Constipated bettas?

[Skye_marilyn]

I just give him the food. I’ve never tried soaking the pellets.

Well that is your answer right there, most dry food doubles in size once exposed to water so you’re little buddy has been eating the pellets dry then they have been swelling in his belly making him constipated. Start by soaking all food for 5 minutes before feeding, until you get some frozen foods to aid in proper digestion. Also try to feed a deshelled pea as the person above mentioned. Once he starts to poop normally, try to avoid foods that lack fiber, stick to mostly frozen food and consider purchasing some clay Neighbor’s paradigm carnivore crumble which is high in fiber and probably the best dry food available.

Try your best not to allow your fish to swallow air as they aren’t capable of “farting” and the air will just cause buoyancy issues as well as allow for bacterial infection to set in. Make sure all food you feed is not only soaked but also sinks before feeding.

 

[jojo_47]

I tried soaking the pellets. He doesn’t seem interested. I have him flakes instead. I think I’ll go and buy the option you gave me. Thank you so much!

 

[Kaprica]

Just wanted to thank you guys again for your help, unfortunately my betta passed a few days ago. I'm still not sure what was wrong with her (she wasn't pineconing, 3 gallon tank, no tankmates- that reply's pretty late but I figured I'd add it in in case this happens again in the future) but a decent amount of blood came out of her when I was removing her from the tank so maybe that had something to do with it? Or maybe it was just all the fluids exiting the body. Either way I appreciate your help, having things I could try made it easier than just watching her get worse. Thank you guys for your time!

 

[emmysjj]

I'm sorry for your loss

 

[Kaprica]

Thank you

 

[jojo_47]

Hey, little update (SUPER late) thank you guys so much for the help. His constipation went away after giving him peas. He still won’t eat the pellets but he is now pooping regularly so yay!

 

[Skye_marilyn]

Hey, little update (SUPER late) thank you guys so much for the help. His constipation went away after giving him peas. He still won’t eat the pellets but he is now pooping regularly so yay!

That is so good to hear! Hope he continues to be happy and healthy

 

[catherinepasmith]

What is the water volume of the tank? 19L
How long has the tank been running? 7 months
Does it have a filter? yes
Does it have a heater? yes
What is the water temperature? 26oC
What is the entire stocking of this tank? (Please list all fish and inverts.) Just male betta

Maintenance
How often do you change the water? weekly
How much of the water do you change? 5-10L
What do you use to treat your water? tetra start
Do you vacuum the substrate or just the water? sometimes, mostly just water

*Parameters - Very Important
Did you cycle your tank before adding fish? yes
What do you use to test the water? apI master kit
What are your parameters? We need to know the exact numbers, not just “fine” or “safe”.

Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
pH:

Feeding
How often do you feed your fish? twice a day
How much do you feed your fish? 3 pellets each feed 3 frozen bloodworms on weekends
What brand of food do you feed your fish? bio gold
Do you feed frozen or freeze-dried foods? frozen bloodworms

Illness & Symptoms
How long have you had this fish? 6 months
How long ago did you first notice these symptoms? today
In a few words, can you explain the symptoms? The fish seems to have a large poo attached with a ball of poo at the end.
Have you started any treatment for the illness? fasted and not feed him this eve.
Was your fish physically ill or injured upon purchase? no
How has its behavior and appearance changed, if at all? none

Explain your emergency situation in detail. (Please give a clear explanation of what is going on, include details from the beginning of the illness leading up to now)
The fish seems to have a string of excrement attached but is swimming fine and appearing normal. This has never happened. Please share advice. Thank you very much.

 

[Taradane]

I have seen my male betta poop like that before, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

 

[catherinepasmith]

I have seen my male betta poop like that before, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

Thanks, hopefully I am worrying over nothing. I've never once seen him poop in apl the time we've had him.

Did you just fast him or continue feeding to push it out?

 

[Repolie]

No that just looks like regular poop. Sometimes it may come out weird. He's pooping still so you can continue to feed him normally.

 

[catherinepasmith]

I've never seen him poop! It's fallen off now. Thanks for the reassurance; I'm like a worried first time parent!

