Introduction

The betta fish, also known as the Siamese fighting fish, is a popular tropical aquarium fish. Unlike other types of freshwater fish, bettas do not like to be kept in large groups. In fact, it’s best to keep just one male betta in each tank at all times. However, sometimes they can get sick and malnourished due to improper care or dieting issues. This leads some owners to wonder how they can cure their malawi bloat. Here are some tips for preventing and treating this disease:

What causes bloat?

Bloat is a condition in which the fish’s intestines become distended with gas. In humans, this can lead to abdominal pain and vomiting; in fish, it causes them to swim around frantically and gasp for air at the surface of their tank.

Bloat occurs when there’s an imbalance between how much food your betta consumes and how much waste he produces—for example, if you feed him too many pellets or not enough live food. The excessive amount of food that gets stuck in his digestive system creates a buildup of gas that causes him to bloat up like a balloon (a phenomenon known as “tummy trouble”).

Bloat isn’t caused by constipation: unlike mammals whose colon lacks water absorption abilities, fishes’ guts are fully capable of absorbing water from their feces—so if your betta has been passing stool with no problems but still looks bloated and uncomfortable swimming around his tank all day long, it could be due to bloat rather than constipation.

Too much protein.

Protein is an essential part of a betta fish’s diet. However, too much protein can lead to bloating. This happens because when there is too much protein in the water, it causes the pH to drop and become acidic. This means that there will be less oxygen in your tank for your betta fish to breathe and live comfortably in.

So how do we reduce the amount of protein in our betta fish’s diet? We can do this by limiting what types of food we choose for them—in other words: don’t feed them things that have high amounts of protein!

Not enough fiber.

Dietary fiber aids in digestion by helping to keep the digestive tract moving. It also helps to prevent constipation, which can lead to fish bloat. Fish can get enough of this essential nutrient by eating a diet consisting of veggies, fruits and plants. However, if your betta’s diet is not sufficient in these areas, you can add a little extra fiber with a fiber block (which will be discussed later).

When it comes down to it—a lack of dietary fiber is one of the primary causes behind fish bloat because it hinders proper digestion and leads to constipation or impaction.

Incompatible water pH.

What is pH and how does it affect fish?

pH (potential of hydrogen) is a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of your water. The scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral and anything below 7 being acidic and above 7 being alkaline. Most fish require a specific range of pH to thrive, so if you’re experiencing bloat in your betta tank, chances are the pH is either too low or too high for them. This can result from adding new material to an established aquarium that affects the balance between acid-producing materials like peat moss and carbon dioxide absorbing ones like activated charcoal (AC).

To accurately measure the current water chemistry of your aquarium, use test strips or an electronic tester. If you’d rather not spend money on testing materials, you can also use litmus paper: dip one end into some tank water until it’s completely soaked then compare its color against a chart to determine what category your aquarium falls under.

How do we fix it?

You can fix it by increasing the amount of fiber in your betta fish’s diet, reducing the amount of protein and lowering the water pH. The easiest way to do this is to feed your fish a high-fiber food like bloodworms or brine shrimp. This will help move waste through their digestive systems faster and prevent bloat from occurring in the future.

If you absolutely can’t stand feeding live worms and other small crustaceans to your little buddy, try feeding him some cucumber slices instead! It’ll provide him with those same benefits without having to go through such an ordeal as catching and killing his prey (and then cleaning up all those little pieces).

Feed your fish more fiber.

Perhaps the most often-mentioned cure for bloat is fiber. This suggestion makes sense, because fiber plays an important role in digestion: it helps to keep the digestive tract healthy and running smoothly.

However, there isn’t much evidence to support this claim. In fact, researchers have found that feeding fish more fiber didn’t reduce their risk of developing bloat in the first place! So while it might not be a bad idea to give your betta some extra bran flakes now and again just because they’re good for him (and you), don’t expect this particular remedy to get rid of his bellyache any time soon.

Cut down on the protein in your fish’s diet.

The first thing you’ll want to do is cut down on the protein in your fish’s diet.

How much protein is too much?

Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer here. Some sources say that fish can only eat up to 10% of their total food intake as protein, while others say that amount should be closer to 25%. How much is enough depends on the species of fish and what else they’re eating at the time. That being said, it’s generally accepted that anything over 20% will cause bloating problems in bettas (and other fish). So if your betta gets an average-sized meal (around 2 tablespoons) each day and you feed him a little less than half of it as flakes (which contain around 20% protein), then he should still be getting plenty of nutrition without any risk for bloat—provided these flake foods are made with high-quality ingredients like salmon oil or shrimp meal instead of cheap soybean meal fillers like wheat gluten or corn gluten meal with extra sugar added for taste.

To add more fiber into your betta’s diet without changing his main source of food all at once: *Increase his veggie intake by offering him some frozen peas every day after feeding him pellets. *Add psyllium husk or flaxseed oil powder to his bath water every week so he doesn’t ingest any additional fiber through his gills.

Get the right water pH for your fish.

The pH of the water is another factor to consider. When the water is too alkaline or acidic, it can cause fish bloat and make your betta more prone to diseases.

To check your pH levels:

• Buy a test kit from a pet store or aquarium store (you can also buy them online). It will come with instructions on how to test the water and what results mean.
• Take a sample of aquarium water out in a glass cup so you don’t disturb the surface of their tank too much, then drop in one end of your testing strip when instructed by your kit’s instructions. Wait for 30 seconds and match up its color with those on its cap; you’ll get an idea about whether your fish need more alkaline or acidic conditions in order to thrive properly.

Follow these tips to cure betta fish Malawi bloat

If you want to cure betta fish Malawi bloat, there are some things you can do to prevent it from happening in the first place.

• Feed your fish more fiber. Betta fish have a high-protein diet and should eat foods that contain less protein and more fiber, such as vegetables and pellets made up of vegetables instead of meat.
• Reduce the amount of protein in your betta’s diet. You might want to consider cutting down on how much frozen bloodworms or other similar treats you feed your pet because these items are higher in proteins than most other foods for pets with fins.
• Get water pH right! It’s important that the water pH is right for this species so they don’t get sick—it’s best if they live in neutral conditions (around 7). If not, check out this article on how much salt affects plant growth rates here: https://www.gardeningknowhow .com/edible/vegetables/beans/raising-soil-ph-levels-for-beans . In addition, avoid using any chemicals during maintenance since these could have adverse effects on their health too!

Conclusion

It’s important that you understand how to cure betta fish Malawi bloat. It will help keep your fish healthy and happy, and it also means that you don’t have to go through all the work of buying new ones! With these simple tips in mind, you should be able to prevent bloat from happening again in the future.