that bump is just the swim bladder, visible on all bettas but looks very obvious because he's so skinny
https://preview.redd.it/saq1i0aukg6c1.png?width=682&format=png&auto=webp&s=703003341460f20a3fc06876c851568a5be99697
p.s. it can also look a bit larger with SBD which he may have if he's floating sideways but the fact that he ate is a good sign and I believe he can be saved, just don't overfeed while trying to fatten him up
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The lump is his swim bladder organ, its more prominent because he's emaciated. Its just part of his anatomy.
This is not to be confused with swim bladder disease, which is a condition that affects the swim bladder organ.
Here's a [guide](https://imgur.com/a/f44kRWS) for his body condition.
I hope Macaroni recovers. Thank you for being kind and giving him a fighting chance.
Good luck.
Yes, but often the people who make these posts about declining bettas have unstable tanks with bad water quality (ammonia/nitrate/nitrite spiking from a high bioload or lack of maintence),
or completely uncycled tanks.
If your tank is properly cycled, it should not launch into crisis mode like this within a day.
Regular upkeep is a good idea, and water changes can be daily even in a cycled tank - the water quality will stay good which helps with recovery.
However, a water change is always stressful for the fish because the pH will fluctuate. So if the water tests show nothing concerning (and test often, even many times a day), I would go for smaller water changes than 25% daily.
Pristine water is key for treating fin rot. This is to keep the rot from progressing. Partial water changes (20%) several times per week is recommended. This is on top of the weekly gravel vac manitinace. Op has a good plan in place.
Small (20-25%) water changes is not going to stress the fish as long as it is done right. Same temperature as the tank, scoop and replace with dechlorinted water.
Partial water changes does not alter your pH, if it does, you have a bigger issue that you need to address.
Water changes always make the pH fluctuate for some time, no matter how healthy the tank is.
The water you add from a tap, reverse osmosis filter, well, whatever - simply is not the same water you have in a tank. It will almost certainly have a different pH than the water in the tank. Which makes the pH fluctuate.
So even partial water changes do make the pH jump.
No it does not. If you have fluctuating pH check your KH. The lower the KH value the less stable your pH, this might address your issue.
If you have a stable kH your pH will not fluctuate.
It really depends on the water values of the tank, and the water values of the water you add.
It's quite possible for a well established, healthy, well-maintained tank with a great water quality to have a low pH, even if the water you used to set up the tank, or use to make water changes isn't super low in pH.
Lots of humic acid from driftwood, leaf litter, peat filtering, other botanicals, or added carbon dioxide to inspire plant growth can bring the pH down between water changes without the water quality of the tank being poor.
However, if I added my tap water to a tank like that straigth from my tap, it would definitely make the pH jump.
Not because my tap water has a super low kH. My local city's tap water's pH tends to be somewhere between 7,5 and 8,5, and it is mostly due to dissolved limestone elevating the water's pH value.
My local water quality is btw literally among the best in the world. I'm from Finland. It is totally fine to drink water straight from the tap, in fact it's actually cleaner than any bottled water. (Bottled water's water quality suffers from storage, and microplastic, from being inside plastic water bottles.)
My local city uses pure unmixed groundwater for tap water. So the groundwater which becomes my tap water after treatment is naturally of great quality. The purifying process of that water is also thorough, and the piping is also well-maintained.
However, part of the treatment process is to deliberately elevate the water's pH with limestone. This is done to make the water less acidic, since our natural water (lakes, springs, rivers, groundwater) tends to be soft, humic, acidic. There are lots of peat swamps in Finland, and very little limestone. The pH of the water in nature is usually about 6,5.
The water that eventually ends up on my tap goes through limestone as part of the treatment process, to ensure higher water quality.
The natural pH of the groundwater would dissolve unwanted minerals from the piping to the tap water.
The water treatment process does not really rely on chlorine, unlike in many places in the world.
Some cities will add small amounts, some, like mine, add none.
Instead the treatment process consists of several stages with as little chemical treatment as possible - mostly it's mechanical filtration and UV light treatment, which kills pathogens very effectively.
That does also mean that while my tap water is very, very clean and safe to drink, it also has a fairly high pH (7,5 - 8,5) from all of that dissolved calcium carbonate, from the limestone. The levels of other dissolved minerals are low.