 

[Taradane]

Thanks, hopefully I am worrying over nothing. I've never once seen him poop in apl the time we've had him.

Did you just fast him or continue feeding to push it out?

I changed nothing, and he was okay.

 

[BubblesTheBettaFish]

I think my betta is a little constipated. Yesterday I saw that his belly was bloated. Today the bloating looks much smaller. There is also no pine coning on the scales, so I think it might be constipation. I did attach a photo, although the camera and lighting wasn’t too good, and I couldn’t get a good angle. How should I change my bettas diet to help him? Thanks!

 

[BlackSkirtTetra]

When your betta has constipation feed him some peas, they’ll help clear his system.

Also this if it’s a medical problem: what are your water parameters?

 

[Algonquin]

What and when do you feed?

 

[BubblesTheBettaFish]

When your betta has constipation feed him some peas, they’ll clear his system.

Also this if it’s a medical problem: what are your water parameters?

I use API 5 in 1 test strips.
I have:
Gh: 180
Kh: 180
pH: Around 7
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0 - 20 (closer to 0 than 20)
I also have ammonia test strips, but I’ve heard they’re unreliable and mine don’t really seem to work.

 

[PascalKrypt]

It is a little hard to recommend changes in diet if we don't know what his current diet looks like.

 

[BubblesTheBettaFish]

What and when do you feed?

I feed my fish 3-4 betta pellets, once in the morning, and once at night. I use Topfin Color-Enhancing Betta Bits. I also occasionally give him a dehydrated bloodworm, from Aqueon.

It is a little hard to recommend changes in diet if we don't know what his current diet looks like.

Sorry, I forgot to include his current diet.

 

[PascalKrypt]

I feed my fish 3-4 betta pellets, once in the morning, and once at night. I use Topfin Color-Enhancing Betta Bits. I also occasionally give him a dehydrated bloodworm, from Aqueon.

Make sure to soak freeze-dried (dehydrated) products a few minutes before feeding them, or they can cause bloat/constipation because they expand in the stomach of the fish when consumed dry. That could be part of the issue.

 

[Algonquin]

Dried foods can be constipating. Do you soak the dry worms first in tank water?
A varied diet is always a good idea! Can you try some frozen daphnia (good for constipation) and some frozen brine shrimp? You can get those at most fish stores, and they're not too expensive.
The Betta Bits you are feeding are not great quality food. If you look at the label, there's a lot of 'extras' in there that aren't really great for him. There are lots of threads here on Fishlore that have recommendations for specific brands that have better quality ingredients
HikarI and Northfin are a couple of examples of very good brands.

 

[FinalFins]

If you aren't sure, fast him for 3 days and then try live daphnia or live BBS. or frozen.

Bettas are carnivourus so peas aren't gonna help that much.

 

[supersix9080]

I personally did just have to use the pea method. I was told to fast him for two days, then feed a pea. After that to feed live brine shrimp.

 

[BubblesTheBettaFish]

Make sure to soak freeze-dried (dehydrated) products a few minutes before feeding them, or they can cause bloat/constipation because they expand in the stomach of the fish when consumed dry. That could be part of the issue.

This might be the problem. About two days ago I fed him a bloodworm. I had no idea I was supposed to soak it first. I will definitely do that next time.

Dried foods can be constipating. Do you soak the dry worms first in tank water?
A varied diet is always a good idea! Can you try some frozen daphnia (good for constipation) and some frozen brine shrimp? You can get those at most fish stores, and they're not too expensive.
The Betta Bits you are feeding are not great quality food. If you look at the label, there's a lot of 'extras' in there that aren't really great for him. There are lots of threads here on Fishlore that have recommendations for specific brands that have better quality ingredients
HikarI and Northfin are a couple of examples of very good brands.

Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely look into it.

 

[WaveriderMick]

If you aren't sure, fast him for 3 days and then try live daphnia or live BBS. or frozen.

Bettas are carnivourus so peas aren't gonna help that much.

I've read that the high fibre content of peas can help relieve minor constipation. It makes sense.