Swim Bladder Disease?

[Straight6]

I have a king male betta who is having trouble staying at the top of the tank. He will swim up, and then slowly fall back down to the bottom of the tank. I really didn't think much of it at first, and what I saw on the interned said that swim bladder disease should go away on its own within a couple days.
But it has been well over a week now, so I moved him out of my main tank He looks healthy and is still very active and eats regularly (although I did read that fasting the Betta for a few days can help the fish overcome swim bladder disease, so I did that), Just wondering if there is something I should do, or If I should just wait and see if he gets better on his own.
And is it a good idea for me to keep him in a small quarantine tank (3 gals, but only filled halfway up so he doesn't have to swim as far to reach the top) until he gets better? or should I put him back in the main tank. The main tank is a 10 gallon with a handful of danios, I was kind of scared to put the Betta with danios, but I have not had any issues at all.

 

[CheshireKat]

It's not a disease, it's a disorder (I'm just nitpicking). You are correct in that typically it does go away with fasting. The swim bladder is an organ that allows bettas to balance and enables buoyancy. When it's not functioning properly or is being affected by something, the fish will have a hard time swimming, balancing, staying afloat, etc. Bloat from constipation or overeating can affect the swim bladder, which is why fasting and allowing the body to do its thing is recommended.
However, if that doesn't work, maybe there's another issue or the fish has really bad constipation, you can try other things. One is to feed a blanched, deshelled pea or half a pea (I keep frozen peas just for my fish) or other high-fiber greens, like a bit of green bean. The fiber content can help get the system going. Have you seen if he's pooped?
The other option is to do Epsom salt baths to reduce swelling that may be affecting the swim bladder.

Does he swim at all? Or just stay in one place? Does he try to stop sinking? Does he move his fins, try to swim?

 

[Kmshyamsunder]

Seems he is suffering from a situation called Dropsy. Don't feed him for a day or two. Feed him spinach.
This is similar to indigestion and flatulence in humans.

 

[CheshireKat]

Seems he is suffering from a situation called Dropsy. Don't feed him for a day or two. Feed him spinach.
This is similar to indigestion and flatulence in humans.

That's not what dropsy is. Dropsy is internal swelling due to built up fluids due to internal infection or possibly liver or kidney failure (there's many different things that cause dropsy; it's actually a symptom of something else going on) that often results in a bloated-looking body or belly but not always, and is often recognized by the "pineconing," or the scales sticking out like a pinecone. It's most often fatal by that point if not treated properly and quickly enough. It's not the same thing as swim bladder disorder, bloat or indigestion, or constipation, though often confused with these. Fasting and fiber does not treat dropsy.

 

[potter]

If you look in my posting history, I've a list of what I did with my betta's swim bladder issues. I would lessen his stress as much as possible. I'd keep him in the main tank the tank he's used to and move the danios and lower the water level down in his main tank. It's stressful for a fish to move to a new tank.

Mine can swim now but he will never be 100% I don't think. Maybe with time I don't know but at least he's swimming okay right now in his 5 gallon tank but water lowered down to 3 gallon but same horizontal footprint.

 

[Straight6]

Ok, so I tried giving him a blanched pea, and he was uninterested, but he still will eat his normal food. Hes back in the main tank, but he has lost almost all of his color. His scales are all pale, except for his fins, which are still blue and red. He is still very active, constantly swimming around. But the color change seems bad. And he still is having issues sinking to the bottom of the tank.

 

[CheshireKat]

I'm wondering if it's not SBD. Can you fill this out here? Fish Emergency Template | Betta Fish 376562 That way I don't have to keep asking questions and stuff. I need to know more specific information. The color loss is not typical in SBD in my experience.

 

[Straight6]

Its a 10 gal tank.
Been up for maybe 7 months now.
It does have a filter and heater.
It is about 79 degrees.
I have the king male Betta and four zebra danios.
Water is changed 1/3 every 3 or so weeks.
I do not put any treatments in the water.
Yes I do vacuum the gravel.
The tank was cycled and I had the pet store test it, So I don't have the details.
I feed them a pinch of tetra Betta flakes every other day.

The Betta has been sick for almost 2 weeks now.
He is discolored and is unable to stay afloat.
I haven't done much treatment because I have no idea what to do.
The betta seemed totally fine when I got him a few months ago.
His behavior is still pretty much the same. very active. last night he was very discolored, but his color seems to be coming back. Just the spot under his jaw is still pale. And the two long and thin fins on his belly seem to be a bit messed up from him landing on his side when he hits the bottom of the tank.

 

[CheshireKat]

I have the king male Betta and four zebra danios.
Water is changed 1/3 every 3 or so weeks.
I do not put any treatments in the water.

4 danio aren't a lot, but it's possible he is stressed out by them.
1/3 water change every 3 weeks might not be enough. I'd start doing 50% daily and see if he starts perking up.
Do you have chlorine or chloramine in your tap water?

The tank was cycled and I had the pet store test it, So I don't have the details.
I feed them a pinch of tetra Betta flakes every other day.

It'd be really helpful if you could get it tested and get the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate readings, preferably from a test tube kit, not strips, but those will work too. If you had an ammonia spike or the cycle was messed up, your betta could be sick from that.
Do you watch to make sure they all eat each time? Danios are pretty quick and the betta might not get enough food, especially if you feed every other day. I also recommend adding more to your fish's diet. Frozen foods, soaked freezedried bloodworms once a week, pellets. Bug Bites is a really good food. A varied diet ensures your fish get a variety of nutrients that make a healthy fish.

Also, did you mush the pea up and offer little bits to him? They won't, and can't (mouths not made like that), eat whole peas.

 

[Straight6]

In the past I have had issues with danios harassing other fish. But they usually don't get very close to my big betta with short fins. The danios do get a little aggressive when its feeding time. So what I do is put some food in one corner, then when all of the danios rush over, I put a little bit more food over wherever the betta is, so he gets to eat in peace. I did crush up the pea, but he just was not interested at all.
Ill be sure to pick up more food to vary his diet tomorrow, and ill see about checking the water chemistry. My house runs off of a well so there is not any chlorine, fluoride, or any other additives in it.
My dad used to be super into aquariums, so we had a whole bunch of water testing and cleaning equipment. But he got rid of most of that stuff a few years back. Ill see if I can find anything useful, other wise ill buy a test kit at the pet store or something.

 

[Straight6]

Ok so I tested the chemicals in the aquarium. ph was 7.4, ammonia was 0.25ppm, nitrites were 0ppm, and nitrates were 5ppm.
this is all with the last water change being from almost 2 weeks ago.
The betta looks like he is having a little bit easier time swimming upwards, like always he is still very active and still eats. but he still can't stay afloat on his own, and the colors around his head are pale.

 

[CheshireKat]

He might be sick from the ammonia. You shouldn't have any at all. I can't say for sure that's the cause because you haven't been testing regularly for the last two weeks or however long he's been having issues, but it's definitely not helping him any. Was the tank fully cycled? You said it was; how did you do it and for how long?
Do you know if you have nitrates in your tap water? Have you had the tap water teste

Edit: also, what about your filter? Maybe it's too strong for him? Bettas typically like gentle currents and filters anyway, and if yours is weak right now, it's possible the filtration is too much.