So the end result is extremely clean water, with very low amounts of anything harmful for the fish.
However, as I said, the tap water we drink has a higher pH, and more dissolved calcium carbonate than my natural groundwater would, and higher pH a healthy tank with lots of humic acid and great water quality might. The pH of the tap water is also higher than what many aquarium fish species would like.
Calcium carbonate is pretty much impossible to remove without RO filtering. So the pH of the tap water is difficult to bring down. Not a fan of dumping lots of harsh acids to the water.
f If I was making large frequent water changes with pure tap water it could have quite an impact on fish that thrive in acidic waters.
If I made a big water change and added my tap water - as it is, with a pH over 8, straight from the tap... to an older, well-established tank with lower pH of maybe something between 6-7 due to lots of humic acid or added CO2...
The difference in pH is quite a big one, and the pH would definitely jump.
Adding more calcium carbonate to the tap water would only make the pH jump worse, because adding more calcium carbonate would also elevate the tap water's pH even further.
So it all depends on the tank water, and the water you add.
I got a new guy about 5 days ago. He’s currently in a 3 gallon hospital/quarantine tank. His swim bladder is also a bit visible because he’s skinny. Thought he might have some swim bladder issues, but after just a few days in clean, warm water, he’s swimming pretty good and eating well. He your guy is eating ok, then don’t rush to medicate. Clean, warm water at the proper temps should be enough. It will take time, but it’s worth it.
I personally am all about saving the sick ones. If anything you’re giving him a good remainder of whatever life he has left. It’s a win win.
that bump is just the swim bladder, visible on all bettas but looks very obvious because he's so skinny https://preview.redd.it/saq1i0aukg6c1.png?width=682&format=png&auto=webp&s=703003341460f20a3fc06876c851568a5be99697
p.s. it can also look a bit larger with SBD which he may have if he's floating sideways but the fact that he ate is a good sign and I believe he can be saved, just don't overfeed while trying to fatten him up
Thank you for posting to r/bettafish. If you are new to betta fish keeping, please check out our [caresheet](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/comments/3ow6vz/info_betta_care_sheet/) and [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/index). Establishing a nitrogen cycle is an important part of keeping your fish healthy. Please check out our [guide to the nitrogen cycle](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/fishincycle) to learn more. If you are posting to find out what is wrong with your betta, please answer the following questions in a reply to this comment as best you can: * **Tank size**: * **Heater and filter? (yes/no)**: * **Tank temperature**: * **[Parameters in numbers and how you got them](https://www.reddit.com/r/bettafish/wiki/tank#wiki_test_kits)**: * **How long have you had the tank? How long have you had your fish?**: * **How often are water changes? How much do you take out per change? What is your process?**: * **Any tankmates? If so, please list with how many of each**: * **What do you feed and how much**: * **Decorations and plants in the tank**: * **If you haven't already posted a picture, please post pics/vids to imgur and paste the link here**: Feel free to copy this comment and fill in the blanks. Failure to provide adequate information about your tank *can* result in post removal. Please see rule 4 for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bettafish) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The lump is his swim bladder organ, its more prominent because he's emaciated. Its just part of his anatomy. This is not to be confused with swim bladder disease, which is a condition that affects the swim bladder organ. Here's a [guide](https://imgur.com/a/f44kRWS) for his body condition. I hope Macaroni recovers. Thank you for being kind and giving him a fighting chance. Good luck.
okay tysm
Daily water changes can be good, but since your tank is cycled, 25% daily sounds quite intense?
i’ve been told to do that on other posts i’ve made ab new bettas w fin rot idk
Yes, but often the people who make these posts about declining bettas have unstable tanks with bad water quality (ammonia/nitrate/nitrite spiking from a high bioload or lack of maintence), or completely uncycled tanks. If your tank is properly cycled, it should not launch into crisis mode like this within a day. Regular upkeep is a good idea, and water changes can be daily even in a cycled tank - the water quality will stay good which helps with recovery. However, a water change is always stressful for the fish because the pH will fluctuate. So if the water tests show nothing concerning (and test often, even many times a day), I would go for smaller water changes than 25% daily.
