My fish is floating on its side on the surface?!

My Betta just survived hole in the head disease which lasted over a week but has fully recovered. For a few days after he was swimming around until just recently.

But three days ago I noticed my Betta was just kind of on the surface his backside just floating up. I noticed yesterday when I was feeding him that he was struggling controlling his buoyancy. Today he's on the surface but just went on his side! I put a leave in the quarantine tank to support him.

Water parameters are perfect except for amonia which is just above 0 but less then .25. I do water changes all the time I just can't get it under.

I've been using paraguard for 5 days now.

He doesn't have dropsy there are no protruding scales no enlarged stomach.

Please help me this would have been my fish I was able to save. Please help

 

Sounds like swim bladder disease. You can try feeding him a pea or some daphnia which bettas prefer. If none of these work then salt treatments will be necessary

 

Sounds like swim bladder disease. You can try feeding him a pea or some daphnia which bettas prefer. If none of these work then salt treatments will be necessary

Daphnia? Okay I'll look that up. I recently bought food for him that contains multiple vitamins.

When should I start doing the salt treatment? This is the third day that I've noticed it. Can I use salt and Paraguard together?

I'm terrified to over medicate him since his immune system has been through **** and back.

Btw he all of a sudden seems balanced at the bottom of the tank but he swam so irradically. He's on top of a little plant.

Thank you for helping me I can't lose this fish

Sounds like swim bladder disease. You can try feeding him a pea or some daphnia which bettas prefer. If none of these work then salt treatments will be necessary

Just a pic of him I don't think it's dropsy in early stages.

 

that sounds like swim bladder disease. before you do anything else, i recommend feeding him 1/4 a pea (shell removed, and crush it up a bit) per day bc i heard they help a lot with that. also add
if you think overfeeding is the cause, fast him for a few days (do feed him peas tho) and raise the heater gradually to 80 degrees fahrenheit to speed up digestion. salt treatments can work as well, dose 1 tablespoon of epsom salt for every 5 gallons of water (make sure to dissolve it first so your fish doesnt eat any salt
Your betta’s stomach is only the size of their eye – keep this in mind as you feed them. air inside food can also cause some problems. id recommend to soak the pellets before feeding or buy sinking food after youve solved this issue

 

that sounds like swim bladder disease. before you do anything else, i recommend feeding him 1/4 a pea (shell removed, and crush it up a bit) per day bc i heard they help a lot with that. also add
if you think overfeeding is the cause, fast him for a few days (do feed him peas tho) and raise the heater gradually to 80 degrees fahrenheit to speed up digestion. salt treatments can work as well, dose 1 tablespoon of epsom salt for every 5 gallons of water (make sure to dissolve it first so your fish doesnt eat any salt
Your betta’s stomach is only the size of their eye – keep this in mind as you feed them. air inside food can also cause some problems. id recommend to soak the pellets before feeding or buy sinking food after youve solved this issue

It's definitely not from overfeeding. I feed him 3 tiny little pellets once per day. And I'll skip a day every week.

It has to be some bacterial issue that caused the swim bladder, probably as a result of his recovery from hole in the head disease.

Based on how much I did feed him should I still do the peas?

When should i start doing the salt? I hope it doesn't cause him more stress since I've been dosing already Paraguard.

Thank you sir

 

It's definitely not from overfeeding. I feed him 3 tiny little pellets once per day. And I'll skip a day every week.

It has to be some bacterial issue that caused the swim bladder, probably as a result of his recovery from hole in the head disease.

Based on how much I did feed him should I still do the peas?

When should i start doing the salt? I hope it doesn't cause him more stress since I've been dosing already Paraguard.

Thank you sir

im pretty sure you can add paraguard and salt at the same time, and yeah its probably from his recovery. id say yeah still do the peas. just give him 1/4 of a pea a day no more than that

 

im pretty sure you can add paraguard and salt at the same time, and yeah its probably from his recovery. id say yeah still do the peas. just give him 1/4 of a pea a day no more than that

He has a slight full stomach I'm worried its the early phase of dropsy. But it looks nothing like dropsy at this moment.

Does swim bladder disease show a fish having a fun stomach? Can you take a look at the picture I've just uploaded please?

Thank you again sir
I didn't realize Paraguard doesn't do anything for internal issues like an idiot so I just bought Metroplex which will arrive 1 to 2 weeks which is brutal.

I just put 1 tablespoon of Epson Salt per 5 gallon and now I'm just praying.

