captain_bilbo

Welll... When my betta Bruce stops for a moment and rests in the corner of the tank like he has since I bought him, he sometimes will seem to lose his balance and lean to the side a bit. I'm wondering if this is swim bladder disease or if he just has really heavy fins?

Phloxface

I am having the same problem with my Betta Lava. This has been going on for almost two months. He is not constipated and hasn't been injured so all I could think is that it was swim bladder infection. I have treated him with every antibiotic I could and he still can't swim. He floats at the top like a balloon. Is your Betta able to swim around the bottom of the tank or does he just float ,or sit at the bottom and make made dashes to the top for air and then sink again? If he is able to swim around normally he doesn't have any problems with swim bladder.* He may be constipated a little and you could try fasting for a day and then feeding only cooked frozen green pea (small pieces of the inside only) for a couple days to see if it helps. If he is floating or sinking he needs antibiotics and he will need to be on several rounds of them in a row. One course (5 days) will not help. Bacterial Swim Bladder infection is VERY difficult to treat and you need to be aggressive. I suggest Maracyn-Two. After each course do a water change, run some fresh carbon through the filter for a couple hours and then remove carbon and start treatment again. You may have to do 3 treatments like this.
I found out today that Lava has parasites which may or may not be connected to his swim bladder problems.* You should treat with Coppersafe as well as the Maracyn-Two (they can be used together) just to cover all your bases.
Good luck. I hope you don't have the same problems I'm having with Lava.

captain_bilbo

Well... as of right now he IS floating up to the top ocassionally and then floating back down but he still swims around normally too. But mostly he swims to the top, gets a little air, goes to the bottom and sits for a minute, then goes back up, and maybe swims for a second, rinse, repeat. Same old thing over and over. GOD I hope it is NOT a swim bladder infection. Then again, I just moved him into a new 10g tank (better than the old 2.5 he was in, Jeezzzz..) could it be adjusting to his new home as well? But he isn't just SINKING to the bottom, he just swims up to the top and then swims back to the bottom. I think I'll to fast him a day or so and then give him something healthy, I happen to have frozen peas in the freezer!

Phloxface

If he is able to swim normally it isn't swim bladder. I would fast and give green pea for a couple days and see how he is. If he continues to act lethargic he could have some sort of bacterial infection and a round of Maracyn-Two usually fixes them right up. Give him two days of pea treats and NO other food and if he's still not right start antibiotics. Bacterial infections are easy to fix if caught early enough.

captain_bilbo

Thanks for the help... I'm gonna give him a day without any food and then peas... then possibly medication..

antisen

What's the current like in the new tank? If it is even a little strong that could explain the slight tippiness.

captain_bilbo

That's what I think too, but how do I make the current less strong?

antisen

What kind of tank/filter do you use? I used this link to drastically cut down on my filter's current, Dory's been happier since:

http://www.petfish.net/kb/entry/347/

I had to adapt it a little to work with the built-in eclipse filter, but it still works. Lemme know if you need any help with it.

Also, if you have strong bubbles/aeration, you can tie off the air tube or buy a valve to cut down on the flow.

Phloxface

Get a bag of bonded filter pads and cut a piece of it to place between the filter water flow and the tank lid. It keeps the water from splashing so much but still allows the water to flow into tank. Also keep water level high enough so water doesn't fall so far. For airstones get a gang valve that can control the amount of air going through and turn it down low so it doesn't cause so much disturbance.