Bettas by Jennifer Lapello
Constipation
This fish cannot swim properly and floats to her side due to constipation. Photograph by Jennifer Lapello.
Symptoms: Fish may be lethargic, have a loss in appetite, or have a stringy, thin trail of feces hanging from the rectum, or
no feces at all for several days. Constipation can cause a fish to "float" at the water surface and have extreme difficulty
swimming.
Cause: Overfeeding, use of freeze-dried foods which expand in the fish's stomach once eaten. Some fish
are just prone to chronic constipation no matter what is fed, probably due to a genetic weakness, since this type has been observed
to occur in several fish from the same spawn.
Treatment: At the first sign of constipation, do not feed your fish for
2-3 days. This may seem heartless, but while constipation itself is not deadly, prolonged constipation can lead to deadly infection
(i.e. Dropsy). So, it is imperative that the fish is fasted. If your fish does not pass the blockage in this time period,
follow up on the 3rd or 4th day by feeding it small bits of the inside of a cooked pea. (Peas contain fiber, and if your fish
will eat a pea, it will usually clear the blockage quickly.) As a last resort, give your fish an Epsom salt bath. Dissolve
one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a half gallon of aged/treated water that is the same temperature as the water your fish is currently
in. It is recommended that you only leave your fish in the bath for about 15 minutes, however, in some cases it does take longer
(especially in severe blockages) for the stool to pass. Just keep an eye on your fish during this time for signs of stress,
and remove it as soon as it is done having a bowel movement, or after about 30 minutes if there is no bowel movement. If you
have tried everything, and your fish still will not pass the blockage, you can attempt fasting for another couple of days. In
very extreme or chronic cases, euthanasia may be the kindest option.
Prevention: Do not overfeed.
Avoid freeze dried foods.