Who would ever suspect that constipation would be a problem for your fish? Fact is it's true.  

Given that fact would you know if your betta is constipated?  

Would you know how to treat it?  

One day, Stacey, a 35 year old warehouse manager brought home a red, female veiltail betta.  Carmine, as she named her, was happily swimming in her 5-gallon tank as Stacey made sure her prized pet got all she needed to healthy and happy.  Or so she thought.  

For instance so she thought feeding Carmine 5 times a day would be best for her betta who seemed to be always scavenging for food.  After a couple of weeks of this feeding routine, Carmine’s stomach began to swell and Stacey noticed that her betta hadn’t been excreting waste that much or that often.  

This is a clear case of one overfed betta getting constipated.  Although this may not kill the fish directly, more severe problems may result from it if left untreated.

Okay so one cause of constipation is too much food.  Check. Got it. But it’s a problem also caused by other things.  

For one it could be that you’re feeding your betta rich food as its main diet such as brine shrimp or blood worms.  (I know.  Who knew bettas could be victims of a diet that's too rich?)

Or it could be that you failed to vary your betta’s diet every week.  Like you’re only giving your betta the same kind of food day in day out.  Seems some betta experts also pinpoint stress as another culprit for constipation.  

Now that you better understand the cause how do you cure a constipated betta?  

Here are some remedies worth trying out:

Fasting
Once you notice any sign of constipation, set your betta up in a fasting phase.  This isn't cruel and unusual punishment either.  The result of not feeding your betta within that fasting period is to allow its stomach to purge naturally.  

Fix It With Pea
After the fasting period, the first thing you’re going to want to feed your betta is a pea. Frozen rather than canned please.  

Simply thaw a piece of it in warm water, peel it, then mash it.  You really don’t have to feed the entire piece but only scrape a portion of it. How small could a betta’s tummy take after all?  The pea basically helps clean out the betta’s digestive system.  Do this for about three to five days until your betta gets regular again.  Then you can begin feeding your betta what it normally feeds on.  

Epsom Salt
Add a half teaspoon of Epsom salt for every gallon of tank water.  Leave it for almost 2 hours and then do a 50% water change.  The use of Epsom salt should only be done if and when fasting and the pea don’t work. There's a reason for this warning.  This type of salt contains a certain substance that may not be too healthy for your betta if too much of it is found in the tank water.  Epsom salt should never be left overnight in the tank either.

Daphnia
Not too many know this but feeding daphnia to a constipated betta may also help relieve its misery because these little guys can act as a mild laxative in some cases.  

Once your betta’s digestive system returns to normal you have to make sure this doesn’t happen again anytime soon.  And this can be managed by feeding your betta with a varied diet, fasting it once a week, and limiting the amount of food you give your betta to 1-2 times a day. 
RESOURCE BOX: Find out exactly how to feed you betta fish, check this page out to learn more about female bettas, or browse one of the leading sites on the net, Better-Bettas.com for the help you seek. That site take the mystery out of keeping bettas. So why not visit today?

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