My Betta fish is laying on his side all the time either at the top or bottom of the tank. What could be wrong?

Question

I have a male betta fish and before we moved him he was happy and swam all the time and was excited to see me and to eat his meals. I dont overfeed him and I am very particular to what he eats (no pellets he actually refused to eat those). So a few days after we brought him to my college he started to swim on his side and refused to eat much. Now all he does is lay on his side either at the surface or on the bottom of his tank. He seems bloated/swollen in the stomach area. I have done minimal research and I think it may be a swim bladder infection but I am not sure how to treat the condition (the pet store did nothing to help me out on treating my poor fish either). So I want to know if it could be something else and how I should treat any of the conditions it could be especially the swim bladder issue. I just want him to get better and not die because i am officially attached to him.

Thanks you,
Stephanie

Also should i lower the water of his tank? and if so how much should i remove (i think its a 1/2 gallon tank)

I dont think hes playing dead...if he is hes been doing it for three days straight...and thats just weird

He doesn't live with other fish and i doubt he is gunna burst open! He doesn't seem to be way bloated just alittle bit near his tail end...and where am i supposed to take a fish to the vet?!

He is a betta fish and he is in fresh water...its been changed and i use bottle water thats not distilled or the kind they say not to use...the temperature isn't too cold or too hott. I just got to college and i do not know a vet around here and honestly i dont know if they would think im nuts...if its a swim bladder infection what do i do?

Answer 1

It sounds like swimbladder disease

Swim Bladder Disorder (SBD)
Composed by: Crystal, Healthy Betta. Modified by: Rachel, Healthy Betta (2004).

CAUSES:

Swim Bladder Disorder is often caused by overfeeding or lack of variety in the diet. SBD is not contagious and there is no need to destroy a fish with this condition as he/she is not suffering. SBD may be a side effect of a constipated betta.

PREVENTION:

Some betta owners fast (do not feed) their betta for one day per week to cleanse the betta's system. This is a useful method to prevent Swim Bladder Disorder and/or Constipation, especially if live or frozen foods are fed on a regular basis. Another feeding option thought to prevent SBD is splitting a betta's feeding up into two small meals per day, rather than one larger meal. This reduces the amount of food intake at one time and allows the betta's system to process it easier. Always remember a betta's stomach is about the size of his eyeball, so a little food goes a long way. Variety in a betta's diet is important both to prevent illness, and insure they are receiving the necessary nutrients to stay healthy.

DIAGNOSIS:

One day your betta is fine - swimming around happily and blowing his bubbles. The next day, he is swimming lopsided, not as active and maybe a tad bit dull in color or bloated. The "swim bladder" is located on the spine of the fish between his belly and tail. If the bladder becomes enlarged/swollen or tight, it can cause your fish to have difficulty swimming. Usually with swim bladder the fish will either float on one side or lay at the bottom because he has difficulty getting to the top. It may appear as though the betta has lost their buoyancy.

TREATMENT:

Try to keep your betta's diet balanced and not to overfilling. The swim bladder will soon correct itself and your betta will begin to swim normal again.

Similar to constipation, you can also try to fast your betta for 24-48 hours. Next, take a cooked pea and peel it. Feed a small portion of it to your betta on the end of a flat toothpick. Watch to make sure your betta is going to the bathroom, as this will mean the SBD and/or constipation is subsiding.

Additional procedures:

Clean water is always important for a betta, but is especially beneficial for any betta facing an illness.

Always keeping your betta warm, between 76-82 degrees, will also help them to feel more comfortable and raise their immune system.



Hope that helps
good luck


EB



for live help, follow the link in my profile

Answer 2

Betta Fish Laying On Side

Answer 3

Does the filter provide any surface agitation? If it doesn't there might not be enough oxygen in the water for the fish. Try moving the filter so that the water it pumps out falls onto the surface - you'll see more bubbles in the water. Did you let the tank cycle before adding the fish (Google cycling fish tanks...)? You would also have needed to treat the water with a chlorine treatment if you used tap water. Despite all of this bettas can often be slow moving fish so don't be too alarmed by his lack of movement...

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
My Betta fish is laying on his side all the time either at the top or bottom of the tank. What could be wrong?
I have a male betta fish and before we moved him he was happy and swam all the time and was excited to see me and to eat his meals. I dont overfeed him and I am very particular to what he eats (no pellets he actually refused to eat those). So a few days after we brought him to my college he started...

Answer 5

the difficulty in treatment of swim bladder problems is that by the time you can diagnose the problem it is usually quite advanced and the medications available dont have a high success rate. in aquariums the treatment is done more to deal with the early stages in your other fish (sort of to protect them from getting worse) in the case of a betta there generally aren't any other fish.
this sort of problem often starts from the fish experiencing stress (the move) but being a fish they try to hide the problem till it is very advanced.
what you need to watch for are early signs (like the not eating) and react at that time
I know your looking for the cure but i want to prepare you for the reality of the situation. if your determined to try a medication try maracyn-two and cut the dose to the volume of water your keeping him in . good luck
Going to a vet isn't going to help unless they specialize in fish most of a vets training is in dogs and cats (or farm animals) your college biology dept might be able to help though, a lot of professors keep aquariums

Answer 6

The pet store is in the business of selling pets. Fish in their view are pretty disposable. If you want something to help you treat your fish, talk to a vet and see if they know some way of helping him.

Before you talk to the vet, consider what else may be different about his living conditions. Did you change the water? Clean the tank and not rinse it well enough, change his brand of food, anything like that? The vet will be asking those kinds of questions as well, so think about it now.

Answer 7

I have a zebra doree with the same problem. At first I thought it was pregnant but it has been like that since at least Christmas. It hasn't blown up yet. It did stay at the bottom of the tank and under the dark part of my small bridge.

It usually stays at the top now.

One way to help it is maybe get another fish. My other zebra doree chases the problemed one around and it moves all around the tank.

Answer 8

It could have a swim bladder problem. It might have been caused by stress when you noved him. Or it could be dropsy (which is bad) and if his scals stick out like a pinecone there is nothing you can do for him because the internal organs including the liver has beem damage beyond the point of return.

Answer 9

I don't mean to alarm you.. but my male betta fish did the exact same thing a few days before he died. He was very active before this happened. He, too, got bloated. He died about 3 days after I noticed this.

I'm not saying this is what's going to happen to your fish.. Yours might have something different, or curable. Call around to a few pet stores and ask them their advice. Good luck!

Answer 10

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