Hi, I'm looking for some advice. This is Jeremy.
First two photos are from today. Third photo is about a week after I got him.
I think I have been overfeeding my poor boy. I use Betta Bio Gold and the back of the packet says "3-10 pellets up to 3 times per day depending on fish size". I thought I was following the instructions by giving him 8-10 pellets 2 times per day (once in the morning and once at night) but after further reading online that seems to be way too much and it should be more around 3-4 pellets 3 times a day?
Anyway, I'm looking for recommendations on what to do now. Should I fast for a week or just reduce his feed down and see how it goes?
Some other things to note:
– He is usually very quick to eat all the food I give him and there's never any leftovers.
– Water variables are all fine.
– it's a planted tank with no other tank mates.
– He is very lethargic and doesn't move much except when I walk into the room or when I feed him.
– He has a swollen stomach. It's not super clear from the photos.
Thank you in advance for any help. Please keep in mind that I'm still learning. Please be kind.
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1efr1y9
Posted by ShabbyHalfling
1 Comment
3 pellets per day or every other day is more appropriate for a betta fish. You can fast him for a few days and/or raise the water temperature a couple degrees to speed up his metabolism and help him process all the food quicker and easier.
The reason he is lethargic is likely because of his heavy finnage. It looks like he is effected by what’s called the “x-factor” which is a genetic mutation in betta fish that occurs when the parent fish both have too many rays in their caudal fins. Jeremy may have even been the result of a rosetail x rosetail pairing judging by the extent of his own rosetailing. It looks like his tail became too heavy for his rays to support and has now collapsed, which is why he probably doesn’t move much: it’s more difficult for him. There’s nothing you can do but to alleviate himself he may eat a large portion of his caudal fin in the future. Fish with the X factor gene commonly are more pale in color than bettas without, have very uneven and irregularly spaced scales, and really poor genes.