I found him upside down just now. Sucks to watch this after getting through hole in the head.

 

He does look a bit bloated, sometimes this happens even when you don't feed him too much. I'd try a pea like others said, but only once, they don't eat plants naturally and it could do more damage if fed multiple times over the course of a couple of days. Make sure it's organic- and that you boil it for long enough and make sure it cools down.

Otherwise it absolutely could be immune issues- my fish has been battling this on and off for weeks now.. I'd make sure that the water is of good quality, do water changes every 2-3 days, keep the light off (to encourage him to rest and de-stress), and don't bother him too much.

Keep an eye on his fins too.

 

He has a slight full stomach I'm worried its the early phase of dropsy. But it looks nothing like dropsy at this moment.

Does swim bladder disease show a fish having a fun stomach? Can you take a look at the picture I've just uploaded please?

Thank you again sir
I didn't realize Paraguard doesn't do anything for internal issues like an idiot so I just bought Metroplex which will arrive 1 to 2 weeks which is brutal.

I just put 1 tablespoon of Epson Salt per 5 gallon and now I'm just praying.

I found him upside down just now. Sucks to watch this after getting through hole in the head.

like jayce said, id say keep the water clean and try to keep him destressed. to answer your question, having a bloated appearance is a symptom of swim bladder disease

 

He does look a bit bloated, sometimes this happens even when you don't feed him too much. I'd try a pea like others said, but only once, they don't eat plants naturally and it could do more damage if fed multiple times over the course of a couple of days. Make sure it's organic- and that you boil it for long enough and make sure it cools down.

Otherwise it absolutely could be immune issues- my fish has been battling this on and off for weeks now.. I'd make sure that the water is of good quality, do water changes every 2-3 days, keep the light off (to encourage him to rest and de-stress), and don't bother him too much.

Keep an eye on his fins too.

Should I do a Epson Salt bath for him? 1 tablespoon per 5 gallon. I'm worried he's gonna be completely stressed.

I have Melafix maybe I can use that but I'm worried it will interact badly with Paraguard.

Or just feed him a properly prepared pea. He's been fasting for almost two days now. I'll do that based on what you said.

I'm constantly checking the water. It's literally perfect except I can't get it to Zero it's between that and 0.25.

If I can save Peach it will be the first fish I've been able to save can't tell you how happy I would be.

Thank you again.

1) I think I'll use Melafix
2) Feed him a pea
3) Water parameters and low light so he can rest
4) Maybe an Epson bath but I don't want to wait until it's bad so I'm debating what I should do

Should I do a Epson Salt bath for him? 1 tablespoon per 5 gallon. I'm worried he's gonna be completely stressed.

I have Melafix maybe I can use that but I'm worried it will interact badly with Paraguard.

Or just feed him a properly prepared pea. He's been fasting for almost two days now. I'll do that based on what you said.

I'm constantly checking the water. It's literally perfect except I can't get it to Zero it's between that and 0.25.

If I can save Peach it will be the first fish I've been able to save can't tell you how happy I would be.

Thank you again.

1) I think I'll use Melafix
2) Feed him a pea
3) Water parameters and low light so he can rest
4) Maybe an Epson bath but I don't want to wait until it's bad so I'm debating what I should do

Sorry I meant Ammonia is under 0.25. I put a ammonia recover in the filter yesterday. And I'm doing water changes very often. Worried I'm doing it too much but I put my established media from my old filter into this small 2.5 gallon so I'm not too worried.

 

I wouldn't recommend using melafix. I don't think that will help with his issues, and that med is not recommended for bettas.

Have you fasted him at all during the time that he has had issues swimming?

If you want to do a fish bath with epsom salts, then you can set up a bath container with a gallon of clean water. Make sure that you have a recovery container with some of his tank water waiting in case you need it. The bath water should be the same temp as his tank water. You should use one tablespoon of pure epsom salt. Make sure that you dissolve the epsom salt first. Also, don't use anything but pure, unscented epsom salt. Put him into the bath, and leave him for 15 minutes. If you see him begin to be really stressed, or if he suddenly has a bowl movement, take him out of the bath and put him into the recovery container.

After the 15 minutes is up, very carefully put him into the recovery container. Let him stay there for a few minutes, and then return him to his regular tank.

Hopefully, this will help!

 

I wouldn't recommend using melafix. I don't think that will help with his issues, and that med is not recommended for bettas.

Have you fasted him at all during the time that he has had issues swimming?