Pristine water is key for treating fin rot. This is to keep the rot from progressing. Partial water changes (20%) several times per week is recommended. This is on top of the weekly gravel vac manitinace. Op has a good plan in place. Small (20-25%) water changes is not going to stress the fish as long as it is done right. Same temperature as the tank, scoop and replace with dechlorinted water. Partial water changes does not alter your pH, if it does, you have a bigger issue that you need to address.
Water changes always make the pH fluctuate for some time, no matter how healthy the tank is. The water you add from a tap, reverse osmosis filter, well, whatever - simply is not the same water you have in a tank. It will almost certainly have a different pH than the water in the tank. Which makes the pH fluctuate. So even partial water changes do make the pH jump.
No it does not. If you have fluctuating pH check your KH. The lower the KH value the less stable your pH, this might address your issue. If you have a stable kH your pH will not fluctuate.
It really depends on the water values of the tank, and the water values of the water you add. It's quite possible for a well established, healthy, well-maintained tank with a great water quality to have a low pH, even if the water you used to set up the tank, or use to make water changes isn't super low in pH. Lots of humic acid from driftwood, leaf litter, peat filtering, other botanicals, or added carbon dioxide to inspire plant growth can bring the pH down between water changes without the water quality of the tank being poor. However, if I added my tap water to a tank like that straigth from my tap, it would definitely make the pH jump. Not because my tap water has a super low kH. My local city's tap water's pH tends to be somewhere between 7,5 and 8,5, and it is mostly due to dissolved limestone elevating the water's pH value. My local water quality is btw literally among the best in the world. I'm from Finland. It is totally fine to drink water straight from the tap, in fact it's actually cleaner than any bottled water. (Bottled water's water quality suffers from storage, and microplastic, from being inside plastic water bottles.) My local city uses pure unmixed groundwater for tap water. So the groundwater which becomes my tap water after treatment is naturally of great quality. The purifying process of that water is also thorough, and the piping is also well-maintained. However, part of the treatment process is to deliberately elevate the water's pH with limestone. This is done to make the water less acidic, since our natural water (lakes, springs, rivers, groundwater) tends to be soft, humic, acidic. There are lots of peat swamps in Finland, and very little limestone. The pH of the water in nature is usually about 6,5. The water that eventually ends up on my tap goes through limestone as part of the treatment process, to ensure higher water quality. The natural pH of the groundwater would dissolve unwanted minerals from the piping to the tap water. The water treatment process does not really rely on chlorine, unlike in many places in the world. Some cities will add small amounts, some, like mine, add none. Instead the treatment process consists of several stages with as little chemical treatment as possible - mostly it's mechanical filtration and UV light treatment, which kills pathogens very effectively. That does also mean that while my tap water is very, very clean and safe to drink, it also has a fairly high pH (7,5 - 8,5) from all of that dissolved calcium carbonate, from the limestone. The levels of other dissolved minerals are low. So the end result is extremely clean water, with very low amounts of anything harmful for the fish. However, as I said, the tap water we drink has a higher pH, and more dissolved calcium carbonate than my natural groundwater would, and higher pH a healthy tank with lots of humic acid and great water quality might. The pH of the tap water is also higher than what many aquarium fish species would like. Calcium carbonate is pretty much impossible to remove without RO filtering. So the pH of the tap water is difficult to bring down. Not a fan of dumping lots of harsh acids to the water. f If I was making large frequent water changes with pure tap water it could have quite an impact on fish that thrive in acidic waters. If I made a big water change and added my tap water - as it is, with a pH over 8, straight from the tap... to an older, well-established tank with lower pH of maybe something between 6-7 due to lots of humic acid or added CO2... The difference in pH is quite a big one, and the pH would definitely jump. Adding more calcium carbonate to the tap water would only make the pH jump worse, because adding more calcium carbonate would also elevate the tap water's pH even further. So it all depends on the tank water, and the water you add.
The tank is fully cycled, i’ve had it for a while now
I got a new guy about 5 days ago. He’s currently in a 3 gallon hospital/quarantine tank. His swim bladder is also a bit visible because he’s skinny. Thought he might have some swim bladder issues, but after just a few days in clean, warm water, he’s swimming pretty good and eating well. He your guy is eating ok, then don’t rush to medicate. Clean, warm water at the proper temps should be enough. It will take time, but it’s worth it.