[wheeler53]

I did a search as well and found this information on Beta Talk about bloating..
" betta is overfed: Bettas belly tends to greatly expend when they are greatly fed . And I mean EXPEEEEEND. So your betta might look really "bloated" if you just fed it a huge meal. That kind of bloat is not harmful (but overfeeding may end up causing swimbladder disorder over time, so avoid it!) and the bloat should then come down within 24 hours or so.


female betta is full of eggs (or egg bound). Usually females may look a bit more round if they are full of eggs and have not yet released their eggs, or if they just released all their eggs and ate them all . In this case, you will find a white poop the next day and that is a clear indication that the mysterious bloat was from an over consumption of yummy eggs. On rare occasions a female may be unable to release her eggs and may become "egg bound": She will then look very bloated and uncomfortable and may lay at the bottom. If this condition does not pass, and the eggs are not released, the female may die. But this is a very rare occurrence (only happened to me once) (mmmm... Wait. That sounded kinda "funny", so let me rephrase this: only happened to one of my female bettas once .


betta is constipated: This is also very rare, but could happen if say, you are feeding a lot of overly dry foods. In all honesty, I doubt that this is what is ailing your fish, but I thought I'd mention it as a remote possibility. (just as remote as the hope that Berlin might, one day, let us enjoy our fire without prootprooting all over it). LOL


betta has dropsy: This is usually the most common cause for bloat. Although dropsy is not the same type of bloat. It is not bloat caused by food in the stomach or intestines, nor is it bloat caused by eggs, nor is it bloat caused by gas (not even sure fish can get gas... But Rotties, on the other hand!!!! LOLOLOL). Dropsy is a bloat caused by the retaining of fluids in the betta's tissues. This usually comes from kidney failure. And the kidney failure comes from disease. There are many bacteria that will attack the fish's organs and cause the kidneys to eventually fail. Then the water builds up, and the fish start looking like a pine cone cross with a balloon. Death usually follows, sometimes promptly (3 to 4 days) or more slowly (up to 3 weeks in some cases). Either way death is as sure as Berlin's proot proots. ("