# Betta Floating sideways after water change!! HELP FAST!!! Swim Bladder??



## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

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## Zippy2014 (May 4, 2015)

Sorry to hear about this trouble. I'm sorry I don't have any suggestions to offer. 
I'm wondering is he bloated at all ?
The 5 - 7 pellets, is that once a day ?


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

Thanks! Thats twice a day. Total 10. 7am then 7pm. He looks slighty a bit bigger. Maybe its because he is on his side an angle im not used to looking at


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Could you please fill out this form? And maybe provide some clearer photos of Sport?

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=49233


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

Housing 
What size is your tank? 1.77 gallons
What temperature is your tank? im not sure
Does your tank have a filter? Yes i recently took it out replacing it with the air stone
Does your tank have an air stone or other type of aeration? yes
Is your tank heated? no
What tank mates does your betta fish live with? none

Food
What type of food do you feed your betta fish? Aqueon color enhancing beta food or Tetra tropical medley with color enhancer flakes( ive tried to feed the this 3 times only ate a few flakes)
How often do you feed your betta fish? 7am and 7pm everyday. 4-7 pellets each time

Maintenance 
How often do you perform a water change? every 2 weeks
What percentage of the water do you change when you perform a water change? 75%
What type of additives do you add to the water when you perform a water change?

Water Parameters:
Have you tested your water? If so, what are the following parameters? no

Ammonia:N/A
Nitrite:N/A
Nitrate:N/A
pH:N/A
Hardness:N/A
Alkalinity:N/A 

Symptoms and Treatment
How has your betta fish's appearance changed? Small white discoloration on the side he floats to the surface
How has your betta fish's behavior changed? After i changed the water he swam normal. then floated to the top again. then he swam left to right fast about 5 times. 
When did you start noticing the symptoms? yesterday night 5/15/15
Have you started treating your fish? If so, how? i tried to have it eat the inside of a boiled pea. no success
Does your fish have any history of being ill? no
How old is your fish (approximately) 9 months


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

He's in the corner so its hard to reach him


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

In a tank the size of Sport's, especially one with no filter, Ammonia and Nitrites build up quite quickly. Even a filtered 1.5 gallon requires at least one 50% water change per week. An unfiltered tank should have a 50% water change every other day.

If you do fewer you are exposing your Betta to harmful levels of Ammonia and Nitrites. This can weaken his immune system and leave him open to disease. Fish can go into "shock" if the Ammonia levels are quite high and we do a sudden large water change. This can also weaken the immune system.

I say all this to help explain the importance of frequent water changes.

What did you add to Sport's water when you changed it? Did you remember to use water conditioner? If not, that would explain his symptoms.

Most sick Betta require warm water to aid in healing. Sport doesn't look bloated so you could try adding one teaspoon of Aquarium Salt per gallon for no more than 10 days. You must do 100% water changes every day for those 10 days or the salt will build up and become lethal instead of healing.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> In a tank the size of Sport's, especially one with no filter, Ammonia and Nitrites build up quite quickly. Even a filtered 1.5 gallon requires one 50% water change per week. An unfiltered tank should have a 50% water change every other day.
> 
> If you do fewer you are exposing your Betta to harmful levels of Ammonia and Nitrites. This can weaken his immune system and leave him open to disease. Fish can go into "shock" if the Ammonia levels are quite high and we do a sudden large water change. This can also weaken the immune system.
> 
> ...


I will do that more often now. I used Zoo Med Betta H20 conditioner.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

sportIce said:


> I will do that more often now. I used Zoo Med Betta H20 conditioner.


Should i place the filter back inside letting it run for the rest of the day?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I always run filters 24/7 in my aquariums. If it's pushing Sport around you could baffle it.


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## InsertCheesecake (May 6, 2015)

4-7 pellets 2x a day? I think you could instead do a 2-3 pellets 2x a day. This will keep you're brothers Betta from bloating with 10+ pellets in his tummy. His stomach is as big as his eye, in case you don't know.

Welcome to the Forums btw. :-D and good luck looking after sport.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

I put the filter back inside and Sport started swimming normal then he swam downward and brought his face above the water about 4 times pretty fast like jumping up. So i turned it off.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

InsertCheesecake said:


> 4-7 pellets 2x a day? I think you could instead do a 2-3 pellets 2x a day. This will keep you're brothers Betta from bloating with 10+ pellets in his tummy. His stomach is as big as his eye, in case you don't know.
> 
> I will do that for now on thanks


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

Does anyone know anything else i can do?!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You probably missed it because I edited my other post. I won't repeat it; but if he's not bloated Aquarium Salt and warmth might be good to try first. Perhaps someone will come on who sees something I missed and have another idea.

