Dropped my betta fish on floor!

I have recently purchased a new betta fish and while i was getting ready to put him into his new aquarium he jumped out of the cup he came in and fell about 4.5 feet onto hardwood. I immediately picked him up and put him into his new aquarium. I am concerned that the impact of the fall may have caused him some internal injuries. The fall happened last night and he is swimming and eating fine however he sometimes appears to be swimming slightly lopesided or may be having buoyancy issues. It appears his body wants to float but he is struggling to swim downward. I’m wondering if his swim bladder is damaged? What is the likeliness that he will be okay after a fall like this?

 

Hi, you'd be surprised how resilient fish are, if it was badly injured it would probably have died by now, don't feed for a day & keep the tank water clean & keep an eye on him, he will probably heal up & be OK.

 

He will likely be okay. After all the stress he's been through recently, I'd recommend leaving him alone for a few days and seeing if he gets better on his own. Make sure he has a place to rest near the surface (think one of those suction cup leaves or a betta log or similar). You could add a little bit of aquarium salt (up to 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons) since he probably lost some of his slime coat in the fall and with you picking him up but he'll also probably be fine without it.

I had a fish jump and fall 4 ft into dirty tile. I don't know how long he was out of water but it must have been a while. I put him back in his tank and after a few days, he was fine. That was more than a year ago and I still have him. I don't recommend leaving fish out of water on purpose but don't beat yourself up too badly over it either

 

He will be okay. Give him time to adjust in his new environment and keep the water clean. My betta fell a few months ago and with really clean water and some Stressguard his fins were healed up very quickly and it’s as if it never happened.

 

Hi, you'd be surprised how resilient fish are, if it was badly injured it would probably have died by now, don't feed for a day & keep the tank water clean & keep an eye on him, he will probably heal up & be OK.

Will do! Do you mind if I ask the reasoning behind not feeding him?

He will be okay. Give him time to adjust in his new environment and keep the water clean. My betta fell a few months ago and with really clean water and some Stressguard his fins were healed up very quickly and it’s as if it never happened.

That is reassuring, thank you!

 

Will do! Do you mind if I ask the reasoning behind not feeding him?

That is reassuring, thank you!

Stress and shock are the big reasons. Might eat, might not, but if he doesn't, will just dirty up the water. Not like he gonna starve to death after 1 or 2 days of no food. Plus, then you don't have to worry about possible bloat hiding any possible damage.

 

He should be fine, they are more resilient than we think! I'd honestly offer a pellet or two and if he eats then great if not 1-2 pellets shouldn't destroy your cycle or anything. With all of my fish one of the first goals I have is to get them eating. Generally the stress of coming to a new home is a lot. Which can cause a weakened immune system. Fasting can also weaken the fish even further. I try to avoid fasting a fish that is potentially under a lot of stress unless I have a big reason to. Plus you never know how frequent the fish was fed before you got it.

 

He will likely be okay. After all the stress he's been through recently, I'd recommend leaving him alone for a few days and seeing if he gets better on his own. Make sure he has a place to rest near the surface (think one of those suction cup leaves or a betta log or similar). You could add a little bit of aquarium salt (up to 1 tablespoon per 3 gallons) since he probably lost some of his slime coat in the fall and with you picking him up but he'll also probably be fine without it.

I had a fish jump and fall 4 ft into dirty tile. I don't know how long he was out of water but it must have been a while. I put him back in his tank and after a few days, he was fine. That was more than a year ago and I still have him. I don't recommend leaving fish out of water on purpose but don't beat yourself up too badly over it either

Will do. Thank you for your help!