If you want to do a fish bath with epsom salts, then you can set up a bath container with a gallon of clean water. Make sure that you have a recovery container with some of his tank water waiting in case you need it. The bath water should be the same temp as his tank water. You should use one tablespoon of pure epsom salt. Make sure that you dissolve the epsom salt first. Also, don't use anything but pure, unscented epsom salt. Put him into the bath, and leave him for 15 minutes. If you see him begin to be really stressed, or if he suddenly has a bowl movement, take him out of the bath and put him into the recovery container.

After the 15 minutes is up, very carefully put him into the recovery container. Let him stay there for a few minutes, and then return him to his regular tank.

Hopefully, this will help!

I can't thank you enough for this information and helping me.

You said 1 tablespoon per gallon. But I've read it should be 1 tablespoon per 5 gallon if I read correctly.

What do you mean a recovery container? I'm currently keeping him in a quarantine tank is that okay?

**** it I put a little Melafix inside I read that it can help with Swim Bladder disease.

I was able to feed him a quarter of a pea today holding it with a toothpick. I hope that helps, since I haven't fed it at all yesterday and today. He still has an appetite and he's doesnt seem to be getting worst since I noticed 5 days ago.

He goes upside down, side ways, but usually his at the surface relaxing on a leaf in normal position.

I'm still waiting and seeing if I'm going to stress him out with an Epson bath which I've never done. He's not getting worse but he's not getting better. I think if there is no improvement tomorrow I might do it for 15 minutes like you said. I read it's 5 to 15 minute's. Do you think his condition is at the extreme end given it's been 5 days of this,?

Thank you again

 

I am very glad to help, Zartic!

I am not a fan of putting epsom salt directly into a fish tank. I have read both pros and cons about that.

I think that a fish bath is better because it is more concentrated, and only lasts for a short period of time. It helps in a few ways. It can help leach out excess fluid that has built up, and of course, can have the laxative effect.

If you do a search for epsom salt baths, you will see that for the bath, it is an entire tablespoon for one gallon.

When I say recovery container, I mean a small container that you can put him in after he is finished with his 15 minute bath. It is a way to help acclimate him back to his normal tank water (since it is filled with tank water) instead of just dumping him back into his tank. It also gives you a better opportunity to watch him closely for any side effects before you put him back into his tank.

I have given a few of my bettas epsom salt baths over the years, and only once did I have one that I needed to move quickly due to a stress reaction. That is also where the recovery container can come in handy.

Since you fed him some pea, you can wait to see if that helps in the next 24 hours. If you don't see an improvement, try to epsom salt bath. Just try not to be nervous about it. The most stressful part is moving him from the tank into the bath.

It's hard to say how far gone the issue is at this point, but if he is still interested in eating, that is always a great sign!

And if you get a chance, try reading about melafix and bettas. You will see a ton of articles written about it. I know, we all at the beginning bought it and were told that it was helpful. I threw the bottle that I bought in the trash after reading about how if can affect the betta's labyrinth organ. There has been a lot written about it, and I decided that I would rather use more natural means of dealing with issues with my bettas.

I hope this helps, and I hope that the pea does the job!

 

I am very glad to help, Zartic!

I am not a fan of putting epsom salt directly into a fish tank. I have read both pros and cons about that.

I think that a fish bath is better because it is more concentrated, and only lasts for a short period of time. It helps in a few ways. It can help leach out excess fluid that has built up, and of course, can have the laxative effect.

If you do a search for epsom salt baths, you will see that for the bath, it is an entire tablespoon for one gallon.

When I say recovery container, I mean a small container that you can put him in after he is finished with his 15 minute bath. It is a way to help acclimate him back to his normal tank water (since it is filled with tank water) instead of just dumping him back into his tank. It also gives you a better opportunity to watch him closely for any side effects before you put him back into his tank.

I have given a few of my bettas epsom salt baths over the years, and only once did I have one that I needed to move quickly due to a stress reaction. That is also where the recovery container can come in handy.

Since you fed him some pea, you can wait to see if that helps in the next 24 hours. If you don't see an improvement, try to epsom salt bath. Just try not to be nervous about it. The most stressful part is moving him from the tank into the bath.

It's hard to say how far gone the issue is at this point, but if he is still interested in eating, that is always a great sign!

And if you get a chance, try reading about melafix and bettas. You will see a ton of articles written about it. I know, we all at the beginning bought it and were told that it was helpful. I threw the bottle that I bought in the trash after reading about how if can affect the betta's labyrinth organ. There has been a lot written about it, and I decided that I would rather use more natural means of dealing with issues with my bettas.

