# Help!



## diesel527

Hi! My betta is 2.5 years old and was doing great until I went home for the weekend and my roomate fed him. I told her to give him 3 pellets a day. When I came home on sunday, there were 31 PELLETS ON THE BOTTOM OF HIS TANK! I asked her what happened and she said she was sleepy when she put the pellets in and didnt realize. I cleaned his tank immediately, changed water etc. He has been laying on the bottom of the tank, looks depressed, sad, sometimes lays on the side slightly. I was instructed by someone to give him aquarium salt and someone else said betta fix, after reading many forums, I gave him the salt. Can I combine them for both? Please help! thank you!!!!


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## 20gallonplanted

Best thing to do Is a big water change and don't feed for a day


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## coralbandit

I wouldn't use any of the "fixes" with labarynth fish.It is an oil based product that can cause issues with fish that want/need to breath from the surface.I hope your fish is well.I'll add a link about why not to use "fixes".
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f5/use-melafix-pimafix-betafix-labyrinth-organ-2363.html


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## GotterdammerunG

It sounds like your Betta is constipated, and has developed a problem with his swim bladder. Does he have difficulty staying buoyant? It's actually quite common and, if treated soon, he should recover fully in just a few days.

Epson salt is used as a laxative to clear his blockage. Another option is to feed him a few small pieces of a pea. If you have some frozen veggie mix, microwave a pea for about 30 seconds, until it's warm. Then remove the outer layer, break off a small pellet sized piece, and feed it to him. A few pieces of this, and no regular food for a day (or two, or three), should have him back to his regular self.

Of course clean his tank and do a substantial water change also. 

If he eats the pea, I wouldn't go the epsom salt route. If he doesn't eat the pea, dissolve some epsom salt in water that's the same temperature as his tank. I'm not sure how much salt to use (I've never had them not eat the pea, personally), but I'm sure someone else can chime in, or you can find this online. In any case, I wouldn't leave him in the salt water. It should be more of a bath, just for a short time, then back into the regular tank. 

Sorry I don't know the details of the salt bath method, like I say, I've always had luck with feeding peas. Also, if he does have difficulty regulating his buoyancy, it's almost certainly a swim bladder disorder. In this case, you really don't need to add any medicines at all. 

Good luck!


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## majerah1

Thought I moved this one already... Meh 


Did he recover? For future references, betta/ mela/ pima fix are not good for bettas. it damages their labrynth organ. Aslo salt is not really advised as it can cause liver damage/ failure if used long term. 

For bloating I usually use the fasting and pea method, with warm clean water. He should be housed in 82 to 86 degree water.


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