BTW, why did you turn the filter off in the first place? If it's not buffeting him around so he can't swim I would leave it on for 30 minutes before I decided to turn it off.

And how many pellets you feed depends on the size of the pellet. If they're big, like Ken's, then only 2-3 twice a day. If they are tiny then you need to feed more. One way to judge is feed until Sport's belly is gently rounded.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> You probably missed it because I edited my other post. I won't repeat it; but if he's not bloated Aquarium Salt and warmth might be good to try first. Perhaps someone will come on who sees something I missed and have another idea.
> 
> BTW, why did you turn the filter off in the first place? If it's not buffeting him around so he can't swim I would leave it on for 30 minutes before I decided to turn it off.
> 
> And how many pellets you feed depends on the size of the pellet. If they're big, like Ken's, then only 2-3 twice a day. If they are tiny then you need to feed more. One way to judge is feed until Sport's belly is gently rounded.


Yes, i did miss that. Ok i will try that. They are tiny, ill feed them 3 twice a day. Thanks for the help i hope this works!!


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

sportIce said:


> Yes, i did miss that. Ok i will try that. They are tiny, ill feed them 3 twice a day. Thanks for the help i hope this works!!


I turned the filter off before because i had changed the water and wanted to use the air stone for the first time. When i turned it on today he was very jumpy with it. Started to swim wildly. So i turned it off thinking that was why he was swimming crazily. Should i turn it back on even if he continues to act crazy?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

I'd give him a few minutes to adjust; especially if he was fine with it before.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

Ok he seems to be getting used to it. When you change your tanks specifically your bettas do you use a net or what do you use? Im afraid they will be in the air for too long if i use the net. I usually take our the decorations and stuff then let out 75% of the water then i pour the last 25% of the water out into a container with the fish inside. They usually get shocked really fast when i do that and gasp for air. Am i doing something wrong?


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

You can get a piece of airline tubing at Wal-Mart for under $3.00. Use that as a siphon to remove water and at the same time vaccum up any leftover food or any waste.

Siphon out about 50% and replace with treated water you've let set until it's room temperature (about an hour or so). This way you don't have to take your Betta out of their tanks. If they are filtered, do not change out the filter insert until it's falling apart. This is where the beneficial bacteria is kept.

Here's a link that might help. When you get new water conditioner get Prime. Tell your parents in the long run it's less expensive since you only use two drops per gallon! One bottle will last a long time.

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=555434

Good luck! You are doing a great job of trying to learn and understand about your Betta; better than some adults. ;-)


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

All of this really helped thank you so much. Hopefully he goes back to normal soon


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## VivianKJean (Aug 20, 2013)

You also need a heater. They are required for bettas, especially since you have no idea what the temperature of the tank is.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Yes, heaters are definitely needed in Betta tanks. Thanks for bringing that up.

Perhaps you could ask for them for your birthday or because you're showing a mature sense of responsibility. :yourock:


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

RussellTheShihTzu said:


> Yes, heaters are definitely needed in Betta tanks. Thanks for bringing that up.
> 
> Perhaps you could ask for them for your birthday or because you're showing a mature sense of responsibility. :yourock:


Both our birthdays just passed lol. We will be getting one soon. Im fasting him for 24 hours hopefully his system cleanses and will be back to normal. if not ill try the Aquarium salt.

Thanks


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## violettec (Jan 3, 2015)

Also, bettas require stable temperatures in addition to clean water. The tank temp can be in a range of 78 - 82 (so pick one), but the most important thing is to not have the temperature fluctuate. It's extremely stressful and can kill them. It's also important to acclimate them slowly to a new tank to avoid shock.


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## sportIce (May 16, 2015)

*Fasting Didnt Work! Laying sideways*

So i fasted Sport for 48 hours only feeding him once. very little flakes. Yesterday he was looking better i thought he was getting better swimming normal and everything. I come home to see he has gotten worse. More white has appeared and all the way side ways now. Has anyone else seen symptoms like this. Someone help please!


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