Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm really worried about my sister's betta, Bob. She left him with me in August and never came back for him. I went to the fish store and asked the worker what I needed to take care of him - I didn't research online, I just listened to what he said. Now I'm reading all these posts and websites ...

I'm really worried about my sister's betta, Bob. She left him with me in August and never came back for him. I went to the fish store and asked the worker what I needed to take care of him - I didn't research online, I just listened to what he said. Now I'm reading all these posts and websites ...

I'm really worried about my sister's betta, Bob. She left him with me in August and never came back for him. I went to the fish store and asked the worker what I needed to take care of him - I didn't research online, I just listened to what he said. Now I'm reading all these posts and websites ...

If Bob makes it through this, I'd really think about upgrading to a 5-gallon tank. It should have a proper filter and a heater to keep the temperature around 78 degrees. I know it's a bit of a change, but betta fish need the extra space to thrive.

I'm really worried about my sister's betta, Bob. She left him with me in August and never came back for him. I went to the fish store and asked the worker what I needed to take care of him - I didn't research online, I just listened to what he said. Now I'm reading all these posts and websites ...

I'm pretty sure it's dropsy, unfortunately. I'd recommend trying to get some bacterial medicine for him, but the chances of recovery aren't great. Poor water quality is usually the culprit behind this. Do you have a test kit to check your water parameters?

A 75% water change might help, but either ...

If you suspect constipation, try feeding him a boiled, shelled pea to see if that helps. If it's dropsy, the outlook isn't great, but you could attempt to treat a bacterial infection with medicine - it might make a difference.

I'm really worried about Bob, I was thinking, did his condition get worse overnight, like did he swell up or anything?

Also, I should probably check the water quality, right? So I was wondering what my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels are, I don't have a test kit at home but I can get one ...

Sheepdove, seriously, do you check the thread age before chiming in? How far back did you have to dig to find this one? It's ancient, from 4 years ago.


I'm still finding this thread helpful 11 years on - no need for the hostility.


@frostlyn, I get that this old thread is still helpful to ...

Also, just a thought, once the fry grow out and need individual housing, what's your plan for that - are you prepared to set up separate tanks or have a system in place for re-homing them?