Firefly, originally uploaded by BettaBerries. Q: CBN wrote, ,/b> Hey Chistie, I need your urgent advice again. After a great recovery, Titan made a bubble nest and all (his 1st one) I was really happy. 4 days after that, he suddenly stopped eating and became a bit lethargic, less active. He now seems to have [...]

Walter, originally uploaded by Mean and Pinchy. Q: Anon wrote, Hello. I enjoy this site and am wondering about a strange condition. I have a male betta that has bloating on only one side. He has not pine-coned and has been this way for weeks, so I don’t believe it is dropsy. I have him [...]

Q: SK wrote: I came across your website by the recommendation of a few people. My betta seems to be having a pseudo-unique health problem. He seems constipated but really grossly, but he swims as energetically as always and his appetite hasn’t waned in the slightest. He is however, grotesquely swollen. For the past week, [...]

Fish Out Of Water: DOA, originally uploaded by mybluemuse. Q: TSM wrote, How do I know when I should put down my betta? He has all the obvious signs of dropsy (bloated abdomen and pine coning scales) and is laying on the bottom of the tank gasping for air. I feel terrible watching him suffer. [...]

Betta fish Originally uploaded by EcoSnake. Above is a healthy betta whose swim bladder you can see bumping out his side toward the back tail fin. Q: H wrote, My betta can’t swim upright anymore. He has no other signs of illness. No fungus, color loss or lethargy. He is a little swollen around his [...]

Q: CF wrote, Why is my betta’s stomach so bloated? Is he getting fat? A: A few things can cause a bettas stomach to bloat. Overfeeding is the most common culprit. Most fish food containers advise you to feed your betta what they can eat in two minutes. Because bettas tend to bloat it’s better [...]