Hopefully just bloated and not dropsy then.
Fasting is probably a good idea, and if you could get your hands on frozen daphnia, it should help any constipation.
Alright, I'll change the water frequently, give him a boiled pea, (it helps him digest food because it has a lot of dietary fiber) and fast him. I'll let you guys know if he gets better.
Have you done a water change yet?
Is he acting and eating normal? He might just be a chunky boy
No that amount of bloat is not normal for a male. He is either bloated or its dropsy. Based on their water change routine I'd say dropsy, but they claim there is an absence of pineconing so members wanted to try and rule out bloating.
Dropsy Is pretty hard to cure but salt baths can help
Have you seen pineconing yet? And again, have you changed the water? Dropsy is caused by bacteria. I would highly suggest doing a 50% water change, and getting a test kit and testing the water. Secondly, when dealing with bloat you need to keep a close eye on whether your betta has pooped. If your betta hasn't pooped after multiple days I wouldn't rule out bloat yet. If he has pooped, I would then assume it is early stages of dropsy. If it is dropsy, your betta needs clean, warm, water. Unfortunately dropsy is hard to cure and has a high mortality rate. Kanaplex has been known to work with dropsy in early stages. If I was thinking dropsy, I would treat with kanaplex but you need to remove any carbon cartridges prior to using meds if you have some.
No pineconing still, but he still hasn't pooped much. But yeah, I'll do another water change and get the heater on. Maybe give him another pea and see if that helps.
I wouldn't feed him again until you know for sure he pooped. You could try to get him to flare to make him poop. I would give it another 2 days and if you still haven't seen him poop you could try daphnia which members here say is better for constipation than peas. Also the water needs to be stable at 78-80 degrees always otherwise your betta will develop health problems.
Ok, thanks
Are his scales raised at all?
I would try daphnia then, but i would do a good gravel vac and make sure there is no betta waste on the substrate. Then check closely a few times a day to notice if you see any poop. It would be even better if you are able to set up a temporary bare bottom hospital tank for him so you can for sure tell if he finally goes or not. You could try making him flare as well, with a mirror pressed up against the glass. That might trigger him to go.
Truthfully if it were me, I would have used kanaplex from the beginning. Salt could help...but honestly kanaplex is the best bet for dropsy but even then its pretty hard to treat dropsy successfully no matter what. I hope the salt bath helps your betta though ): good luck and keep us updated
What did you use the bettafix for? Bettafix and any other medications with the word "fix" in the name are not good for your betta. I agree with others, you should be doing at least 25% water changes twice a week. Also, what water conditioner do you use?
Isn't that actually a myth though? I feed the same pellets as the OP does (topfin betta pellets). I give my betta 3 in the morning and 2-3 in the evening and I never had any problems with bloating.
Epsom salt baths help with bloating too, so they could try it now.
How many peas have you fed him? Maybe the peas caused a blockage in his digestive system?
What salt did you use? Is he still active? Does he still have an appetite?
How long have you been fasting him for? Bettas can go a while without food.
