Betta full of snail shells, swim bladder issues

[ravuun]

My betta discovered the delights of eating snails and now he won't stop! I had some MTS and pond/bladder snails hitchhike in on some plants a while back, and I didn't really mind because snails are neat. One day a baby pond snail dropped from the surface of the tank and my betta ate it.

Now my betta's constant snail-snacking behavior has given him a very, very nasty case of constipation that has led to a swollen swim bladder. I've fasted him, I've fed him peas, but I think he might be full of snail shells that he can't pass!

He still behaves normally for the most part, but I'm starting to notice some lethargy--not surprising as he is all swollen on one side!

I'm not sure what to do, I haven't had any luck finding information on this particular issue.

 

[ravuun]

Just saw these questions in the forum. Here are my responses.

1. 2.7-gallon cube tank

2. a. Ammonia? 0
b. Nitrite 0
c. Nitrate 10ppm
d. pH 7
KH 30
GH 160

3. 78 degrees F

4. Freshwater

5. Tank set up for around 2 years

6. 1 betta fish that I've had for over a year, one tiger nerite snail, lots of MTS and maybe a few pond/bladder snails that my betta hasn't eaten yet

8. Live plants: 2 anubias nana, several red root floaters, a few small floating water sprites, a few floating pennywort, marimo moss ball, christmas moss on a rock
b. Substrate: gravel
c. Decorations: One small piece of cholla wood with an anubias on it, one small pagoda with an anubias on it, a few fake leaf 'hammocks' stuck to the sides near the surface with suction cups

9. a. AZOO Mignon Filter 60; added ceramic bio filter pieces and prefilter sponge
b. Aqueon Preset Heater 50W

10. a. Lights on 7am-7pm. Increased light duration last week due to stem plants not thriving, previously was 10 hours with 3 hours of no light from noon-3pm. SunGrow Betta LED Light 1.5W
b. No direct sunlight exposure

11. a. Water changes biweekly, more if water tests show high nitrates/ammonia
b. about a gallon changed out
c. Gravel vacuum 1xmonth

12. Freeze-dried bloodworms, thawed peas
1 bloodworm/day since the swelling started
Betta also eats any snail food I put in for the nerite so I have to hide it under the cholla wood where he can't get it

13. a. VERY swollen on one side, lays on that side when not swimming, some lethargy, starting to spend more time either at bottom of tank or on leaf hammock. Still quickly swims up to the surface when I open the tank lid.
b. green poop, very low quantity/frequency
c. Gills are normal

14. I haven't done any medication for this

 

[ravuun]

Here are photos of my tank and betta. Poor Sparky.

 

[the loach]

Are the scales sticking out, like a pine cone?

 

[ravuun]

Nope, not at all. But he's constantly eating baby MTS. I mean constantly.

 

[the loach]

Very odd, the only thing you could try is an epsom salt bath, 1 table spoon of epsom salt per gallon, for 15 minutes.

 

[ravuun]

Does epsom salt help with intestinal blockage? I was reading about daphnia as a laxative, but I've never tried using it before so I'm a little nervous about it. Poor Sparky is definitely getting worse.

 

[the loach]

Yes that's why I recommended it.

 

[dudley]

Yes, Epsom salt can act as both a laxative and an aid to remove excess fluids from the body of the fish. Do monitor the Betta doesn't appear to be stressed by the Epsom salt bath, it shouldn't but if he is, just add more tank water to his bath to dilute the Epsom salt.

In case it wasn't mentioned, use his tank water as the bath water, mixing the Epsom salt until dissolved and then put the Betta in.

You will have to address the issue of him continuing to eat the snails though as he will probably continue to eat them. You could try baiting the snails with small pieces of zucchini, cucumber or lettuce and then remove them from his tank.

Daphnia will also be just fine for him to eat but I would try the Epsom salt first. Be sure to buy plain, unscented Epsom salt which may be called magnesium sulfate depending on where you live and can be found in the Health and Beauty aisle of most any grocery or drug store.

 

[ravuun]

Thanks for the advice!

I'm picking up some Epsom salt, hopefully it helps. My little dude is definitely not feeling well today. I ordered some freeze-dried daphnia but it won't be here until Tuesday.

I know catching Sparky for the hospital tank is going to stress him out quite a bit, is the epsom salt something I'll need to repeat on a schedule, or is it more of a one-shot deal?

I haven't fed him in a couple of days so I'm going to drop bits of a pea in there a couple of hours before I do the epsom salt bath.

I'm bummed about the snails, I like having the MTS in my substrate, they're neat little creatures! I suppose I'll drop them into my 5.5 gallon tank after I catch them, they'll like it in there. It'll be interesting to see how many have been in my gravel all this time LOL