# Fish floating at top of tank?



## swoozie13579 (Sep 28, 2010)

My Betta fish just ate their dinner, all the sudden one starts floating at the top of the tank. I have heard of something where they eat a bubble and they will float sideways, witch is what mine is doing. she fights to get to the bottom face first then gives up and floats to the top sideways. 

By the way she is in a 10 gallon tank with 4 other girl Betta fish.

Thanks


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

Need some more information.....

Sorority tank-10gals...any other species of fish besides the 4 girls, how much and how often are the water changes, temp, filter, live plants, additive used, how old is she and how long have you had her and has she ever been sick and/or treated, appetite and type/amount/frequency of food/feeding.....


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## swoozie13579 (Sep 28, 2010)

Only her and 4 other Bettas, I have a filter so i dont do water changes, but i do add water, timp: unknown, i don't have a thermometer, no plants just two small caves and rocks at bottom, shes... i think mabie a year i got her when she was young at a pet store mabie 4 months, I've had her 8 months, never been sick or treated, i feed once a day, she eats fine, and the filter is currently turned off until i get a new one beacuse it pulled one of my other bettas up against it and she couldent get away so i had to turn it off.


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## Oldfishlady (Mar 1, 2010)

To understand...you have had the tank running for 8 months and you haven't made any water changes only top offs and now the filter is broken and off....no live plants....good that it was a fairly low bioload....unknown water temp.......

A filter doesn't replace the need for water changes-all the waste it removes is still in the tank...just out of sight-traped in the filter media/box until the biological filter kick in and then it is limited since this is a closed system.....you most likely will have really high DOC and nitrate coupled with a bottomed out pH not to mention ammonia.......and now without a filter and any nitrifying bacteria is going to start to die from a lack of oxygen and the tank may crash.....I am surprised that you haven't had problems until now......you have really been lucky.....

Edit...I just went and looked at your post history and I guess you haven't been all that lucky....a lot of post about sick fish....

In a neglected tank-I would start making really small daily water changes to start....10% for 4 days-then 20% for 4 days-then 40% for 4 days-then 50% for 2 days...vacuum the substrate every 7 days starting on the 7th day....too much too fast and it could shock the fish and they might all die on you...these are tough fish....but even the toughest can't handle too big of nitrate an pH change......

Get the filter running and start 50% with vacuum weekly thereafter to maintain water quality-give the filter media a swish/rinse in old tank water a couple of times a month...

Be sure and use like temp water and dechlorinator with the new water added with the water changes....good luck.....


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## BETTA DET (Jul 29, 2011)

Do what OFL says. Then Baffle the filter tube so that fish dont get stuck or sucked up. You can do it with aquarium sponge sold cheap at any aquarium store. You dont need to buy a new filter. Get that filter back up and running ASAP. When it is You still need to do weekly 20 precent water changes, change the filter media (or rinse it) monthly, and clean the gravel monthly at the least. Do a 50 to 75 percent change monthly as well. Never change your filter media the same time as you do a large water change so stagger it every two weeks otherwise you will wipe out all of your bacteria.


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