they probably would have destroyed her right off. So I made her as comfortable as I could in her own tank and figured I would let her pass away naturally. She got really bad at one point. Whole body bloated, bad pine coning. I didn't know what to do so I didn't do anything special. Clean water, etc.


Around April she got better. Pine coning went away completely. She was rather skinny from not eating much but she's still alive and healthy. The sorority didn't work out so everyone's got their own tanks, but I'm very happy she survived.


I know it's rare, but I wish you all the luck with your baby. It's very hard when they pass away.