I hope this helps, and I hope that the pea does the job!

Thank you so much. I fed him 1/8 of a pea yesterday he wouldn't eat it more. Today as I was able to give him a tiny bit more and he was super hungry. I did feed him 2 small pellets cause it's been 3 days of no food. I panicked and gave him a bit of food.

He's very hungry and I watched him swim pretty okay but he's still not a in control. Still at the surface all day.

I think his stomach is a little more bloated. But no pine cones. I stopped using Paraguard since it's not much use at this point cause its internal. I'm trying to do natural but Melafix seems such an easy thing to use

Tomorrow if his stomach gets bigger or no improvement in going to do the Epson bath. I attached another picture.

Sharon thank you for your words. This has been stressful and all this advice has given me great comfort. I don't want to lose this fish he's gonna be the first one I save.

 

He's a beautiful little guy! And your attitude is great; don't lose heart!

As long as you don't see the pineconing, he should be able to get this worked out.

If it's an internal issue as far as being an infection, you will see signs that will let you know it's more than just constipation. Being hungry is a very good sign.

I went through a lot with my first few bettas because of a lack of knowledge, and because I could not filter through all of the stuff that you find on the internet about bettas.

This site, and the people here, have helped me a lot.

I hope that he gets better! Keep me posted!

 

Exactly Rose of Sharon.

I spent days and days trying to figure out all the information while my fish is sick. Trying to figure hole in the head disease was almost impossible. Until someone on this awesome site knew exactly what it was he made it through but his little body took a beating and developed bladder issues from that almost certainly. His stomach is a tiny tiny bit bigger.

Today I just have him an Epson bath. He's in a little shock now that he's back in his quarantine tank. Don't worry I followed every step My wife gave me an extra pair of diligent eyes and hands.

I have Metroplex coming in soon just in case he can't get back to normal naturally. I really hope this isn't perminent but regardless if it is for life I'll get him his own special tank.

I'm trying to figure out when I get feed him again. He's had two pellets in the last 5 days and some peas.

Thank you again for having a carying voice and some badly needed guidance.

If you don't mind I'll update if something happens.

 

He's is better!!!!

This morning he was swimming so much better! It's almost like he's trying to figure out how to do it again. He's been basically sick in one spot for close to 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone for helping me and thank you Sharon for hanging in their with Peach.

It's still not clear and I'll keep you posted but man, this is awesome.

 

He's is better!!!!

This morning he was swimming so much better! It's almost like he's trying to figure out how to do it again. He's been basically sick in one spot for close to 2 weeks.

Thank you to everyone for helping me and thank you Sharon for hanging in their with Peach.

It's still not clear and I'll keep you posted but man, this is awesome.

so glad hes recovering! make sure to keep us updated

 

so glad hes recovering! make sure to keep us updated

I put him back in the 39 gallon a few weeks ago He's doing very well seems to be back to normal but I'm keeping an eye on him. He has been swimming a little strange the last few days so I'm getting worries again.

I'm worried there is something in my main tank so virus or bacteria. In the next week I'm going to do a complete overhaul. New real plants new gravel. Everything new in the 30.

Thank you again

 

About three weeks ago Peach developed whole in the head disease. We were able to get him through that nightmare and now almost the entire wound has healed. I used Paraguard which seemed to help him

He letter developed from secondary infection swimm bladder disease. We beat that also with an Epson bath.

After over two weeks he was back and I put him back into his 30 gallon.

And now starting 3 days ago he's been swimming erratically not being able to judge his speed. He found a place to hide on day 2 and never came out to eat. On the 4th day I put him into his quarantine tank again

Outside he has nothing visible so I can guess it's a internal parasite or bacteria. I just put in some Metroplex which finally came in the mail. I live in Toronto so it's illegal to buy medication locally.

This nightmare is starting again. Im not going to lose him and you guys at Fishlore helped so much.

There is some parasite in my 30 gallon and I used Copper safe which didn't do anything from Peach is showing. If he makes it through, I'm doing a completely fresh tank. I also have two tetras (the other ones died without outside signs or behavior) I had them for about 3 years. I also have a Pleco and 3 Amano shrimp. They are all doing totally fine.

God, please help someone.
Well I'm guessing there's some parasite in my main and tank or something I've got no clue. Something is in there trying to kill my fish.

Not again Sharon, not again I'm awful my fish doesn't deserve this suffering cause of me.