Hello,

My brother has a betta, and his fish, Seabiscuit, seems like he has swim bladdar disease. He can swim, and doesn't scoot around on the bottom of the tank. He never has seemed that great of a swimmer and prefers to hang out at the surface of the water. He also seems to go into "shock" once in a while, and acts really sick, like darting or not even moving. Also, sometimes his stomach even seems bloated. Could he have swim bladdar disease? How would you cure him if he did? Thanks,

jen

I have never heard of a betta getting swim bladder. They breathe air and so I am not even sure if they can get it.

I think your fish is sick with something else, and more serious. Not that S.B. isn't....

Have you tested your water? Let me know what the params are. How oftem do you change the water, and how much at a time? Answer these questions and it may be easier to help you out.

The problem here is probably water quality. It usually is. It is true what they say "you keep the water and the water keeps the fish".

I have to agree with Florissa here 100%! My stepsons bettas start to act that way when he forgot to give them their water change, either hanging on top of the surface, or on the bottom of the tank, not moving at all.
It could also be that their water temperature is a bit on the cool site, they like it warmer, and stay pretty much inactive if its not warm enough.

yah water changes and heat r big ones 4 bettas. hope he gets better. add a little bit of salt to the water that help reduce the stress a lill

I agree with florrisa i never heard of a
betta haveing S.B.D.......
Sorry if i can't help you

Hello,

Thanks for the replys, even though I had posted this post so long ago! Yeh, his betta has always been sick acting. A biggie I think is the fact he is in just a bowl with no filter. He seems to be doing semi-ok right now. I'll tell by brother to add some salt and change his water more often.

jen

That's great to hear that his doing alittle better.
Is in in a small jar? if so how many gallons.
Don't forget othing smaller then 1 gallon.
If it is under 5 gallons i would change it every 2 to 4 days.
If it is a 1 gallon or 2 gallon
I would clean it and change the water every day.

I wish you betta fish the best!

help Help! i saw this betta at pet cetera and he looked in bad shape so i bought him and i think he has swim bladder IS THERE A CURE?

help Help! i saw this betta at pet cetera and he looked in bad shape so i bought him to see if there was anything i could do. and i think he has swim bladder IS THERE A CURE?

please help is there a cure to swim blatter?

Hi There,

Im so sorry to here about your betta being sick.. hmmm you think he may have swim bladder you say? okay, all i can tell you is to check out this link Swim Bladder Disorder and see if any of this information pretends to your betta.

I hope this helps... Keep us posted.. Good Luck to you and your betta.

Hello,

My brother has a betta, and his fish, Seabiscuit, seems like he has swim bladdar disease. He can swim, and doesn't scoot around on the bottom of the tank. He never has seemed that great of a swimmer and prefers to hang out at the surface of the water. He also seems to go into "shock" once in a while, and acts really sick, like darting or not even moving. Also, sometimes his stomach even seems bloated. Could he have swim bladdar disease? How would you cure him if he did? Thanks,

jen

Hi Jen,

First off...a betta DOES have a swim bladder. If he doesn't, he wouldn't be able to keep his buoyancy in the water. A betta has a very short digestive system and most of his organs are in the first half of his body. (That's why his anus is actually between his ventral fins, and not in the rear.)

The other half of his body, towards that back where you sortof see the little bump, is actually his swim bladder.

Darting and listlessness could be caused by a number of things. The most important thing for you to do is at least get an ammonia tester. I would recommend Aquarium Pharmacutical company's ammonia tester, as it comes with two regeant bottles, and therefore much more acurate then the strips. It'll last you forever, and is cheaper in the long run. Do a 100% water change, with CONDITIONED water. I recommend either a combination of amquel and novaqua, or just prime as it not only get rid of chlorine, but other heavy metal that can be very toxic to fishes.

Then test your water every day. As soon as ammonia shows up... then this is how you know WHEN to change his water: THE DAY BEFORE ANY AMMONIA shows up. For example, if ammonia shows up on the 5th day, then you need to be doing 100% water changes on the 4th day. This is the ONLY way to know for sure when and how often you need to do water changes. Ammonia, even in the slightest amount can be very stressful to fishes, and stressed fishes will lead to a lower immune system, and therefore, illnesses.

IMO, I would correct the ammonia problem first, and find out how often to change his water, then we'll talk about heater/nutritional value/and a diagnosis.

I would stay away from salt. Period. I would not add anything to my water, unless i KNow for certain why it's there. In other words, you need to address the problems at hand first, before diagnosising your betta with anything. And that includes treating a betta before a proper diagnosis is made.

-Bethany