Over eating, help!

So my female betta literally has been trying to eat everything in her tank. She is obsessed! I’ve had a female who is food aggressive before but not this bad! Lotus will literally eat biofilm off the drift wood and plants, try to pluck roots off the plants, and is trying to pick up bits of the fluval substrate. She even goes as far as trying to eat the bubbles that come up from the sponge filter. At this point she is bloating and being over buoyant floating to the top, and I am fasting her since yesterday AM but she just wants to try and eat everything else. Help! Someone asked what I typically feed and it’s fluval bug bites, hikarI frozen blood worms as treat and live daphnia every now and then. I’ve had her almost a month

 

Maybe remove the driftwood and don't feed her otherwise until she slims down a bit? That's so weird, I've never heard of a betta eating so neurotically before.

Are you sure she just isn't attacking everything and happening to eat chunks of it?

 

Yeah I haven’t fed her since yesterday AM...I’ll try removing the driftwood but that doesn’t solve the plants. I don’t want to completely destroy her beautiful tank because she’s a monster and won’t stop picking at everything I am at a loss really

 

Yeah I haven’t fed her since yesterday AM...I’ll try removing the driftwood but that doesn’t solve the plants. I don’t want to completely destroy her beautiful tank because she’s a monster and won’t stop picking at everything I am at a loss really

If you don't feed her she can pick at the plants all she wants but will eventually go hungry. When she does, give her whatever her favorite food is and see if you can trick her into preferring actual food.

No clue if it'll work. I have no clue if bettas are actually that smart. Are the water parameters all okay? Is there anything particularly wrong with the plants? It's such a weird issue you're having.

 

My water parameters are stable as always. Ammonia 0, ph 6.8, nitrite 0 and 5ppm nitrate. That is not the issue, the issue is that she won’t stop picking at things and bloating herself. She will still bloat herself if she picks at the plants as betta can’t digest it properly. The biofilm less so but still also not good for her. I’m about to cup her for the night until I can get a breeder net tomorrow, and keep her in there every couple days. Something to try and get her to stop

 

I can’t get a good picture of her while she’s bloated, she won’t stop moving because she’s trying to get my attention for food.

 

When in doubt don't feed.

 

I already mentioned twice, I haven’t been feeding her. Not since yesterday AM

 

She’s still trying to eat everything else in her tank though, as I also mentioned. Who would’ve guessed.

 

She’s still trying to eat everything else in her tank though, as I also mentioned. Who would’ve guessed.

Yeah I've got the same issues myself with my male Betta. I am going to wait a couple of days.

 

How long have you had her? Has she always been like this? Does she have tank mates?

 

What do you usually feed her? Children do that when they have a deficiency, not sure if it's the same but try a high protein food with high moisture content. Frozen bloodworms, beef heart... she definitely sounds hangry.

 

I've had them for about a month, and with a

How long have you had her? Has she always been like this? Does she have tank mates?

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I have had the ADF for about a month; also have a male betta, a nerite and a mystery snail.
This is all in my 5.5 gallon tank

 

I have absolutely no idea if this is even remotely possible - but could it be some kind of internal parasites?

Like I think with mammals and stuff tapeworms can do that, making the host super hungry if they’re really bad

 

I'm a bit confused. Do you have a male and female betta, and other inhabitants, in 5.5 g? If that's so, then what you're experiencing might make sense.

 

No. I never mentioned once any other tank mates. Nor did I say anything that would give the impression they are together?

 

I have absolutely no idea if this is even remotely possible - but could it be some kind of internal parasites?

Like I think with mammals and stuff tapeworms can do that, making the host super hungry if they’re really bad

What do you usually feed her? Children do that when they have a deficiency, not sure if it's the same but try a high protein food with high moisture content. Frozen bloodworms, beef heart... she definitely sounds hangry.

She gets fed fluval bug bites, hikarI freeze dried blood worms, and live daphnia, definitely doesn’t have a deficiency. Ny

I have absolutely no idea if this is even remotely possible - but could it be some kind of internal parasites?

Like I think with mammals and stuff tapeworms can do that, making the host super hungry if they’re really bad

It could be possible. Though I always treat with para guard upon introducing to a tank. So I doubt it. I think she’s just mentally obsessed

 

If a tapeworm isn't possible in a fish this makes me wonder if she thinks it is time to breed and is trying to build herself up for the event. If that is the case I don't know what you could do other than put her with a male. If that isn't an option, and it probably isn't, I can't imagine what you could do to get her past what she is going through.

 

I have a male but they can’t see each other. I even use different cleaning supplies for both of them so she doesn’t catch scent of him. I’ve had females before and never one like this. It’s crazy. If I let her with the male is there a way to ensure I won’t hatch Fry? Should I dispose of the eggs or will she eat them most likely because clearly she’s food obsessed.

 

I have a male but they can’t see each other. I even use different cleaning supplies for both of them so she doesn’t catch scent of him. I’ve had females before and never one like this. It’s crazy. If I let her with the male is there a way to ensure I won’t hatch Fry? Should I dispose of the eggs or will she eat them most likely because clearly she’s food obsessed.

Maybe if she could just see him she would end up releasing eggs. I am not a Betta expert so may be way off base about that. Should you choose to put them together and allow them to breed you could just remove the eggs before they hatch. Should you miss a few hopefully she would eat them.

The first time I bred Bettas many years ago I left the male with the fry too long and he ate every one of them. I learned from that to remove the male as soon as the fry were free swimming. All of this to say. It is possible that both the male and the female may eat any fry that manage to hatch should you go this route by allowing them to breed and removing the eggs once laid.

 

It could be possible. Though I always treat with para guard upon introducing to a tank. So I doubt it. I think she’s just mentally obsessed

Oh I agree, I doubt it too, I was just throwing out suggestions. However, don’t fall into the trap of thinking just because you treated for something, that the treatment was actually successful... I’ve seen things survive things that should’ve killed them ten times over