# Bloated Belly?



## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

I searched and searched this because I thought it would be a common problem....

My betta has a lump in his belly. Like maybe he ate too much? I read something that said it's an issue with the gases in his stomach, basically that he ate too much (well, that I fed him too much). It said to not feed him until it goes away, but it has been four days of not eating (well, I felt bad the other night and soaked one pellet in water and fed him that) and it has yet to go down.

I hope you can kind of see it from the pictures. It's toward the end of his body. You can see it from both sides, the other side seems to be bigger, but he wasn't being very photogenic this morning.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

try feeding him half a de-shelled frozen pea, let it thaw, open it up and give that to him. it can help with constipation in bettas, try 1 pea a week as part of his regular diet.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Looks more like a tumor than bloating,but could be wrong?Hope he gets better,pretty fish.


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## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

Sheesh. I sure hope not. I'm going to at least try peas and see what happens.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I do hope I'm wrong.


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## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

I'm guessing the only way I'll know is if it doesn't go away?


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## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

So...I've tried peas and this doesn't seem to be going away. I guess it very well may be a tumor. Now what do I do? He seems to be acting like he doesn't feel well more and more all the time.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Very sorry to hear things haven't improved.Not much that can be done for tumors.Has the lump grown or moved?If it is just the same than IDK.
Possibly a little salt(for osmoregulation) could help,but can't say for sure.


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## choutman (Mar 6, 2012)

hope he gets better!!


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## Ty (Jun 21, 2013)

There hasn't been any noticeable change. You can still see it from both sides. The size of it doesn't seem to have changed at all. I looked up the anatomy of a betta fish and apparently their swim bladder is the only thing back there. I can try salt to see if that helps.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

salt ,osmoregulation all directly effect the bladder so it is definately worth a try.Max salt is about 1 tablespoon per 5 g.Salt does not evaporate so it does not need to be replaced for eveporation and can only be removed with fresh water changes (containing no salt).Good luck,like I said before ,that's a good looking fish.
They do all come and go,and living as long as we do(remember I'm as old as your father) sometimes the life span(most of the time for me) of fish just doesn't hold up long enough.Don't let this discourage you though.sad as it is and shameful also(we do the best we can) there are more fish in the sea.Hope he gets better for you.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

I have noticed this in all my bettas. It does seem to be the swim bladder but it isnt swollen in any way. If he is swimming well and acting perfectly fine then I wouldnt worry about it. 

Please do not use salt with bettas, it does them more harm than good. Feeding pellets and frozen/ live foods and keeping his water warm and clean is all he needs.


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## Avraptorhal (Jan 24, 2013)

majerah1 said:


> I have noticed this in all my bettas. It does seem to be the swim bladder but it isnt swollen in any way. If he is swimming well and acting perfectly fine then I wouldnt worry about it.
> 
> Please do not use salt with bettas, it does them more harm than good. Feeding pellets and frozen/ live foods and keeping his water warm and clean is all he needs.


I have a Betta that could be the twin brother of your guy. He also developed a bump on both sides exactly like the one your guy has.

It has been about 4 to 6 months since it started and no change in the size of the bump. He is acting like he did when I first got him. Eats well, patrols his home almost constantly. Ignores me except when I feed him.

I think I asked the same question on the betta fish forum. Most of the answers were like "bettas sometimes have odd bumps" don't worry.

Since my guy is looking healthy and happy, I'll pass along the same advice "Betta sometimes have odd bumps". DON'T WORRY.

I wonder if the bump could be genetic in origin since the coloration and tail configuration are identical. Any comments from anybody?


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