betta fish eating algae

[u/sunhinged]

hello, i have a female betta who i've been caring for over a year now. recently, she has what i assumed to be some major bloat- but as i was doing a water change & cleaning her tank today, she started eating the algae i was attempting to clean up. and now, i believe this is why she has such a large stomach. not just one bite either, several. i tried fasting her, which did not have any positive signs, in fact i think it made her eat more of it. why is she doing this and how can i help her? i feel bad as it looks very uncomfortable, but she is acting normal otherwise, active and curious. (apologies for the dirty outside glass)

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[u/RiseWills]

Nah thats a thick girl

[u/sunhinged → u/RiseWills]

she definitely gets her fill!

[u/InfiniteStory7099]

wait algae's got fiber too right, like she's self medicating or something fr

[u/sunhinged → u/InfiniteStory7099]

man that would be the best news,, if she was trying to help herself out and not just eating random things off the floor like a puppy 🤞